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Maybe Love Bites Twice | Chapter 10 | Chapter 10 - Ready or not
It has been a half an hour since you and Shining left the dining hall, and despite the fact Cadence came in to comfort Twilight. However, the light conversation has done little to help quell her own regret for not wanting to go and see Aerolight.
"...So will you be sending a letter to Celestia?"
The words shake Twilight from her stare as she speaks up, "What?"
Cadence blinks to the mare's quick voice as she repeats herself, "About the Crystal Heart, will you be telling Celestia it can not be moved?"
Twilight slowly nods to the comment as she speaks up, "Y-yes, we can't risk moving it. I'm sure Celestia will be able to bring the crown here once we tell her."
Cadence gives a sweet smile as she tries to reach her hoof from her seat across the table, "Twilight I can't imagine what this is like for you... And I will not pretend like what happend did not. But right now we need to make sure we don't make any mistakes."
Violet and Sparky just watch the conversation in silence as Cadence continues, "You don't have to worry about Aerolight...We can break any spell a changeling put on him."
A slight laugh comes up from Twilight as her head drifts towards the table, "Of course..."
Just as Twilight's words come down the dinning hall doors open.
It only takes a few seconds for the lavender mare to jump from her seat as she watches you and Aerolight coming into the room, "Aerolight!"
Without hesitation Twilight wraps her hooves around the young stallion with no intent to let go.
You take a step aside as you turn your gaze to the three ponies at the table, but their eyes all shift to the other ponies that come up behind you.
Twilight slowly brings her hooves from the young stallion as she watches the white mare trotting in beside Shining and two other crystal pony guards.
A bright crystal horn band sits to the unicorn's horn, but this fact does little to curve Twilight's defensive gaze.
Shining turns his head to the open doors as he sparks his horn up to close them, just as the sound of the doors closing rings to the room his voice comes up, "She has agreed to talk in exchange for breaking the spell over Aerolight."
The words bring a slight smile to Milky's face as she waits for her turn to talk.
Twilight quickly swings her eyes to the mare as she speaks up, "Alright...Then talk."
Milky nods as she holds her eyes to the lavender mare, "You can not move the Crystal Heart from the castle."
"Did the changelings mess with its magic? Is that why the Crystal Heart has been acting strange?"
The white mare takes a deep breath as she shakes her head, "It is preparing itself for a fight, how it can know what is about to come is something I do not have the answer to."
Cadence cocks her head to the comment as she stands from her seat, "What fight?"
Milky shifts her eyes to the mare as she continues, "Princess Celestia is about to release the Crown's current magic, when she does all magic will fluctuate and the consequences will be catastrophic."
The room goes silent for a moment as everypony's ears shoot up, but Twilight's voice quickly shatters the quiet as she brings her voice up, "And HOW do you know this?"
Shining's voice rings out next as he squints to the mare, "Celestia would never do something that could potentially harm anypony."
Cadence nods to the comment as she speaks up, "Yes, and why would Princess Luna turn if this was Celestia's plan. She would have known before you."
Twilight holds her head up as she shakes her head to the mare, "You are just trying to scare us to let you go."
Everypony continues to go back and forth until Milky's voice comes up and over theirs, "WHY would I have allowed myself to be caught?!" Milky quickly continues as she rushes her voice, "Luna is not Nightmare Moon, she must have tried to stop her sister."
A slight laugh comes from Twilight as she speaks up, "Oh and how do you know this?"
Milky squints her eyes a little annoyed to every ponies quick dismissal as she shifts her eyes between the poines in the room, "We have spent the last few years getting our kind into positions of power throughout Equestria. I would not give this information out unless there was a direct threat to the changelings." The mare's posture perks up as she continues, "If Celestia is allowed to go through with her plan we will all be exposed and-...."
Shining's voice quickly comes over her's as he turns to his guards, "And there is your reason for wanting the Crystal Heart, guards take her back to the dungeon."
Milky's ear flicks to the words as she turns her head to the armored white stallion, "I WISH the heart to stay here!"
Her words do little to Shining as he shakes his head, "Why would I believe somepony who has tried to harm my sister and everypony-..."
Ffffhiizzzzz!
The bright bolt of green magic slams into the wall beside Shining, making the stallion like the two guards take on a quick glow to their horns.
However with the same instinct you have jumped in front of Aerolight as you scream out, "WAIT WAIT!"
Aerolight pushes past you as he swings his head to everypony in the room, "Then don't believe her, believe me!"
Twilight slowly trots towards the stallion as she speaks up, "Aerolight you're not you just sit dow-..."
Aerolight takes a quick step from you and Twilight as he brings his voice up, "I'm fine really."
The words quiver Shining's mouth as he just stares to the dark cream coated stallion not knowing how to act on his confession.
However the tension in the room is quickly broken as Milky's low voice comes out, "Send a letter to Princess Celestia." Her eyes turn to Twilight as she continues, "Just tell her you have the heart...If I'm wrong tell Celestia I give myself up."
Twilight blinks to the comment as she turns her eyes to Aerolight for the moment, but she slowly nods her head as she brings her voice out, "F-fine..."
To the mare's words Shining's voice comes up as he nods to one of the guards, "Bring us some paper."
As one of the stallions moves from the doorway Shining's magic comes over Milky and Aerolight's bodies as he directs them to trot to one of the seats at the table.
Milky and Aerolight do not hold their eyes to anypony in the room as they just stare to the table.
It only takes a moment for the guard pony to come back to the room as he floats over a light blue piece of paper and a pen to Twilight.
The lavender mare quickly takes the two items into her magic as she swallows and starts to write something to the paper.
Her quick magic makes short work of the paper as her horn glows a little bright until the paper on the table disappears with a slight pop sound.
Twilight slowly brings her eyes up as she nods, "T-there, I told Celestia that we have the crown and that we are on the train."
Milky brings her head from the table as she nods, "I wish there was another way to make you believe me..." Her head turns down the length of the table as she stares to the large and open crystal window that sits to the other side of the room.
Through the window the east side of the city can be seen, as well as the rolling hills of the grassy plains that lay on the outskirts of the empire.
A light sigh comes from Milky as she starts to turn her head back to you and Twilight, "You know I'm actually surprised you two have not seen Celestia's manipulation over the years..." Her eyes come to you as she smiles, "Stories have been told of The Destroyer over the years, and if they are true why is it you have never picked up on everything Celestia has done?"
You and Twilight both stay silent to the mare as you find yourselves listening a little harder to her calmed and slightly defeated voice.
Cadence and Shining notice the long stare as the stallion speaks up, "That's enough."
The words do nothing to alter the mare's words as she continues now with her eyes focused on you, "Her intentions may not be as bad as ours or Discord might have been, but she still has her own agenda." Milky squints to you as she smiles, "Didn't you find it strange she needed you to charge the element of harmony?"
Shining's voice comes up a little more as he blinks to the mare, "I said that's-..."
His words fall flat as Milky turns to Twilight, "And did you really think it was just bad luck that you found that one spell book all those years ago?"
The room starts to get a little brighter as Milky continues to stare to you and Twilight.
However, the room's new light is not just from the sun moving from behind a cloud. Instead the lights now Shining into the room are almost like a rainbow of bright colors.
Sparky is the first to turn around towards the window as he stares to the aurora borealis of lights that seem to be dancing across the sky with a wavy like form.
The pegasus's heart starts to thump a little harder as he reaches his hoof to the light purple mare's hoof that sits next to him.
Cadence's voice comes up as she trots towards the window, "W-what is that?"
Milky turns her eyes towards the window as her confident smile starts to fade, "Like I said...Magic will fluctuate, even the magic that holds the sun at bay."
End of chapter 10 |
Maybe Love Bites Twice | Chapter 11 | Chapter 11 - How to plan for the end of the world
Cadence continues to hold her gasping mouth to the window as her slow trot brings her closer and closer to it.
However Shinning is the first to speak up as he turns to Milky, "What's happening?"
Milky shakes her head as she speaks up, "I know nothing of what is happening, I only know why."
"Magic is being altered."
Twilight's voice takes everypony's attention, even the two shaking guards that stand near the center of the dining hall's closed doors.
The mare's words quickly bring Cadence around as she speaks up, "What does that mean Twilight? C-could Celestia really be doing this?"
You blink to the comment as you let it sink in for a moment, how could Princess Do-nothing be the worst pony I have ever meet? The thought tumbles in your mind as you turn your gaze to the lavender mare next to you, who has locked her top jaw line to her bottom lip in a bite, "I-It's possible, the Element of Harmony is the only thing that could do something likes this."
Shining shakes his head as he stops his horn, "Why would Celestia do something like this it-it makes no sen-..."
The stallion's words are brought to a halt as the entire crystal made structure shakes and rumbles, around the room the light blue crystal walls begin to glow almost with a pulsing light from the floor to the ceiling.
Everypony standing starts to wobble a little as they shoot their heads around the room, just wondering how long and how dangerous this structure can be.
However, everypony's attentions is striped from the room as the colorful array of lights that shoot across the sky get a little more dull.
From the top of the crystal castle a large wall of blue magic is starting to form, almost like a dome around the entire city.
Your eyes widen to the slow moving wall as you look it over, it looks similar to the spell Cadence used when Sombra first tried to get into the city. But, a strong feeling of uneasiness follows the sight of the magic instead of the calmness you remember all those years ago.
Sparky's wings flare out as the young pegasus brings his voice up, "What is that!"
The tall pink mare in the room just stares with an open mouth out the window as she shakes her head, "T-the crystal heart is sealing the city..."
Just as her words come down the doors to the dining hall come flying open to a normal pale amber yellow pegasus with gold and cyan armor that holds his spiked up dark blue mane, "King Shining something has happened to the city!"
Shining nods his head to the stallion as he speaks up, "We know Flash." His words slowly come down he turns his head to the white mare at the table, "...What do we do?"
Milky's ear flicks to the words as she stands from the table, "For starters you must remove my horn ban."
Shining hesitates for a moment as he just stares to the mare's lowered head, but he brings his trot up as he moves a hoof to the crystal ring around her horn.
As the ban comes off the mare turns her attention to Cadence, "I do not fully understand what we must do..." Her eyes drift to Twilight as she continues, "I had hoped that just the knowledge of the crystal heart still in place would keep Celestia at bay... But obviously that was not what happend."
Twilight's face tightens as she glares to the white mare.
Aerolight notices Twilight's stare as he speaks up, "Milky..."
The name quickly flicks the mare's ear as she tries to talk over the stallion, "Shining and Cadence must stay here." Her eyes shift between the two rulers of the crystal empire as she holds a smile, "There will be a lot of ponies wanting answers if that dome seals them in."
You shift your eyes back to the window as you continue to watch the dome creeping down the outside of the city.
"...Next we must find a quick way to Canterlot." Her eyes drift back to Twilight and you as she continues, "You both along with me and Aerolight will need to teleport."
The words flick Twilight's ear as she speaks up, "That is halfway across Equestria! E-even if we could do that we would be in no shape to reason with Celestia!"
Milky just cocks a smile to the words as she nods, "Precisely why we must teleport to a power source...We will direct our spell to the Canterlot caverns, if its magic is enough to be used as electricity for the whole city we should be able to teleport to it with ease. It also allows us into the Canterlot castle without just walking through the gate."
Her eyes shift to Cadence as she continues with a smile, "You should be familiar with the Canterlot caverns, so you should be able to help with the spell."
You bring your hoof up as you look between Cadence and Twilight, you may not be the best with magic but you do know any long range teleporting hurts; and being hurt if you have to take on the sun god is NOT what you have in mind, "Two ponies can't do a spell like this??" You shift your eyes between Twilight and Cadence as you wait for one of them to second your comment.
However, their voices do not ring out as Milky speaks up, "This is why you and Aerolight will be helping. This is the only quick way to Canterlot, once we are in the caverns we can come up with a plan."
Shining takes a step forward as he speaks up, "No no, you're not going to trick us." He turns his head to the three guard ponies in the room as he speaks up, "You three are going with them to make sure this changeling does what she says she will."
Milky's voice comes up with a sharp tone as she turns her attention to the three other ponies-, "You are making a grave mistake adding more ponies-..."
Shining sparks his horn up as he shakes his head, "I'm not going to put anypony at risk with you." He shifts his eyes to Cadence as he nods, "We don't have much time, if that dome closes no pony can get out, not even with magic."
Twilight sparks her horn up as she tries to take a deep breath, your ear flicks to the sound of her magic as you speak up, "What do I do?"
Cadence brings her horn up as she speaks up, "Just start a normal teleportation spell, but keep your mind clear."
The words bring no real instructions to follow, but you bring your own purple magic up as you shift your eyes to the two ponies still at the table, "Violet, stay here okay?"
The mare just blinks to the words as she stares to ponies in front of her that she could very well be seeing for the last time. However her answer is not needed as Sparky nods, "We're not going any where."
"Is everypony ready?" Cadence's horn now glows bright to her magic as she holds her eyes tightly shut.
Twilight nods her head as she speaks up, "Get closer everypony...T-this spell could be bumpy."
You swallow hard to the words as you shift your eyes to the dark cream stallion that stands next to the white mare you have come closer to.
However, your sight is quickly cut off as you feel the magic to your own fur start to burn, within moments the room around you has become a flash of colors as everypony's spell burst into action. The vortex of magic that swirls to your eyes and ears is loud and feels almost like being consistently hoofed in the stomach, but you muscle through it as you close your eyes to focus on your own part in this spell.
- - -
The rush of magic that swirls around you slowly starts to subside as the spell begins to near its end. However, as the bright lights that forced you to keep your eyes fade you open your gaze to see a dark world around you.
This area of absolute darkness sends a slight chill up your back as every horrible possibility to where you have just been teleported runs through your mind. But just as quick as these thoughts pound to your head, a bright purple light glows next to you.
"Is everypony okay?"
A low green changeling like glow comes to the white mare's horn as she nods, "Yes."
The one other unicorn guard pony slowly sparks his light blue magic up as he holds his eyes to the strange area around him.
You do the same as you blink to the crystal like stones that layer the walls of the cave you stand in, "Did it work?"
Twilight only looks around for the moment as she speaks up, "Yes, we are in the Canterlot cave."
Milky trots forward as she continues to look around the area, "Are we close to the castle?"
The lavender mare nods her head as she points her hoof to the slight bend in the cave ahead of you, "The entrance is just behind the bend."
Aerolight comes a little closer to you as the two mares start to speak up mainly just to each other, "Good, we will need to split up, I and-..."
"No no no." The still shaky orange pegasus with the bright decorative armor brings his trot up as he tries to regain his composure from the spell, "...King Shining wants us to watch you, and we will NOT be allowing you out of our sight."
Milky cocks an eye to the stallion as he trots to the front of the group, however she turns her gaze to the two crystal guard ponies as she speaks up, "I'll be needing your help now."
The mare's tone squints your eyes, but before you can even think it over the cave around you has sparked up with the bright light and loud sounds of bolts of magic flying past you.
Within moments the decorative armor wearing pegasus has collapsed to the ground in a faint, just like one of the other crystal guards.
Twilight's eyes widen as she takes up a defensive stance, "What are you doing?!"
Milky slowly drifts her eyes from the crystal unicorn, whose horn still glows from his spell as she speaks up, "You did not really expect me to give myself up without the means of escape should you all not listen to reason..." Her eyes drift back to the crystal stallion who now takes on a green changeling like glow as she continues, "Still...I had thought there were two of you." She cocks a smile as she looks the falling veil of green magic that reveals the sleek black and sharp fanged changing, "...Nice blending."
Aerolight just blinks to the changeling as it nods, the young stallion has never truthfully seen a changeling, but the stories you and Twilight have told him now start to flood back to him as he stares to it.
"What are you planning?!" Twilight's words prompt you to take up your own stance a little in front of Aerolight as you impatiently wait to the changeling who continues to flip sides.
Milky however, does not bat an eye to you and Twilight as she nods, "We must break Princess Luna out of the dungeon, meaning we may have to harm guards who are simply doing their jobs. Shining's little foal sisters would be useless."
Twilight just blinks to the words as Milky continues, "..Now, I, Aerolight and my friend will free Luna and distract the guards. Celestia is expecting you, so you two will need to find a way out what you wish until Luna can arrive."
The white mare brings her trot to the downed crystal guard as she sparks her horn up to pull the armor from around his chest, "Are we clear?" The armor floats around the mare as she waits for an answer.
You and Twilight blink to the comment as you both just nod.
"Good." With a flash of magic the armored mare disappears as a Canterlot armored unicorn stallion now stands in her place. Her new deep male voice comes up as she trots over to where Flash lays on the ground, "Aerolight, you know where Luna is being kept correct?"
The dark cream stallion slowly comes forward as he continues to just stare almost dumbfounded to the new stallion, "Y-yes."
"Good."
Milky's horn sparks up again as she pulls the decorative armor from the orange pegasus body, "My spell on the armor will only last for a little, so we have no time to waste."
The armor comes around Aerolight with a slight green glow to it, but as it starts to fasten around his chest it begins to change shape and color as it becomes the normal armor the young stallion has at his own home.
Milky turns her eyes to the changeling who now copies the spells as he quickly shifts forms into a Canterlot guard pegasus, "Give us a few moments and then head into the castle, Celestia is sure to question why you will not have the crown, but at least she will not be suspicious of anything when she hears you have arrived."
As her voice comes down her trot comes up, the changeling immediately follows after the mare but Aerolight does not as he turns to you and Twilight.
Twilight's voice is the first to ring out as she takes a step forward, "Be safe...Okay?"
Aerolight nods as he tries to give a little smile, "Just committing treason right? No biggie...."
The comment brings a hard twinge of reality to your mind as you swallow, "You'll be okay Aerolight, just don't worry."
"Aerolight...We need to go." Milky's voice comes up as she holds her trot to the bend at the cave's wall.
Her words spark the younger stallion's trot up as he quickly moves to catch up with her.
As you watch the stallion trotting away you feel your throat tighten up a little, however you shift your eyes from the three ponies as a slight groan comes up from one of the two ponies that still lay to the ground.
End of chapter 11 |
Maybe Love Bites Twice | Chapter 12 | Chapter 12 - Laying the cards out
The bright day's sun now shines to the three ponies eyes as they continue out of the cave. In front of them only about five or so hooves away is the drop off to the castle, Aerolight shifts his eyes towards the stone wall behind him as he speaks up, "We're on the north side of the castle, we have to go around."
His eyes continue to trail up the castle's length as he turns to the bright color lit sky above him.
Milky turns her own head up as she speaks up, "We need to get moving."
The comment brings Aerolight's head down as he nods and starts up his trot, the two Canterlot guard dressed ponies follow after the stallion's quick pace as he leads the way.
Despite the outskirts of the castle being undefined with the harsh drop off into the valley below the castle, the three ponies find themselves quickly coming to the front of the castle.
Aerolight moves himself against the wall of the castle as he peeks around the corner and towards the entrance of the drawbridge. The moat that sits under it runs with its murky water only a few hooves away from where he stands.
But his set gaze is quickly taken back to the two ponies behind him as he nods, "Okay nopony is at the bridge." He lifts his hoof to the end of the street that sits just out of hooves reach above them as he continues, "Can you teleport us up there quick."
The words bring Milky's horn up as her spell quickly takes hold over the three ponies, within the blink of an eye the rush of magic has teleported them to the hard stone ground of Canterlot's street.
As the magic continues to fall around the three ponies Aerolight rushes his eyes around the area as he looks to make sure no pony saw the three ponies that have just teleported on the street. With no pony in sight he brings his posture up, "Alright...Stay close."
Aerolight's trot starts up as he directs his eyes towards the castle's lowered drawbridge, but just as he sets his eyes to his goal something else takes his attention.
A familiar light gray armored pegasus, the sight of the pony brings Aerolight's ears up as he tries to shift his eyes from the pony, in hopes that it would make him invisible.
This however does not work as the stallion's voice comes up, "Oh hey Aerolight."
The small group slowly comes to a halt as the pegasus trots over to the dark cream stallion, all the while looking to the two ponies behind his friend, "I thought you were out for the day?"
Aerolight's trot only slows for a moment as he shakes his head, "No no, I just was coming in late."
Gust blinks to the stallion's continued trot as he speaks up, "Oh, well you should check in with StoneGem, he should be back in a few, Celestia has him reassuring everypony that the rainbow is nothing to worry about." Gust quickly shoots his right hoof up as he continues, "Can you believe that-..
"Ya thanks Gust, got to go."
The unusually short conversation stumps the pegasus for a moment as he just holds his eyes to the two other ponies that continue to trot close behind Aerolight.
However, the sight of the small group is lost as they drift more into the castle's courtyard.
The two ponies behind Aerolight hold their heads straight with almost no glance to the other ponies that trot past them, which allows them to more easily slip through the bustling courtyard that seems to be going through their shift changes.
Aerolight's trot starts to turn towards the adjacent one story building on the left, the white and gold stone matches with the castle's color scheme but the large emblem of the Canterlot guard proudly hangs over the doorway arch.
Again the two ponies follow after Aerolight, but this time they take a few steps back as they near the front door of the guard barracks.
It only takes a few moments for the small group to come into the bright polished stoned lobby of the guard barracks.
Around the lobby a few armored ponies stand, all engaging in some light hearted conversations; however, Aerolight's mind stays locked to the side hall he now trots down. Truthfully the dungeon is never off limits to guards, especially seeing as how everyponies personal lockers are located within the same down stairs area. But, seeing as how Aerolight has never kept anything in his locker the young stallion's mind starts to race with something he could say if somepony were to stop him.
Luckily though, no pony is in sight, and the trot down the short hall has come to its end as the small group stops to the large iron door that stands between them and the lower part of the dungeon.
Aerolight takes a deep breath as he sparks up the spell every pony with magic is given instead of a key.
With a low metal clanking sound he brings his hoof to the door as he pushes it open and starts down the stairs.
The underbelly of the guard barracks has lost the luster of the polished stone and bright open room feelings, instead the darker stoned walls bring a more dismal emotion to the young stallion's mind.
Their pace quickly brings them to the bottom of the stairs as Aerolight looks around the locker filled room. But, his gaze quickly turns to the last indent hall at the back of the room, his trot locks as he starts through the cleared out area.
However just as his confidence reaches its peak, it's lost as he now stares directly to the large armored unicorn that stands guard to the next closed slightly gold glowing iron door.
Aerolight may be a real guard for Canterlot, but this dark blonde maned and hard faced stallion is somepony he has never before seen.
The young stallion holds his head high as he trot into the simple entrance of the dungeon, but before he can even get his voice up the stallion at the door speaks up, "No pony is supposed to be down here for another ten minutes."
A flashy smile comes to Aerolight's face as he nods, "Ya ya I know, but uh...StoneGem wanted me to take your position earily.
Aerolight's smile squints the larger stallion's eyes as he speaks up, "No pony is allowed down here without Princess Celestia's-....."
Ffffhiizzzzz!!
A bright bolt of green magic quickly strikes against the larger stallion's armor, which sends him back and against the wall as he slumps down it in a groan.
Milky's deep stallion voice comes up as she turns to the pony next to her, "Find the key, Princess Celestia is sure to have given one to the guard."
The white coat of the stallion starts to glow a little green as his entire form gets a little large to match the downed pony he trots near.
Within moments the changling's magic has striped the burnt chest plate from the stallion as he now floats over the key that was hidden around the larger pony's neck.
Milky's horn sparks up to take hold of it as she nods, "Make sure no pony comes down here, we can not be certain no pony heard this."
The stallion nods as he moves to take up a position at the doorway of the hall.
Aerolight slowly follows after Milky as the mare moves the brass key to the iron door's lock, which sends a loud magical chime through the halls as the door's lock opens.
However Milky does not trot in as she takes a step aside for Aerolight, "Free Princess Luna." Her words end as the brass key floats to Aerolight.
He quickly takes hold of it with his own magic as he blinks to the stallion's comment, "Alright." Without another moment of hesitation he quickly trots into the room, his eyes lock to the gold glowing cell at the end as he starts up in a gallop.
Milky turns her head from the stallion now deeper in the hall as she nods to the other changeling next to her.
The sound of his hooves stirs a dark blue shape that leans a little to the simple stone walls, however as Aerolight nears the cell he turns his eyes to the tangled haired pony that sits inside, "Princess Luna, we're here to get you out."
The dark mare blinks to the words as she stands from the bed she sat on, "Y-you are down here without my sister! Y-you must tell-..."
Aerolight jams the key into the iron lock as he rushes his voice out, "We know about everything Luna, my mother is already going to the castle."
Luna's ear flicks as the sound of the magic that encases the cell comes undone, "Thank you! Our sister is not well...H-has anything happened?"
"You need to get to the castle."
The words quickly bring the mare's horn to spark up as she nods, "Of course." Within moments her powerful magic has ringed through the room as she teleports from the building.
Aerolight blinks to the absent mare for a moment as he starts to turn around, but just as he does this his legs become bound and he falls to the floor with a loud thud.
The key is dropped from his hold as the stallion Milky has taken the form of trots in.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Milky gives a little smile to the stallion as her magic forcefully drags him across the ground and into the cell, "Thank you for your help Aerolight."
The door quickly slams shut and the magic that was just broke from it now sparks back up again as Milky continues into the room.
Aerolight, now free from the stallion's magic jumps to his hooves as he rushes to the end of the cell, "Milky what is this?!"
The mare looks over the stallion for a moment as her coat starts to glow a bright green, however she says nothing as the young stallion behind the magical wall now bangs his hoof to it, "Milky don't do this."
The glow to her coat reaches its apex as it flashes.
Where the white stallion once stood now stands an exact replica of Aerolight, the flashy smile that is held to his face also holds as the changeling queen just stares to the young stallion, "Goodbye Aerolight."
End of chapter 12 |
Maybe Love Bites Twice | Chapter 13 | Chapter 13 - Eclipse
(A few minutes earlier)
It has been about ten minutes since Aerolight left the Canterlot caverns. Truthfully you and Twilight are not really sure how long you were supposed to wait; but the bright stream of colors that continued to roll into the sky and your own fear for making sure Aerolight is still okay sent you out of the cavern and into the plan.
To your surprise though, when you and Twilight got onto the street in front of the castle there was no mass panic or guards trying to break up any street fights. Which is what you wholeheartedly expected to see from what the changeling queen was talking.
But that moment of astonishment was quickly chased from your mind when you started into the castle a few moments ago. Instead, your mind now focuses to what you do know, the rainbow of lights that have shot as far as the Crystal Empire are nothing that you have seen before... Unless when the Elements of Harmony are used.
You slowly start to drift from your thoughts as you shift your eyes to the mare that trots beside you.
Your voice comes out in a low whisper as you ensure the guard pony in front of you does not hear, "What if Luna really did turn evil?"
Twilight does not shift her head as she whispers back to you, "Then we may have just allowed the changelings to releases Equestria's greatest threat."
The words sink into you as you nod your head, "And what if Celestia has turned and Aerolight is late."
The mare slowly turns her head as she smiles, "Then...well..."
You look over her stumped expression as you try to give a little smirk, "If we survive this one we really need to go on a vacation."
Twilight's smile holds to the lighthearted comment as she nods.
"Here you two go."
The guard mare in front of you holds her hoof out to the door as she turned herself around as she waits in front of the throne room's closed doors, "Princess Celestia said she was expecting you and nopony else."
Twilight nods to the comment as she holds a slight smile, "Of course, thank you."
To the words the guard pony brings her trot up, as she begins to start down the hall she just walked. You and Twilight however do not immediately move to the doors as you both just take a deep breath.
You take the lead as you bring your hoof to the door.
It only takes a moment for the loud sound of chiming magic to pound against your ears as you and Twilight cautiously enter the room.
The windows towards the back of the room are shrouded with the bright colorful lights that continue to shoot from the crown that sits to the mare who sits to the throne near the end of the long hall like room.
The straight postured white mare turns her head to the two ponies that continue forward as a little smile comes to her face, "Twilight..." The chime of the magic from the bright gold crown ceases, but the lights shooting from it and out of the stain glassed windows remain.
Celestia squints her eyes to the lavender mare as she speaks up, "Where is the crystal heart?"
Twilight stands next to you as she brings her voice out, "It's in a safe place Princess."
The words do not shift Celestia's hard gaze, but the mare nods as she speaks up, "Then you should bring it Twilight."
The lavender mare holds her composure as she shifts her eyes to the crown atop Celestia's head, "Princess...Why are you using the crown's magic?"
Celestia cocks an eye to the comment as she speaks up again, "I am simply allowing the crown a chance to warm up. It will of course take a lot of magic to turn Princess Luna back."
"Your sister."
"Excuse me?" Celestia shifts her head a little forward as she holds her eye gaze to the smaller mare in front of her.
Twilight takes a step forward as she speaks up, "Your sister, not Princess Luna."
You bring your posture up a little more as Twilight's voice continues a little lower, "...Celestia, I want to see Princess Luna for myself."
The words slowly drain the smile from Celestia's face as she looks over the two ponies in front of her. But the lost joy from the mare is quickly brought back as she speaks up with a sweet tone, "Oh Twilight you have nothing to worry a-..."
Her calm and collected words are thrown from the room as a bright powerful ball of magic burst into the white stone throne room just in front of where you and Twilight stand.
"Your tyranny has come to its end sister!"
The once placid mare on the throne now jumps from its soft cushions as she holds an angry glare to you and Twilight, "I suppose my most faithful student had a hoof in this! I'll deal with you next..."
The powerful words from the do nothing mare you have known for so long strikes fear into your heart as you just look past the dark blue mare between you.
Luna, however is unfazed as her horn sparks up, "The crown has corrupted you sister, relinquish it." Her lispy voice has been replaced with a powerful command tone and her once soft mane now glows a bright but tranquil blue and night time sky color as it flows to one side.
The tall white mare cocks a devious smile as she shakes her head, "Oh no sister...This crown and I will never part, and there will be no remorse this time, because I know I won't die alone."
Her sharp words end abruptly as her eyes flash a bright orange and her once colorful mane now has turned into an intense orange and yellow flame that now burns like the sun.
Luna's horn quickly sparks up to the white mare as she shouts out another command, "Sister stop this-..."
A flaming bolt of magic is sent rushing towards the dark blue mare as her voice is brought to a halt. Luckily though a shield of her magic quickly stops the rushed spells as Luna now takes to her wings and sends another bolt to the mare.
You and Twilight quickly dart to the left side of the room as the two alicorns take themselves into the air above the throne room's flooring.
The room after only seconds has already started to flash with the two powerful magics as the entire building starts to shake.
Twilight quickly takes notice to the sound as she sparks her horn up to the doors of the throne room.
You spark your own magic up as you ring your voice out, "What are you doing?"
"We can't let anypony outside hear this or they might stop Luna." The spell Twilight holds finally encases the door of the room as you turn your head back to fight not really in the mind set to question the logic.
Luna and Celestia continue to combat each other's equal magic as they continue to circle the room.
This prompts you to take a step forward as you send your own bolt of jagged emotionally driven green magic out.
However, the scream of your magic is quickly snatched up by the flame mane mare as Celestia teleports from her spot and back to the ground.
Your magic slams into the throne room's ceiling just inches from where Luna still hoovers, the sparks of magic that burst from your magic stick against the dark mare's hard flapping wings as Celestia quickly takes advantage of the distracted mare with a quick bolt.
Twilight's eyes widen as her voice comes out just as the bolt is sent, "No!"
But the bolt of orangey gold magic misses its target as the dark mare quickly scouts just outside of it.
The spell the lavender mare held to the door is broke as she now sends her own purple magic to the white mare.
Again, like yours, there is no effect as Celestia just smacks the bolt away with her own well place rebuttal, "You can not win this!"
Luna's eyes glow a bright white as she speaks up, "Do not be so sure sister!"
The words just bring a smile to Celestia's face as she sends two quick light bolts of magic towards you and Twilight.
You both easily are able to dodge or block them, but the slight turn of the eye they brought to Luna is enough to allow Celestia the opportunity to send another bolt to the lofting alicorn.
Luna is struck by the lower glowing bolt as her building horn and god glowing eyes are lost from the pain.
But her pained yell brings yours and Twilight's magics up as you both send a bright shot of magic towards the white coated mare.
Both strike against her, but she just laughs as the crown atop her head now rings out with a bright rainbow glowing light around the tip.
You and Twilight just stare in astonishment as the well made windows of the room vibrate on the brink of shattering.
Celestia's eyes glow bright with the color of the sun as she turns back to you and Twilight, "Was that it my most faithful student ha ha...?"
Luna groans as her wings flare out again, "Twilight the crown!"
The smile to the white mare's face slightly fades as she shifts her eyes to the three ponies in the room.
Within moments the air in the room has become heavy as you as well as everypony else sparks up their magics with their eyes set to the crown.
Celestia's horn sparks up as well as she tries to shift her eyes between the ponies around her.
Your own lack of skill and anxious forces you to send a bolt forward as the jagged green bolt of your magic is sent to her.
A solid gold wall of fiery magic sparks up around the mare as your bolt of magic is just absorbed.
Twilight's fair's no better as the mare's well place bolt of purple is just ricocheted to the ceiling.
Luna's, however does not shoot out as she holds her keen eyes to every lowering bubble of protective magic, and after a few more moments of her building spell she jerks her head forward as a bolt of bright blue magic rushes into the side of the bubble.
The magic burst into the room with a sharp gust of heat, the crown to Celestia's head rolls to the floor next to her as Luna is quick to take it into her magical grasp.
The orange gem of the crown is shrouded in a bright blue as Celestia's eyes widen, "Wait!"
Within moments the blue glow around the stone is popped as the crown is dropped to the floor, orange static of magic runs around the crown as the sound of what seems to be Discord laughing echos from the center piece-less crown.
Celestia's bright orange eyes go dull for the moment as the fire to her mane slowly starts to die down.
However, your attention much like Twilight's now shifts to the dark blue mare that has fallen to her front knees, a shroud of dark shadows now begins to appear around the mare.
Twilight's body tenses as she speaks up, "Oh no...W-with the element of harmony damaged nothing is holding the real Nightmare Moon back."
Luna's eyes are held tightly shut as the mare's whole body starts to tremble, her horn sparks between a light blue and a deep dark almost black blue specks of light.
The white mare that continues to stare wide eyed across from her slowly starts to regain her normal mane coloring.
"L-Luna..."
The soft voice turns yours and Twilight's head as you both stare to the white mare, Celestia's eyes have started to flutter as she looks to the ball of dark shadows that has formed over the mare.
"I-I'm so sorry."
Luna's magic starts to ring to the room as the shadows around her start to reach their apex of cycling.
You and Twilight both spark up your magics as you turn now to where Luna once stood.
The chime of magic continues to grow as the swirling shadows start to wobble more and more. However, within moments your eyes and face are assaulted with a gust of air as the magical ball Luna was trapped in burst open.
You quickly shoot your eyes open as you ready yourself for anything, but as you look to where the mare stood as you stare to the unchanged princess of the night.
"LUNA!"
Celestia's voice breaks through the silence as she stands to her hooves in shock.
The dark mare shivers as she just blinks to her sister. But Celestia's trot is brought to a halt as she swings her head between the three ponies in the room with her eyes now almost on the verge of tears, "I-I do not know what happened... I j-just was trying to reset the Elements of Harmony."
Luna's voice is low as she speaks up, "Sister, you stood by me after the elements changed me...I will stand by you."
The white mare just blinks to the words as she shifts her eyes between Luna and you and Twilight again, "Y-you have grown so much sister, b-but I do not believe this will be as simple for me I-..."
Her words are cut off as the throne room door burst open to a mass of guards and other ponies that now crowd the doorway.
However your eyes quickly lock to the dark cream stallion that stands towards the front of the group.
Celestia quickly brings her voice up as she looks over all the ponies at the threshold, "Everypony I have something I need to say-..."
Her voice is cut off as Aerolight rushes himself into the room, but the silence is not just from the movements, instead it is from the bright green magic that flashes around him.
The young stallion's cream colored body is quickly peeled away as the new tall sleek black coated bug winged pony gallops over to the crown on the ground. Unlike Chrysalis, her legs and body are not riddled with holes, but the sight of the queen like form still brings a shiver to your spine as her voice rings out, "At last! Discord's plan has worked!"
Her horn sparks up as the crown comes from the ground, "Let it be know that the changelings have won this day!" A dramatic and slightly over zealous laugh rings up from the mare as she quickly vanishes from the room in the bright green light of her teleportation spell.
Everypony at the door scrambles into a commotion as they try to make sense of the quick seen they just witnessed.
Celestia and Luna both speak up at the same time as they ring their voices out, "The crown! Seal the castle!"
Within moments and despite the dark mare's presence the guards in the mass of ponies spark their hooves up as they gallop into the hall they just came from.
As the noises start down to ring from around the castle you and Twilight speak up as you turn to Luna, "Where did you last see Aerolight?!"
The dark mare blinks to the comment for the moment before her new take charge persona comes up, "The dungeon, he freed me."
Her words lower Celestia's ears as she stays silent to her sister's continued voice, "...I know my subjects, that was your real son." Luna holds her posture as she nods, "I am sure he is safe."
- - -
(A brief search later)
The sound of hooves ringing in from the hall bring Aerolight up from the bed he was sitting on as he brings his voice out, "Help!"
His voice rings through the hall for the moment as the sound of voices start to call back, however within moments the familiar sight of you and Twilight come into the threshold of the hall.
Aerolight blinks to you both as he speaks up, "Where is Milky?"
Twilight's slightly out of breath panting is halted for the moment as she moves close to the magical cell with a whisper, "Aerolight, she planned this the whole time, we can't let anypony know we helped-..."
"Twilight." Your voice stops her comment as a armored pony comes into the room.
You bring your voice up as you try to continue the act, "Get the key, he's locked in their."
The armored pony nods to the comment as he turns back into the other room, but the time for talking with the young stallion is over as more ponies start to come into the adjacent room to the dungeon cells.
Aerolight just blinks to the commission as he turns his attention back to Twilight, "S-she took the crown?"
Twilight taps her mouth to tell the stallion to be quite as she quickly nods her head.
The nod brings the young pony's ears down as his face takes on a emotionless stare to the cell bar's in front of him, his thoughts now swelling in his mind.
End of chapter 13 |
Maybe Love Bites Twice | Epilogue IX | Epilogue IX
The day has started to come to a close as the dark moonless sky continues to take hold over the city of Canterlot. But the approaching night does not bring the young stallion's trot up any quicker, instead for this pony his mind is elsewhere, still trying to understand everything that has happened only a few hours ago.
The world as he knows it could have been completely changed, it could have been thrown into chaos, either by it being altered itself or by the vortex of power struggles that would have followed with a new head ruler being crowned.
But nothing has changed...
Aerolight swings his head up from the ground as he looks around to the few pegasus ponies who have started to light the touch streetlights on his block. Which would seem almost pointless seeing as how the clouds above look to be rain clouds.
But, He holds his stare for the moment as his mind continues to rage with everything he has been told today.
However two things stand out the most in his mind as the young stallion slowly drifts his eyes to his simple two story flat. The first thing in his mind is what Luna suggested, no pony is to speak of what happened...
This comment continues to baffle the stallion, how can everything just stay the same? How can Celestia stay in power?!
Aerolight stops in front of the door as he thinks over the last image he had of the tall white sun bringing mare. Her mane's color did not seem to glow as bright and her own stare seemed to be distant, no doubt with regret for what she did and could have done.
But still, the mare's sad expression brings no payment for what she did to her sister and what she would have done if not stopped.
Aerolight just shakes his head with a smile as the second thought comes into mind, he slowly lowers his head as he stares to the ground in front of his door with a whisper, "Ya...Nothing changes, but everypony still gets to blame the changelings."
His pink eyes slowly run up the door in front of him as he sparks his magic to unlock the door he does not have the key for at the moment.
The sound of its lock brings his hoof up as he starts inside the dark house. However, just as he does this the room illuminated, with every light in the bottom floor simultaneously turning on.
"Hello Aerolight...."
The voice runs through the room with a low feminine and sweet southern tone, but Aerolight just sighs as he turns to the brilliant yellow and blue mane mare that stands in the living room to his left, "Everypony in Equestria is looking for you Milky..."
Aerolight's low voice nods the frickled nosed mare's head as she speaks up, "Then it would seem strange I would come to a guard's house would it not?"
Her unchanged sweet tone just sinks the dark cream stallion's expression more as he looks her over, "Why do you continue to play with me Milky?"
The mare averts her eyes from the stallion's gaze.
The silence in the room just brings a faint smile to Aerolight as he nods his head in defeat, "...Alright...Then at least tell me why you took the crown." The stallion tries to hold a strong posture as he brings his voice up a little more, "...Because Luna has hailed me as a hero for freeing her, and I nor anypony else can tell her how we knew she had not changed."
Milky nods as she brings her voice up in a low tone, "Power Aerolight...It's as simple as that."
A slight laugh comes up from the stallion as he shakes his head to the ground, "S-so this whole time it was just for the changelings to come out on top?" He swallows hard as he continues, "T-they think I'm some great hero or something, and I don't know if I can handle knowing I could never stop the greatest threat to Equestria."
The words bring a little smile to the mare's face as she cocks her head, "Are you trying to flatter me Aerolight?"
Aerolight just shakes his head again as he shrugs, "Why Milky?"
Milky nods to the stallion's low tone as she brings her head to a straight up position, " Years ago Discord put a spell on the elements of harmony to corrupt them. Celestia would not damage the crown nor would Luna, because it was believed that its magic was the only thing holding Nightmare moon back. Even with Discord gone the spell to the crown stayed, we knew it was just a matter of time until its magic finally got to Celestia."
Her voice holds as her lengthy speech starts to bring Aerolight's head up, "...The two sisters did not come to Equestria to become rulers, they came to help guide the three original tribes of ponies into peace. But there were things that would make that impossible, so they stayed."
"Both sisters have deemed Equestria's ponies as unworthy, Luna just did so long before Celestia did today. But, both where stopped by the other. I choice to steal the crown today as too protect, protection from the anarchy that would follow everypony in Equestria learning that their long loved Princess was just a ticking time bomb."
A faint smile comes to her face as she continues, "It is better to have everypony hate changelings then for all of the ponies in power that Celestia has placed to be thrown out."
Aerolight blinks to the mare as he lets her reasoning sink into his mind.
However Milky takes a step forward as she brings her voice up, "We could never be together Aerolight...We both put each other in danger." She holds her eyes to the stallion as she gets closer, "But, we have tonight."
Her green eyes flutter a little as she brings her head to the stallion's, "And right now, that's all I want to worry about."
The extended kiss is quickly snatched up by the wanting stallion as the two ponies close their eyes and just give into the other pony.
Milky breaks from the kiss as she nuzzles her head under Aerolight's just trying to hold onto the safe feelings his touch has always stirred in her. Aerolight quickly brings his own head to the mare's neck as he kisses her, "Nothing is simple Milky, but that doesn't mean everything is impossible."
A light smile comes to the mare's face as her closed eyes start to tremble and a tear rolls from them. The steams of salty water quickly bleeds through the changeling's spell revealing the sleek black fur that lays just underneath it. But Aerolight does not move from her as he continues to kiss a little to the side of her neck.
Epilogue
> Bonus Chapter
Epilogue 2
It has been a few long months since Celestia almost brought Equestria to its knees, however despite the fact of only a few select ponies actually knowing what happened the sun keeper has started to stay in the shadows a lot more. Luckily though the Princess of the night has taken on a much more active role in Equestria, which as of lately has been rewarded with one of the most prosperous times so far in Equestria's history.
Of course though, the world's problems and triumphs mean nothing to a certain light orange pegasus who continues to pace back and forth the bright pale pink crystal lobby he has been stuck into since he jumped from the bed over two hours ago.
Sparky's unbrushed mane is flared out more then his anxious wings as he continues to whittle down the hard stone floor he trots to.
"Mr.Wave..."
The feminine voice echoes through the almost empty lobby as the stallion quickly turns his attention to the nurse hat wearing light blue mare, who continues to trot from one of the hallways, "...Will you please follow me?"
Without a moment of hesitation the young pegasus brings his trot up as he moves to the mare's side, "I-is everything okay?"
The mare turns her head back to the hall as she brings her voice out again, "Like doctor Garnet said, an early birth is nothing to truly worry about."
Sparky just nods his head as continues to follow the mare pass a few more rooms, but her trot is quick to come to an end as she gives a smile and stops in front of one of the last rooms on the right, "Here you are."
Her smile does little to the young stallion's nerves as he slowly brings himself to the closed door.
However, as the brighter lights of the crystal room come into view Sparky shifts his eyes to the tired light purple mare sitting up right in the bed. On the right side of the room stands one of the doctors who's head is just buried to the clipboard he writes something to, but his presence does not change Sparky's eyes as he stares to the light pink bundled up foal in Violet's hold.
Spark's legs wobble a little as he slowly comes to the side of the bed, "H-hey, how are you doing?"
The question brings a faint smile to the mare's face, but she nods her head to the foal in her hold as she moves the blanket a little more for the stallion to see.
Sparky's own pride filled smile starts to spread across his face as he lowers his head to the closed eyed light yellow coated and almost grape maned pegasus filly. He sighs as he feels his own emotion starting to get the better of him, "H-hey..."
The stallion's voice continues to hold a slightly giggly tone as he moves his head a little closer to the filly's, "You're going to do great things Astral." He kisses the little pony's mane as he continues, "Welcome to the world." End |
The Prince of Darkness | pre | "Would a hero kill my dad?" asked the young colt.
"While I admit that these actions are inexcusable. I also have to tell you that, like Nightmare Moon, Morningstar had no control of his actions. What makes him a hero isn't that he saved Rarity, it's that he was able to overcome the biggest obstacle that all of us will face at some point in our lives, our selves." she turned and looked at Star with tears in her eyes. "I've lived in Equestria my entire life, and if there's one thing that i've learned it's that we are nothing if not forgiving."
They all turned to each other, dropped the stones they were holding and gathered around Star with forgiving expressions. Rarity hoisted him up her shoulder, acting as his crutch. That's when she noticed the gauze on his face were shredded to pieces. He turned back in time to see the small colt run away with tears in his eyes. Everyone in the mob had ended up returning to their homes after they returned him the Canterlot hospital. The nurse began unwrapping his old gauze so they could be replaced. Star sat there in the bed, his head still bowed in sadness.
"Why are you guys still here?" he asked the six mares standing in a semi circle around his bed. "I almost killed you and everything you love. What I did was unforgivable."
"That wasn't you Star, that was the monster. You can't blame yourself for actions that weren't your own." Twilight stated, trying to ease his pain. The nurse finally removed the last of the bandages that covered his face.
"Princess! There's something wrong!" the nurse shouted as she dropped the bandages and brought her hooves to her mouth in shock.
"Oh my goodness!" she said upon close examination of the left side of his head. His skin wasn't burned but looked like charcoal. His mane was still very long and possessed the red tips at the end and his eye still possessed features of the prince. They all gasped as Star gazed into a nearby mirror.
"Evil can not be destroyed, it can only be suppressed." a slightly more healthy version of Celestia said from the doorway. "The longer you remain in Equestria the better chance of IT returning. I can't have a monster as evil as you living anywhere near my citizens." she entered the room and stood at Stars bedside. She peered down at him with an intimidating glare and said "So leave." she turned around and left.
"Celestia wait!" Twilight called leaving the room. "Don't worry Star, i'll talk to her."
Minutes of uninterrupted silence later, Star sat there still gazing at his reflection. He silently shook his head at the creature looking back at him. He climbed out of the bed and started limping for the door.
"Star! What are you doing?" Fluttershy asked.
"Y'ah can't walk on that leg yet. It's gonna heal all messed up!" Applejack called.
"You need your rest Star." said Rainbowdash.
"Star! You need to slow down and take a breath, you know it's important if i'm telling you to slow down!" Pinkie shouted.
"Star darling, you should listen to us and lie down." Rarity suggested as she placed a hoof on his shoulder.
He whipped around to face them and shouted "SHUT UP!!". He looked at the blood on the floor and realized it was coming from his pastern. "Listen." he said in a calmed voice. "Celestia is right, I am a monster. I would stay in Equestria if I could, but I don't want to risk any of getting hurt."
"Y'all don't have to worry us Star."
"But that's why i'm leaving. In the back of my mind, I can hear him screaming for freedom. The last thing he said to me was "When I get out, I will kill your friends and devour your soul." he rubbed left eye as blood came streaming from it as if it were tears. "These marks on my face are reminders of that promise. If Celestia thinks it's the best thing for Equestria, then who am I to argue." he quietly limped out of the room and everyone followed. A few moments later he met up with Twilight and Celestia in the hallway discussing the terms of his punishment.
"Star what are you doing out of bed, you need to be resting?!" Twilight asked.
"Princess Celestia." she didn't make eye contact. "I wanted to let you know that I was leaving now." she responded with a slight nod. He turned to Twilight. "You guys can have whatever you want from my room." they all followed as continued to limp down the hallway, through the streets of Canterlot, and finally to the train station.
Just before he limped aboard the train headed for the eastern sea port he heard Rarity call out to him. "Star, wait!" he spun around only to greeted with an affectionate kiss being planted on his lips. It caught him off guard and even after she pulled him in for a hug, he kept his bewildered expression. He could feel the tears running down the length of his neck.
"Please Star, take me with you! I don't want to be without you!" he lightly pulled away.
"I would if I could, you know that. But i'm not gonna let you uproot your life for me. Your boutiques need you, your sister needs you, our friends need you, and I need you to stay with them and enjoy life before you give it to somepony else." he gave her another kiss and said "I love you Rarity and I always will."
"I love you too Star."
Steam from the train covered them and a voice called out "All aboard!" signaling the trains departure. Star turned to board the train but then stopped before he entered the car.
"Do me a favor?" he asked them.
"Sure Star, anything." Twilight said, everyone's eyes welling with tears.
"Please..." he spun around to look at them, revealing that the left side of his face had returned to normal all except for his eye. "Please remember me for who I am, and not what I've become. Remember the good times we've had and not the bad ones." tears started pouring from his eyes, both of water and blood. "You guys are more than my best friends, you're my family." Pinkie ran up to him crying her eyes out and locked him a massive bear-hug.
"Make sure you write every day, okay!" she said sobbing with each syllable.
"Don't worry Pinkie I will." he said returning the hug.
"All aboard!!" the conductor called out one final time. Pinkie released her grip on him and waved goodbye as the door closed, separating them from each other. The trains whistle sounded as the massive engine chugged to life and started moving down the tracks.
Rarity watched as the train sped further and further away into the distance until finally vanishing over the horizon. She could feel her heart shattering in her chest as she cried out in pain knowing that it would never again be whole.... At least, not without him. |
The Prince of Darkness | Epilogue | "Royal subjects!" Celestia announced. "We are gathered here today to mourn the death of my beloved sister and princess of the night, Princess Luna." she gestured to the glass coffin that hovered next to her, displaying the elegantly dressed corps of Luna. "we hold this service in hopes of honoring her memory by surrounding her with those who loved her as not only the princess but a friend. I would like to invite my faithful student and friend princess Twilight Sparkle up to speak." Twilight climbed to the podium.
"Fellow ponies of Equestria, the first time I met Luna was several years ago as Nightmare Moon. Over time, she quickly returned to her original position as princess. She also became a close friend of mine and a mentor to one of the greatest stallions I've ever met." tears started pouring from her eyes. "Although she is gone, Luna will always be with us in spirit, watching over us and our dreams."
After the funeral, there was a service held in the castle's throne room to mourn the loss. The guests were comprised of only ponies who knew her personally which included the CMC, main six, Celestia, Discord, and several other ponies that were considered her friends.
"Attention everypony!" Celestia called. "I have an announcement to make. Princess Twilight Sparkle, please step forward!" Twilight went forward and kneeled before her mentor. "There is no need for that anymore." she stood straight. "Twilight Sparkle, you have accomplished a lot since I sent you to Ponyville. You defeated Nightmare Moon, beat Discord, conquered Chrysalis, stopped King Sombra, overpowered Terik, and even saved my life and Equestria by stopping The Prince of Darkness. And through all of that, you never lost your faith in me, even if I wasn't enough."
"Celestia, what's going on?" Twilight asked.
"Nothing, it's just that I've finally discovered your true path in life." she lifted her crown off of her head and placed on Twilight's. "I hereby renounce my position as Princess of Equestria and pass on my title to Princess Twilight Sparkle." everyone in the room muttered to each other as Celestia bowed her head to Twilight. She spun around only to see them all bowing their heads as well.
Several hours pass before the final guest left the castle. "Celestia!" she called to mentor. "Why now of all times would you choose to do this?"
"Because you were meant to take on this role. From the moment I met you, I knew you were destined for greatness. It wasn't until recently that I realized that you are supposed to be leading Equestria, not me. I'm not not in my prime anymore and I've known that for years now, ever since I lost that power struggle to Chrysalis at the royal wedding. So I decided that my last act as princess should be to finally choose a successor." she explained as they trotted down the hallway.
"But Celestia, I'm not ready!"
"Do you think I was ready when I was first coronated? Let me tell you it wasn't pretty. I always felt everything I did was wrong or I made the wrong choice. But when I look at you, I see somepony who will always make the right decision." Twilight looked at the ground with uncertainty. Celestia saw this and placed a hoof on her chin and pulled her head up to meet her gaze. "Hey, don't be like that. If you ever need me I'll be living at the Whinny resort in Hawineigh, I have a villa there. Okay?" she asked, receiving nothing more than a saddened nod from Twilight. She turned around and left for her room leaving Twilight in the hall with her newfound responsibility. She suddenly paused in the middle of the hallway and looked back at Twilight with a smile.
"Don't forget your coronation speech, your highness." she continued on her way down the hall, leaving Twilight still dumbfounded. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | pre | "What? Alcohol, thank you sir, is a very effective depressant that consistently leaves me too tired to cause any serious harm and it has a positive placebo effect on my dopamine levels. Want one?"
"Uh, thanks for the offer dear but I think we should talk about what's happening."
"You know, you're probably right, actually of course you're right. It's just, I get so worried about how people will react, what they will say I mean, I still hear comments about Shining and Princess Cadance's wedding and I just... this is huge you know?"
"Love usually is dear, especially with royalty, but you and I have weathered worse storms in the past. We can handle this."
"Ha, I'm sorry I get so worked up over things."
"If you ever need a shoulder to lean on, I like to think mine's a little more comfortable than a bar counter."
"And noisier."
"What?"
"Whenever I hear those comments, I wonder how hurt they would make Shining feel, and how many times he's already heard them."
"Well, if I know my Twilight she wouldn't let a little thing like the press stop her when she's got the love and support of her friends."
"Yeah, it's just, they grow up so fast, I mean, at least with Shining we knew he was interested in Cadance for a full year before they started dating. I had no idea Twilight was dating Princess Celestia until she told me. I'm still having a hard time grasping that our daughter is seeing someone when she's only twenty-three. I figured we had at least until she was thirty before she got her nose out of her books long enough to find someone, let alone another member of royalty. What's next? We have a hidden third son who's going to marry Princess Luna?"
"Or a daughter who's with Prince Blueblood."
"What? Oh right, you never met him. Night Light, I assure you that none of our children would marry Blueblood." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | "I wasn't prepared for this..." - JKinsley - Nov. 15, 2014 | And finally, we have JKinsley and her late entry. Shame on her.
Celestia stood alone in her study, gazing out of a window to the purple-and-orange glow of her setting sun. Long streaks of wet, matted fur ran underneath her red, puffy eyes, long since dry of tears.
A water-stained bit of parchment sat on the desk next to her. She couldn't count the number of times she had already read it, but she dare not read it again. Each time brought a new wave of crushing and unrelenting despair and heartache. Thousands of years of love, life, and loss, and she could still be reduced to tears by a few simple words.
She knew it would hurt. She knew she would collapse into a heap and sob until every fiber of her being wailed with her, not in sympathy, but the physical pain of her emotional anguish. She looked down and to her right.
Dear Princess Celestia,
It was dark. Or maybe light. Twilight didn't know. Nor did she care. Her bedroom curtains blocked any light, and she magically locked her door days ago. Spike had been by a few times, always knocking, always asking if she needed anything. Food. Water. A shoulder to cry on.
Twilight didn't want any of that. She... she just wanted her. But every time she thought of her, it brought back the most painful memories. "Come on, Twi! I went to the library with you last week! I didn't ask for anything in return! Why can't you just come cheer me on at practice? And don't tell me it's another 'princessly duties' thing. I've had enough of that. You know, I think those letters aren't even royal business at all! I think Princess Prissy Pants up there just wants you all to herself! She's trying to steal you from me, and I'm not going to let that happen. You're mine, Twi, and I love you too much to let you go without a fight..."
Twilight shook her head violently and buried her face in her pillow as she screamed. No matter how hard she tried, everything, everything came back to her. She screamed until her throat couldn't take it, and then just rasped. After what felt like hours, she wore herself out enough to pass out into a fitful, restless "sleep."
"Come on, Twi!..."
Dear Princess Celestia,
This is Spike. I'm really worried about Twilight. You see, she's been locked up in her room for days now, and I don't think she's left.
You see, it all started four days ago when Rainbow Dash came over and they had this big fight. Twilight made me go upstairs to my room, but I couldn't. What if she needed me? So I stayed, but hid and listened. Maybe she'll get mad at me for not listening, but I don't care about that right now! She's... I don't know. Hurt, badly. Rainbow Dash said some mean things, and used some words I don't know. They sounded bad.
But it was Twilight who broke up with Rainbow Dash. She told Rainbow that she didn't want to see her ever again and she needed to leave. When she didn't... I can't get the smell of singed feathers out of my head and Rainbow left a smokey trail when she was flung out. I've never seen Twilight so mad.
Or so sad. When she's not crying, she's screaming. When she's not screaming, she's asleep. I don't think she knows that I'm always waiting for her to come out. I never leave the door except to bring up food or water in case she wants any.
Please, Princess, help me help her.
Yours,
Spike
Heartbreak is a strange thing for an immortal. Celestia liked to think of herself a connoisseur of sorts, having met a great many wonderful ponies in her life. But her greatest heartbreak, at least until now, was banishing her sister to the moon for a thousand years. The irony of trapping her in her own creation paled in comparison to Celestia's longing to have the fun-loving prankster back.
Celestia finally admitted to herself that Twilight Sparkle was no longer just her student or friend or fellow princess. Twilight, through no fault of her own, broke Celestia's heart into more pieces than any pony in recorded history. And Celestia ought to know, since she recorded it all. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | "What If" - Fuzzyfurvert - Nov. 22, 2014 | An entry from Fuzzy Furvert
"Hmmm..."
"What is it?" Twilight looked up from her bowl of cereal.
Celestia tapped her chin with her hoof and chewed gently on one lip. "What if - and hear me out here - what if we just blew off doing the joint court today? Just not show up and go do something fun. What would that hurt?"
"Well, it would throw the schedules of several dozen ponies off for the day, including ours." Twilight hummed tunelessly to herself as she thought. "That could cause unforeseen consequences that could have trickle down effects all the way to the general populace. That uncertainty could cause just enough chaos that it'll summon Discord. And...reformed or not, you know how he gets when things are already going wild around him. I'd say that within a few hours, Canterlot could be covered in some sort of plant growth, or, alternatively, there might be a giant monster stomping through downtown."
"Which would, of course, lead Fluttershy to try and stop Discord's misbehavior." Celestia offered as Twilight nodded. "And should there be a giant anything traipsing about the downtown area - again, knowing Discord - it would likely be a fluffy bunny or kitten or something."
"And," Twilight grinned as she picked up from where Tia had left off, "that would lead to Discord making the 'logical' decision to make Fluttershy into a giant so she can calm the frightened critter down and convince it to leave the city."
Celestia giggled. "All the while, giantess Fluttershy would be apologizing to everypony for the damage being caused while she just causes more by being there!"
"Don't forget that she would apologize for her new super-sized voice being so loud."
"And for blocking the sunlight."
"And for flashing the whole town!"
Celestia snorted and lifted her tea to sip it. "Discord would have too much fun with that."
"Which is why we wouldn't do that." Twilight smirked and scooped up another spoonful of her oat cereal. "Because we are smart ponies."
"Yeah," Celestia nodded, "screw Discord." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | "What If" - ultra1437 - Nov. 22, 2014 | By Ultra1437
Tears in her eyes, Celestia looked out of her tower's balcony, out into the streets below. They had no idea. If she had her way, they never would. The day her most faithful student and lover was taken from her, forever.
~Twenty years ago~
"Princess? What is your decis-" Celestia's focus flitted away from the court in front of her as a message from Twilight arrived.
Celestia
Something's wrong with Twilight. She's not well. She says not to tell you, but whatever's affecting her, it's beyond her capability. Please help.
Spike
Celestia's eyes scanned the document again. And once more to make sure she'd read it correctly.
"Princess?" her assistant asked.
She stood quickly. "I-I've got to go. Urgent business. Court is cancelled for the rest of the day." She spread her wings and was airborne within moments. Please be safe, Twilight.
Tearing away from Canterlot, she made her way past Ponyville, to the Everfree Forest. Twilight had been staying with Zecora, learning about Zebra magic and the shamaness' own alchemical practices.
Alighting just outside, she saw Spike standing just outside. He'd grown much in the following years since Twilight had become a princess, and now almost stood at Luna's height. He rushed up to her. "Celestia! I'm glad you came."
Spike led the way to the door. "She and Zecora are just inside." He opened the door and stepped through, Celestia following on his heels. The stench of sickness hit her nose hard as she passed though, and coughed lightly.
"S-Spike... Is that you?" A voice rasped. Celestia's attention quickly diverted from the smell to the pony speaking. Twilight. Her beautiful, intelligent, loving Twilight. Now her feathers were falling out, her fur was matted with sweat and she looked almost like death warmed over. She spied Zecora tending to her, currently swapping a washcloth off her forehead.
"Yeah, I'm here Twilight." He quickly moved to her side and joined Zecora. Twilight dissolved into a coughing fit, her frame shaking with each rasp.
Zecora startled as she noticed Celestia and Spike. He held a claw over her mouth and shh'd her before shooing her away. "I've got her, you fill 'our guest' in."
Zecora nodded before motioning Celestia away from the sick mare. Leaning up to the larger mare she whispered, "Princess Celestia, what a surprise to see ya."
"Spike sent for me. I did not know Twilight was unwell."
Zecora nodded. Both ponies looked over to Spike as he covered her shivering form in several blankets. "How she became unwell is a mystery. All I can do is tend to her, you see."
"When did she fall ill?" Celestia's eyes watered slightly.
Zecora held a hoof to her chin. "It was three days ago, I believe. After a venture to that castle with an item to retrieve."
Twilight's coughing worsened. Spike became frantic. "I-Help! Zecora!"
Zecora hopped into action. "Spike, some healing salve I see. Bring that to me, quickly!"
Spike quickly retrieved the salve and set it next to her as she set to work. "Is there anything I can do?"
"Ce-Celestia?" Everypony froze. "W-What are you doing here?" Her head lifted and she looked, more squinted, right into Celestia's eyes.
Spike looked guilty. "I sent a letter asking her to come."
"If I had known sooner..."
"Celestia." Twilight coughed once, dislodging the cloth on her forehead. "I-I'm glad you're here, actually."
"What do you mean, Twilight?" Celestia stepped forward.
"Twilight, any information you can provide, hopefully a cure we can find." Zecora replaced the cloth.
"No. I'm not getting better." Her head fell back down onto the mattress she lay on. "I know that-" she coughed again, "-now."
"Twi? You're gonna-" Spike's voice pleaded to her.
She shook her head weakly. "No, Spike, I won't. I can feel it, and I've accepted it. It's not time yet, but it will be soon."
"Twilight? May I?" Celestia gestured to the blankets.
"I would love nothing more, Celestia." Twilight nodded. Zecora discreetly left the three alone for the time Twilight had left.
Tears in her eyes, Celestia moved forward and cast aside the blankets before settling in next to Twilight, wrapping a massive white wing around the dying mare. She listened to Twilight's weakly beating heart for a moment before coming to a decision. Discretely, she scanned Twilight magically. Some kind of poison was circulating in her blood, slowly throttling her heart.
She rested her head on top of Twilight's, lending her her warmth. Her heart ached for the little mare under her wing, there was nothing she could do. Spike sat on the floor next to them, still intent on staying.
Several hours passed as the three exchanged stories and memories. Twilight's heart continued to slow before Twilight weakly interrupted her story. "It-It's time." Tears started falling quickly. "I-I'm sorry Spike. I'm sorry Celestia."
As a final act, Twilight's head raised and she kissed Celestia on the lips before falling limp against her. Slowly, her eyes lost their sharpness, dulling completely. Her body relaxed softly in Celestia's embrace, all the strain from the pain wracking her body fading as she did.
Celestia had frozen at the final kiss. This wasn't supposed to happen to either of us. Not for a long, very long time.
"Twi? Twilight?" He reached for her chest and felt for her heartbeat. After a moment of silence, he broke down in tears.
Celestia and Spike remained with Twilight's body until dusk. Celestia's horn ached, but she ignored it. Luna could take care of setting the sun and raising the moon for the night. Twilight needed her here. Her friends needed to be told, her parents, her brother and Cadance.
~Present time~
The dusk gave way to night as Luna set the sun and raised the moon. Shortly after, a knock sounded and Luna entered and shut the door behind her.
Luna's voice sounded softly. "Tia? How are you holding up?"
Choking back a sob Celestia replied, "I... I'm not okay. Please stay with me, Luna."
Luna hurried over and immediately hugged her sister. "Of course, Tia. Any time you need me, you need but ask."
Celestia folded into Luna's embrace and broke down weeping. "Why did she have to die?"
Luna looked out into Canterlot as she held her sister. "I do not know, Tia. I wish there was something we could have done..." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Blueprints - JKinsley - Dec. 6, 2014 | By JKinsley
Twilight Sparkle surveyed the dig site from a hundred meters up in a gentle glide, the subtle currents of warm, summer air helping keep her aloft. Below, dozens of ponies worked carefully to excavate some positively ancient ruins buried in the dirt. Earth ponies hauled away mountains of dirt; pegasi coordinated their efforts; and unicorns dug out the ruins slowly but surely.
From her vantage point, Twilight spotted patterns, like long, wide streets and the tightly clustered walls of a dwelling. More unusual, though, was a large set of foundation that had a large circle with many triangles around it. Like a starburst, thought Twilight, leveling her camera at the pattern and snapping a picture. She flew up a little higher to get a snapshot of the entire dig, as well, before gliding down to the surveyor's tent.
A couple of unicorns and an Earth pony stood around the center table with large sketch of the dig site on it. One of the the unicorns busied herself with filling in the new details described by the Earth pony.
Twilight cleared her throat and everypony turned to her. She nodded and said, "I have some photographs of the dig I need to take back to Canterlot to develop, and I want to compare them against some of the books in the Royal Archive. I think we might be looking at a village that I've seen before, but I need to be sure." She gestured to one of the corners of the dig. "That area right there? Pay special attention and care. I think it's key. I spotted a starburst pattern, so I think it had some cultural significance to the former residents."
The three ponies nodded, and the unicorn doing the sketching added a faint starburst icon to the building Twilight pointed out. Twilight grabbed her saddlebags from the corner of the tent, packed her camera and other gear in it, and then strode out of the tent and took off.
Twilight arrived back in Canterlot a few hours later, thanks to some clever teleporting and other magical assistance. She landed on the balcony nearest the library and dashed inside. Once there, she rifled through the stacks in the Archaeology section.
"No, no, no, definitely not, no," she muttered, tossing books aside. One the librarians passed her growing piles of books and shook her head, tsking to herself as she wandered off.
Twilight was soon surrounded by a mountain of books, with nearly the entire section stripped from its shelves. "Still nothing. No. UGH!" She threw herself on her back in frustration and took several deep breaths to steady herself. "You can do this, Twilight, I know you can. You've defeated much greater enemies."
"I would hardly call the library your enemy, my dear Twilight. It seems to be one of your great loves," a soothing voice came from the other side of a wall of books. The tip of a white horn and the gentle wave of pastel blue gave Twilight all she needed to confirm her beloved was on the other side.
"Celestia!" she shouted after parting the books. She threw her arms around Celestia's neck and held her close. "I'm sorry, I've just been occupied with research."
"Proving that other ponies declared me to be divine won't make me stop teasing you every time you shout 'Oh Celestia!' in the bedroom, dear." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Blueprints - Knight of Cerebus - Dec. 7, 2014 | By Knight of Cerebus
Wind, wind, wind. Wind, wind, wind. Twilight twisted the gears into place with delicate ease, only stopping when the metal snapped into place with a decisive 'clink'. A piston went here. Here, a set of wires disappeared into a shimmering box of gold and copper. To the left she could see the springs straining against their bounds. The horn vented steam with a gentle hiss. A clicking noise coming from her left ear told her the motors were running. She closed the metal casing gingerly, taking time to avoid trapping her hoof between the artificial feathers. She looked down at the blueprints, then looked back up at the machine in front of her and smile. A quick check told her she had roughly another forty minutes before Spike would be back and she would have to wander back out into the real world, back into the loneliness and the world of regrets and failure and never letting go.
Fabrics floated in gusts of steam generated just behind the eggshell white audio sensors that qualified as ears. If she squinted, she could almost call them graceful. They didn't have the same volume as the original, but the colours were spot on last she'd checked. Which had been--she glanced over at the blueprints--two months ago. She could hear mechanical noises that once had been meaningless chatter assemble themselves into the words "my faithful student". The voice was not quite right--too rigid and jerky--but she could fix that in time. She checked the time again. Another thirty minutes, and then she'd have to come back to her world of failure and never letting go.
It was not, and would never be, of course, a replacement for what she had lost. It was more of a tribute, a work of art dedicated to the wonderful pony she had lost. She was resolute on that. For, she had declared those many months ago, she did not deserve anything less than to lose that which she loved most, and a replacement would be to cheat that well-earned punishment. Even if nopony else agreed. Even if the original model for this bad imitation would not have agreed. For every night, her dreams swam with the screams of an Empire dragged into slavery and shadows by the dark magic of its tyrant-king. Every night she heard them accuse and despise her, saw herself claimed by that door and saved at last only by that wonderful princess from on high. Every distant daydream reminded her of how she and her friends had been saved from the curse, how the others had not. Her sister, her brother. It had just been her. And every minute she was not building, she was living the self-exile she had imposed for her failure, which would never let her go.
Another twenty minutes, and then Spike would be back and she would be back to working on the spells to reverse it all. Time travel. Summon magic. Shadowmancy. Dispelling mind control. Another twenty minutes and she would throw herself back into her world of failure, but until those twenty minutes came...
Twilight folded up the tear-stained blueprints, walked her way towards the tribute to the mentor she no longer deserved and raised it up by its arms. She wrapped herself around the substitute and cried away her failure, hoping it would never let her go. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Blueprints - ultra1437 - Dec. 8, 2014 | By Ultra1437
Twilight twitched in irritation as she looked over the documents before her. Tossing one aside she thought, 'No. Too bulky.' A pair more met their end in a trashbin with similar thoughts as she huffed in irritation and a strand of her mane curled. A dozen after that she nearly yelled, "Is there nothing that would fit her? Nothing at all?" A shadow twitched in the corner behind her, shaking silently, almost laughing.
Resigning her campaign against the documents for now, Twilight got up and made her way out of the room, walking a little more forcefully than she intended.
'We meet again...' Twilight thought as she scowled at the large paper pile. She dove in again, tearing through a dozen more documents.
A knock sounded at the door. "Twilight? May I come in?"
Twilight's ears perked at the welcome distraction as a small smile worked its way to her face. "Luna? Of course, it's unlocked." Almost instinctively she nodded, despite Luna not able to see the gesture.
The door opened and Luna stepped through, shutting it behind herself. She gazed at the stack of seemingly-important documents that Twilight was working on. Her eyes widened and she asked, "Is this a bad time?"
Twilight followed Luna's gaze. Her horn lit and the stack shuffled into one of the desk's large drawers. "No! No no. This isn't really important right now, just a pet project. What do you need?"
Luna smirked, it seemed she stumbled upon a secret. Her horn lit and overpowered Twilight's, setting the stack back on the desk. "It seems like you need my help more than I do yours right now, Twilight Sparkle." She fixed a serious look on her face before pointing at the stack with a hoof. "Now, what do you need help with? We can get to my issue later."
"No, really. It's nothing-" Panicking now, Twilight tried to grab the stack again only to be rebuffed by Luna's magic. Luna noticed that Twilight's panic brought a blush to her face.
"It certainly is not 'nothing', Twilight. If this is a secret project, I will keep it so, but you are obviously in need of some help with whatever this is." Luna stepped forward, sitting at the desk, opposite Twilight.
Twilight's voice squeaked softly, "You promise?"
"I do. Do you wish for me to Pinkie Pie Promise?" Luna held a hoof up, almost starting into the motions.
"No. I trust you, Luna. I... just do not tell Celestia about this." Luna quirked an eyebrow as Twilight continued, "You will see shortly why."
Nodding once Luna's magic faded from the documents and she replied, "Very well. What do you wish for me to do?"
Twilight sighed. She motioned to the stack. "Help me find a blueprint."
"A blueprint?" Luna's curiosity piqued and she leaned forward slightly.
"Yes." Twilight nodded once.
"For what?"
"A starship!" Luna deflated slightly, her posture slouching.
Luna shot a flat stare at Twilight. "That does not answer my question, Twilight. For what reason are you looking for a blueprint of a starship?"
"It..." Twilight's blush returned and she looked away. "It's for Celestia. She's mentioned feeling useless after Equestria turned into a republic." She looked back at Luna. "I wanted to help her."
"With a ship?"
"Of course! We can sail the stars, helping everypony in need!" Twilight's voice rose, her excitement on display for all to see. Her wings unfolded halfway before she reeled the reaction in.
"We?" Luna questioned, her eyebrows seemingly never getting the chance to level out.
"I... had planned on going with her," she whispered.
"So, this is a gift?"
"Yes." Twilight nodded meekly.
"I see." Luna thought for a few seconds, choosing her words carefully. "I can honestly tell you this: the ship you are looking for is not in that pile." Luna stood and made her way around the desk, sitting next to Twilight. "A gift like this must not come from here," Luna motioned to the pile. "It must come from here," Luna's hoof moved and pressed against Twilight's barrel, "from the heart. Only then will you have found what you were looking for."
"But I don't know how to design a ship-" Luna's hoof met Twilight's lips, silencing her softly.
"Think of it this way, that pile there is now study material." Luna removed her hoof. "We need a few more things though, to make it better. Her horn lit and several history books hit the table next to the stack. "Aha! Combat records of each battle complete with statistics, and testing records of those ships that have not seen combat yet!"
"But how will I know what to-"
"Twilight, believe me. You will know." Luna grabbed a blank sheet of parchment and a pen. "Let me show you what I mean." She stood and walked back to the door. "Hold still for a moment, please."
Overwhelmed, Twilight acquiesced, "Alright."
Luna's look turned serious as she started marking the parchment. A few minutes passed silently as she continued. Finally she brightened and said, "Alright, I'm done."
She walked back over to Twilight and proffered the parchment for her to view.
The parchment was a scene of a ship passing over a hilltop at sunset. Just from looking at it, she knew that the ship was unmistakably her. The sharp angling in the wings' rears and weapon mounts were offset by rounded leading edges, with a long conic body giving it a fast, powerful frame.
She never even noticed herself and Celestia sitting on the hill, Celestia's wing around her back.
"Luna... it's beautiful." Twilight was left speechless. She grabbed the picture with her magic from Luna, examining it in more detail.
"It's also completely you," Luna added simply.
"How did you do that?"
"I have been around a long time, Twilight. I have picked up a few things during my life."
"Could... could you draw one of Celestia?" Hopefully, Twilight's ears perked up and she leaned forward slightly.
"No. You must come up with the design on your own." Twilight's ears fell as her head dropped. Luna lifted her chin with a hoof to look Twilight in the eyes. "But I can help you."
The wind was knocked out of Luna's lungs as Twilight sprung at her, wrapping her in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou!"
Luna laughed weakly, clearly enjoying Twilight's enthusiasm.
Several years later, Luna sat with Twilight and Celestia as they looked over the completed Celestia.
Luna's horn lit and a thought landed in Twilight's mind. "You know, had I drawn Celestia that night, you never would have come up with this ship."
Twilight smirked and looked at Luna from the corner of her eye. She sent a thought back. "I know. And thank you for pushing me like that." Another thought floated to Luna after a moment. "You know, I never did find out what you wanted."
"I was bored and wanted something to do," was Luna's cryptic reply. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Misleads - Fuzzyfurvert - Dec. 14, 2014 | By Fuzzy Furvert
"Ok, you remember the plan, right?"
"Yes." The shorter pony nudged nudged her crown so that it sat straighter on her head. "We walk in on the second fanfare, proceed to the bottom of the stairs, turn and bow to the emissary from Cambul. Then we turn to the crowd, smile and wave."
"Don't forget the kiss."
"Ugh...must we? You know how I feel about public displays."
The taller pony chuckled quietly as the first of the trumpet fanfares started. "The kiss is part of the dance, part of the play and the audience expects it of two happily married mares. We have to follow the script. Now get ready, we have just a few seconds before the curtains go up."
The trumpets blasted again, louder this time, and the curtains pulled away to reveal a titanic crowd of ponies and camels that started to stomp and shout as the Princess of the Sun and the Princess of Friendship were announced over the loudspeaker system. They smiled brightly as they did indeed proceed stately down the stairs, their formal vestments flowing elegantly behind them. The crowd's roar became deafening as they reached level with the Cambul emissary and bowed. It somehow became even louder when they turned and waved to the crowd.
"Time for that kiss, love." Celestia whispered in the purple colored ear of her companion. "And make it passionate, too!"
They turned to face each other and reared up to place their hooves together before leaning their heads together.
"Stop teasing me! This is important!"
"Yeah, your first lesbian kiss in public."
The Princess of Friendship huffed and puckered her lips as the other mare leaned in closer with that playful twinkle in her eye that said she was about get a mouthful of tongue. Time seem to slow to a crawl as she reminded herself that she loved this pony more than anything, teasing aside. Her lips made contact and not for the first time, it was like fireworks going off.
Only this time, fireworks were going off. Out of the corner of her eye, a camel came out of the crowd, his traditional robes billowing out as he charged up the stairs. He had a vest on underneath and he had a wild look in his eyes to match the lit stick of dynamite clenched in his teeth.
She shoved Celestia away and whirled on the attacker, her horn flaring with a bright purple aura. The camel made it two more steps when a shield of solid arcane power slammed into place around him. "I've got him!"
"Now, Twilight!"
The Princess of Friendship lifted the shield up off the ground in case the explosive force of the dynamite was enough to shatter the shield and endanger the crowd when one of the camel guards standing by the emissary morphed into Twilight Sparkle. The alicorn vanished a split second later and appeared inside the shield with the crazed camel and then both of them vanished, leaving the robes, vest and dynamite behind just before it detonated.
The crowd's cheering turned to confused shouting and a near stampede broke out, but the Royal Guards quickly had them back under control and moved safely away from where the royals and diplomats were composing themselves. Twilight Sparkle reappeared in a flash of light with a now unconscious camel as an elderly male camel stepped forward from their congregation.
"Princess Sparkle. You are as skilled as the legends say." He smiled crookedly and bowed respectfully. "I apologize again for bringing such violence to your doorsteps, but the factions in my home nation continue to clash."
"Think nothing of it, Ambassador." Twilight smiled tightly. "With cooperation, it was a simple matter to mislead this extremist into revealing himself. I and Princess Celestia were both on hoof in case it went badly."
She nodded to the emissary's body double who morphed into the rainbow maned Princess.
"And then we had Princess Cadance and my brother, Shining Armor standing in as us to act as both bait and to shield the bystanders."
She pointed at the doubles for herself and her wife and Celestia dissolved into the pink Princess of Love. Her own double turned white and her hair became electric blue and shorter, but the body remained the same.
"Brother?" The emissary raised an eyebrow.
Shining Armor looked down at himself and groaned before fixing his wife with a glare. "Cadance!"
"What? I meant it when I said you were going to get your first public lesbian kiss, my sweet Gleaming Shield. Now pucker up!" |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Misleads - Ultra1437 - Dec. 14, 2014 | By Ultra1437
"Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked, her head tilted adorkably as she snuggled into Celestia's waiting wing.
"Yes, Twilight?" Celestia looked down at the filly.
"I think something's missing. From my room. I haven't seen it for a few days." Twilight squirmed slightly, trying to crane her neck upward.
"Oh? What might that be?"
"I can't seem to find one of my notebooks. One of the ones you got me for my birthday."
"Oh dear." Celestia hummed for a second before speaking again, "I think I may have an idea where it went. Let me check in the morning, okay?" She kissed Twilight softly just under her horn.
"Okay, thanks Princess." Twilight snuggled into the wing and was quickly asleep.
Once Twilight had fallen asleep, Celestia lifted her wing and levitated the small filly to her bed to rest. Standing and quietly leaving her chambers, she made her way to Twilight's room.
Closing the door, she lit her horn. "Come on out, I know you're there."
Something shuffled behind several stacks of books to her left. Acting swiftly, she grabbed the entire set with her magic. Something in the stack shrieked.
Separating the pile of books "Ey, ey mare, don' shoot! Don' shoot!" Separating the books from her target, she revealed a small chest. It seemed to shake before whining childishly.
Celestia frowned. "Did you take something from this room's owner?"
The chest shook again as it muttered something.
She brought it closer, and set the books back down. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
"No mare, I don' take nothin' from th' room!" The mimic's hinge swung open slightly as it talked, revealing sharp teeth.
"My student says she has a missing notebook, one I'd gotten her. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's got gold lettering on the front and back." She brought the mimic closer, almost bumping her muzzle against it. "If you are lying, I will be back."
Her threat levelled, she set the chest down, out of sight from the doorway, and left.
The next morning, Twilight excitedly arrived at her lessons with Celestia.
"Good morning Twilight, may I ask what has you so excited this morning?" Twilight's good mood was infectious, brightening up Celestia's morning.
She rummaged through her bag and brought out a notebook. "Good morning Princess, I found that notebook I asked you about!"
"Oh? Where was it?" Celestia's ears perked up in interest.
"On one of the higher shelves in my bookcase. I must have forgotten I put it there." Twilight set the notebook down and opened it up. "What are we learning today, Princess?"
Celestia pulled a large book out of a nearby chest and set it on the table. "Today, we will be learning about Equus' various magical creatures."
"Like gryphons and dragons?" Twilight inquired, her quill at the ready.
Celestia shook her head softly. "Not quite, we will be learning about the more 'magically constructed' species, like oracles and guardians."
"Okay!" |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Sickness - Jonesly - Jan. 10, 2015 | By Jonesly
**AAAAAH-CHOOO** The sneeze went off in the quiet library like a bomb. Twilight Sparkle, unicorn, was sick. She'd spent the last day and a half running about the Everfree Forest in the dead of winter looking for... well, she wouldn't tell anyone what she was looking for, only that it was of the utmost importance and she had to find it soon. She'd achieved her goal, but in the process caught a cold that doomed her to bed rest and plenty of liquids.
She groaned in her bed, wrapped head to hooves in her blankets. "Spike? Spike?" She called, "Where are you? I need more tissues."
A racking cough started deep in her chest. The hoarse barks as she coughed covered the sound of her door opening and closing.
"Here you go Twilight." A melodious voice came.
Fuzzily Twilight looked up, trying to focus bloodshot eyes. "You're not Spike."
Celestia laughed. "I'm glad you noticed. Spike sent me a letter telling me you were sick. I came as fast as I could. I, um, I brought soup?"
Twilight perked up a little. Soup sounded good. Nice warm soup. She gratefully accepted the bowl from Celestia and carefully managed to spoon up some of the broth.
"This is delicious," She sniffled. "So good, and warming... did you bring this from Canterlot?"
Celestia smiled. "I made it Twilight. It's a special recipe. My mother used to make it for me when I was sick. Now I make it for my loved ones when they are sick"
Twilight choked on her soup. Coughing she sputtered a little. Celestia patted her on the back and rubbed her hoof in a small circle.
"Now can you tell me why you were out in the snow for so long?"
Twilight pointed towards her dresser. There on top, in a small pot was a flower. It had a thick stem, but the flower bud was delicate. A sparkling white, it had a bright yellow core that shone like the sun. It gave off a warmth that brightened the room. The flower was the only source of heat, but it had the room feeling cozy and wonderful.
"Helleborus Thaumaturgis. It only grows in the Everfree and only blooms in the middle of the winter. I... I really wanted you to have it."
"It's beautiful Twilight. But you didn't have to catch a cold just to get me a pretty flower."
"I just wanted you to have something to make you happy. Something to tell you how much I..." Twilight broke out into another long series of coughs.
"I have you, that's more then enough." Celestia moved in close to Twilight.
"Don't come close! I'm contagious."
"I don't care, now come here," Celestia drew Twilight in close to her and planted a kiss on her lips. "I love you too, Twilight." She then settled into the bed beside Twilight and wrapped her in a warm wing. The two settled back, relaxed and warm. Twilight drifting off into sleep while Celestia hummed a song.
Three days later Twilight was feeling miles better. She checked the temperature of the soup on the stove. Using her magic to ladle it into a bowl, she carefully carried it up to her bedroom. Pushing the door open, she looked inside, "Celestia? Are you feeling better? I brought you soup." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Sickness - Ultra1437 - Jan. 10, 2015 | By Ultra1437
A rough coughing resounded through the district as Twilight made her way through them, on her way to the coughing's source. As she rounded the last corner to gaze upon Canterlot's finest armoring forge, the alicorn checked her tray again. There normally weren't guards posted at the door, but the pair currently posted kept peering questioningly at the closed oaken doors.
Trotting up to the doors, she knocked. "Princess? It's Twilight. I'm back," she spoke clearly. The coughing stopped for a few seconds as the doors clicked open. Taking the initiative, she parted them slightly and strode in.
Stepping past the threshold, she was assaulted with heat. Immediately, she cast a fire-heat resistance spell on herself and her tray. Delving deeper into the forge, she reached the forge's chamber and saw it was blasting at capacity and burning brightly. She looked about and saw several differing, yet unanimously in-progress, sets of armor, hastily strewn across ponykins. A rasping cough interrupted her introspection and she gazed inside the hearth. Her wings ruffled in agitation as she flinched from the cough.
"Welcome back, Twilight. Did you get it?" Celestia asked, laying inside, with a wing covering something in the middle. A purple claw reached out from under her wing to a nearby bowl and withdrew several gems before retreating.
"I did!" Twilight nodded before stepping forward and into the hearth. She set the tray next to the bowl and laid down next to Celestia's outstretched wing. Nuzzling under the feathers, and only purposely tickling Celestia slightly, she stretched her head to see the wing's occupant, Spike.
He looked a mess, phlegm dripping from his smoking nostrils and bloodshot eyes barely open. He'd caught a dragon's version of a cold, where his body lost the ability to produce its own heat to fight the illness. In dragon culture, they'd spend a week in a volcano and cared for by their immediate family, not unlike with a sick pony. Having no dragon family, his pony family had to take up those roles and a large enough forge was commandeered to provide the body heat necessary.
"Hey Spike, I got more gems. Are you feeling any better, or do we need to stoke the fire some more?" Twilight asked, her voice trembling somewhat seeing her son-slash-brother in such a state.
Spike shivered a little and groaned out, "More heat, please. I feel so cold..." He curled up against Celestia, his other 'mother's' body, her connection with the sun giving her a far greater body temperature than a normal pony's and doing wonders to help drive the cold sensation away.
Twilight nodded and retreated from under Celestia's wing. She stood and nuzzled Celestia, kissing her nose once before saying, "He's still cold, I'm gonna stoke the fires some more."
Celestia nodded once and tightened her wing around Spike slightly. "Hopefully we'll have enough fuel in supply."
Celestia leaned into her fiancee's nuzzle before responding, "If we don't, we can put an emergency requisition in from the other forges in the area." She shrugged her free wing. "Failing that, we can always have more shipped in by train."
Twilight nodded and left the hearth, going around to the bellows in the rear. Telekinetically, she lifted several hundred pounds of coal and spread it evenly underneath the hearth and pumping the bellows a few times. The flames underneath surged, licking the grate that Spike and Celestia rested upon. Celestia let out an audible giggle as one particular flametip tickled her cutie mark.
The coughing ceased after a short time as Twilight returned and laid down opposite Celestia from Spike, adding her own wing above Celestia's. She ducked her head under their wings and noticed that Spike was now sleeping again, more peacefully this time.
She retreated, giving him space, but not before hearing, "Thanks, mom."
Smiling brightly, she closed a little distance with her son and fiancee, letting her form rest against his as she lay her neck across Celestia's. Celestia returned the favor, nuzzling against Twilight's neck. Both ponies joined Spike in a restful slumber, inside a blazing forge. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Sickness - Fuzzyfurvert - Jan. 10, 2015 | Fuzzy choose to be a naughty pony this week and wrote a mature story. It can be found from his user page in the Hot for Teacher collab. Make sure you have Mature stories visible! Warning: mild gore. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Exploration - Jonesly - Jan. 17, 2015 | By Jonesly
"It's done Twilight." Celestia walked into the room she shared with her affianced lover.
Twilight was standing by the window, looking out from the tallest tower of Canterlot out over Equestria. She turned to Tia. "Luna and Cadance are in charge now, then?"
"The governing of the nation of Equestria is officially in the hooves of Luna Morningstar and Mi Amore Cadanza. Everything of import is to go through the Court of the Night. Everything of lesser import is to go through the Crystal Empire. The Sun Court is officially closed for two years."
Twilight smiled at her. "What a honeymoon. Two years to just discover the world. I know I'm the youngest of the alicorns and that you've already seen most everything..."
Celestia interrupted her. "I actually haven't. While I've seen quite a bit, just because I'm an old dinosaur..."
Twilight protested. " You're barely 1150 years old! From what I've learned of Alicorns, that's still extremely young! Besides, if you're a dinosaur... you're MY dinosaur. Hot-Flank-o-Saurus."
Celestia chuckled then continued. "Regardless, I've had a busy life. Youth devoted to learning how-to and then defeating Discord. Then cleaning up Equestria from Discord. Then... well, when we finally started to get things in order, Luna had her episode."
"Episode?" Twilight deadpanned, "Is that what we're calling it?"
"Yes. Episode, it's mild enough to distract from her goals there." Celestia replied. "Then I had a full thousand years running a country with a government designed to be run by TWO monarchs. ALONE."
Twilight kissed her. Celestia smiled, happy to have found someone who as smart and loving and beautiful and purple as Twilight to brighten her days. "Long story made slightly less long, I'm dying to see the world for myself without the trappings of royalty. That I'm going with you only makes it better."
Twilight turned and looked out the window. "It really snowed last night, didn't it? Everything looks brand new. Buried under the snow, it becomes a blank canvas. Everything familiar has disappeared."
Celestia smiled. "The world looks brand new, full of possibilities. Nothing is impossible, everything is possible."
Twilight looked to her side. Celestia had moved into the gap in a movement that felt natural. It felt right. She smiled up at the larger princess.
Celestia spread her wing over Twilight's back, pulling her into a tight embrace. Gazing down into purple eyes, she whispered. "It's a magical world, Twilight, my love. Let's go exploring." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Exploration - Ultra1437 - Jan. 17, 2015 | By Ultra1437
Ramping off a large lunar rock, Applejack leapt powerfully from her sparrow's back, reaching heights normally reserved for pegasi and other flying creatures. As she watched her sprite transmat the sparrow to safety, she spied everything below her for a few seconds before settling on a target. A trio of Fallen Captains clustered together back to back, fighting off a Hive Thrall horde closing in quickly, completely disregarding the rocks and littered spaceship debris as obstacles. Deciding to make her battlefield entry an impressionable one, she activated her Hooves of Thunder ability, her helmet modifying the ability to allow her a targeted aerial drop. Her armor was instantly sheathed in electrical arcs, bouncing about randomly.
It activated and she shot forward, arcing to let gravity assist her fall. With a battlecry rivaling a Fallen Captain itself she hurtled at them. Only one had the time to turn before she slammed hooves first into the ground. The three Captains vanished into ash as the electricity discharged into the area and as the wave expanded, the first two ranks of Thralls were consumed as well.
Most of the Thralls stopped, recognizing the danger this new foe presented. Several consumed pony Thralls cautiously approached and each dropped before reaching within a yard of Applejack, a single bullet slamming into their skulls.
"Thanks for the coverin' fire, Tia. Twi, you comin' over'r not?" Applejack spoke into her helmet's radio. She looked to her sides and made sure her weapons were loaded.
A moment later, another pony touched down next to her. "I'm already here, AJ. Tia, love, can you come on over? Let's dance," Twilight spoke so sweetly that AJ thought her radio would turn into cotton candy.
"Alright, but only because you asked so nicely." A dust cloud kicked up and the final pony, ex-princess Celestia, in their fireteam settled into position as the spear. She craned her neck around and looked between her two comrades. "Shall we show them the one-two step? I cannot imagine that it would be out of their skill to learn."
Twilight nodded, telekinetically lifting her fusion rifle. "I'm sure we can help them learn." Applejack nodded, pawing at the lunar dirt once.
Celestia launched into a charge, her horn levelled at the first Thrall she found, Applejack and Twilight in tow. She lifted her long-ranged scout rifle in her magic as she closed the remaining few yards.
She crashed through their line like a juggernaut, trampling those directly in front of her path. Twilight took to the skies, easily soaring over the ground-bound Thralls as she rained fire down on them. Occasionally, she'd pick up on a Thrall acting particularly troublesome and dive-bomb it, destroying its body with her speed and armor's weight. Applejack blurred as did what she did best against the Hive: punch, buck, and wrestle. Every Thrall that went into the whirlwind that AJ kicked up came out in pieces as it dissolved.
After a minute, only Applejack, Celestia, and Twilight remained, the surviving members of the horde broken and retreating, or dissolved to just pieces of armor and strewn about the battlefield. Twilight set down next to Celestia, who panted heavily into her helmet. "That was fun, Twi. It's been quite a while since I had last danced, thank you." Celestia leaned down and nuzzled her helmet against Twilight's, the armor not impeding the romantic gesture's intent in the least.
"No problem, Tia. I know I can't dance, but I still love to watch you." Twilight surveyed their surroundings and spotted the downed ship. "I hope the cache is still inside. It wouldn't be fun to have to track it down again." She and Celestia made their way to the ship as Applejack kept an eye out for more Hive or Fallen.
The spaceship's fuselage was still mostly intact, with only a few pony-sized holes blown into one side. Twilight hopped down into the trench that it had dug when it crash-landed, immediately followed by Celestia.
Celestia spotted the cargo-hold's emergency release hatch first and with a flick of her horn, popped the door's seals loose. The door immediately dropped open and out tumbled a massive, armored crate. Two Knights tumbled out the hatch as a Wizard floated out behind them.
"We got trouble!" Celestia yelled. That was all it took to get Applejack turned and sprinting to the ship. Before she could reach them, the Wizard flew up and straight past her, a scream on its lips. She prioritized and turned back around, intent on making short work of the magic-wielder.
The two Knights reasserted themselves and drew their massive blades as they stared down at the ponies in front of them, easily as long as Big Macintosh was tall. With a resounding warcry that shook the ship to its plating, they charged a pony each. Twilight deftly dodged as she took to the air, peppering her Knight with her semi-automatic scout rifle. Celestia dodged her Knight's overhead strike with a sidestep, sheathing her own armor in electricity and activating her own ability.
Unlike Applejack's ability that released its charge all at once, her armor allowed her to create a weapon. She dodged and ducked as a sword, literally made of the electricity coursing off her armor, materialized in the empty scabbard she kept. Once it was fully formed, she drew the blade magically. She knew it wouldn't last more than a minute, but it would be enough. As it drew, a sharp crackling gave the knight pause. The sword matched the Knight's for length, but wasn't as physically bulky.
Whipping the blade once, she drew it back and set into a defensive stance. The Knight pointed at her with its blade before charging. It threw another vicious overhead strike once it was in range, but Celestia angled her blade and deflected the blow to the side. The Knight's blade dug into the ground and was left vulnerable. Celestia used the momentary advantage and thrust her own blade into the Knight's chest. It screamed in pain as a dark smoke poured from the wound and wrenched its blade from the ground. The Knight's free hand came up and knocked the side of Celestia's head, his bulk throwing her backwards. Wheeling about, Celestia charged, her sword ready. The Knight drew into a defensive stance as she closed. Feinting left, Celestia flapped her wings once and sidestepped the Knight's guard. Bringing her blade down, it cut through the Knight's armored helm like it was nothing, continuing on to bisect the enemy vertically.
Twilight had dispatched her own Knight with a pair of grenades, sending its soul screaming back to the Hive's chambers. She whistled appreciatively at Celestia's moves. "Wow, Tia. I knew you could dance, but you played him like a fiddle!"
"Thanks, Twi. It's good to hear I've still got it after all these years. Now, let's go return this cache." Under her helmet, Celestia blushed.
Applejack slid down into the trench and caught up with the two. All three ponies looked at the crate. It bore the Vanguards' seal. "Well, that was easy. We even know who it goes to. Let's get it home." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Exploration - Fuzzyfurvert - Jan. 17, 2015 | By Fuzzy Furvert
Twilight held up a hoof to block the glare coming off the huge spotlight that was attached to the forward prow. The light beam it cast in front of the airship illuminated the wet, grey-colored walls of the nearest cliff face. The craggy surface dripped with moisture coming from the thick fog bank that surrounded and all but blinded them.
The cliff was the one thing outside the ship that existed in the depth of night. Twilight kept her eyes glued to it as the HRMS Eclipse sailed onward, using it to gauge their relative speed and position. She'd been at it for hours and so far there had been little change of worthy note.
Twilight tried to stifle the yawn, but when it hit her she couldn't stop it and stretched her jaw to the point of popping. That was all it took to get her to feel the weariness in her hooves and the ache in her neck from standing watch for so long. She rolled her head to ease the tension and did a little dance in place to get her blood moving again.
"Hey, Twi, any change?"
Twilight started at the sudden intrusion of another pony into her world of ship, cliff, and fog. She turned and smiled tiredly at Rainbow Dash. "Huh? No...no change."
"Why don't you take a break?" Rainbow walked up next to Twilight and blew quietly out through her nose as she gazed at the distance rockface. "It's been hours since dinner and I can take it from here."
"If you're sure." Twilight flexed her wings and yawned again. "Call me if anything happens."
"Sure thing, Twi."
"Oh, and Rainbow?" Twilight lowered her voice and leaned in slightly to the other mare. "When you inevitably take a flight on your own to see what's out there, be careful, ok? We don't even know where we are, getting separated would be a bad idea."
Dash grinned and inclined her head to butte Twilight's forehead. "I will. You stay focused on getting us all back to Equestria, ok?"
Twilight laughed softly. "I will. I promised, didn't I? I'm going to see if Princess Celestia has made any headway on that problem."
She left Rainbow Dash at the lookout and headed back to the captain's quarters where the Princess had set up as her bunk and their de facto planning room. The doors were closed, but soft, golden light seeped out from under them rather invitingly. Twilight knocked and after a moment the door opened with a hint of Celestia's yellow aura.
Twilight stepped in and closed the door behind her. Celestia was sitting at the large table that held their notes and charts and now useless navigational tools. The Princess waved Twilight over and one of the stools slid across the wooden floor for the smaller alicorn to sit on. "Any good news?"
Celestia looked up and smiled. "Some good news, I think." She gestured at the star chart on the table. "As we already know, none of these stars have been visible since the storm, and the few we have seen don't match any of our charts."
"And you," Twilight continued robotically, "have lost contact with the sun."
"Ah, but that is where I have a bit of good news!" Celestia chirped. She levitated a blank page over and pulled out a quill. She rapidly sketched out a rudimentary grid of the sky. "Here is where the sun should be." She pointed at a spot on the basic map. "I've been searching for it this whole time within that general area with no luck. However, after dinner, I thought I would try something new and I reached out further afield to see if I could pick up anything."
Twilight brightened. "And...you did?"
Celestia nodded, but she quickly held up a hoof to stall Twilight. "I found a sun. It's not my sun, and it is really far away."
Twilight blinked and stared at where Celestia was now pointing at the map. "So, you found a star...but not Equestria's sun? How does that work? How are we going to get back home?" Twilight licked her lips and ran her hoof through her mane. "I promised everypony I would get us home."
"And you will. I believe you will, Twilight" Celestia gently put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I think we can use this information to begin figuring out our position and then..."
"...we can reverse the magic that brought us here." Twilight finished for her. The junior princess brightened again and smiled. "Yeah, you're right. We can do this. We can!"
Celestia nodded and laughed when Twilight sprang out of seat and wrapped her arms around the older mare. "Yes, we can, Twilight! We'll see home again, I know it."
Twilight giggled and pushed herself up to bring her muzzle to the tip of Celestia's. Maybe it was the stress of the situation and the need for relief, or maybe it was the hint of relief the news had given them, but whatever the reason, their nuzzle quickly morphed into a full kiss.
Celestia knew she could stop it, she could easily push Twilight away, or say something that would remind her former student of their positions and way friends didn't normally kiss friends. But a part of her didn't want that. Part of her wanted to see where this might lead. Part of her wanted to forget the danger they were in, if only for a moment, and revel in the feeling of being held by another pony that she respected.
The kiss seemed to go on forever. Neither one of them pausing except to get a fresh gasp of air, neither giving ground to the other as they dueled. The world shrank to just the two of them, the room with the map table and their exploratory tongues and hooves. Nothing else mattered until the door burst open a moment later and a very wet Rainbow Dash tumbled in.
"Hey, you guys! I found something amazing and...what the heck is going on in here?" |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Exploration - JKinsley - Jan. 17, 2015 | This week, JKinsley decided to be naughty and wrote a mature prompt. Once again, it can be found in the Hot for Teacher collab through Fuzzyfurvert's user page. Make sure you have Mature stories visible! Warning: BDSM and lesbian horse sex. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Bad Date - Jonesly - Feb. 2, 2015 | By Jonesly
Sleep is a glorious thing, Twilight decided. Definitely in the top three of all things glorious and grand. The only possible competition had to be Celestia and Books... and she wouldn't bet on the books. After days of travel, she and her lover had made it to the continent across the eastern sea. After all, she was told, a once in a millenium diplomatic conference of countries was the perfect place to introduce the newest princess of Equestria. The land was Saddle Arabia, and delegates from all the major countries had gathered.
Twilight had found their rooms absolutely charming. In order to keep up the exotic appeal of her room, the hosts had even provided a small, trained monkey to fetch things for her. She had been delighted and played with the small chap until the strain of her travels had crashed her face first into her pillow.
"Doctor Princess Sparkle, Princess Doctor Sparkle, wake up! No time for sleep, we gotta go!"
Twilight didn't even open her eyes before she responded. "Really Tia, must you?"
The voice was giggling this time. "I really think I must Twilight. I love your new titles."
Twilight grumbled. "You should, you gave them to me."
She rolled over in her bed and opened her eyes to gaze upon her monarch. Celestia Morningstar was radiant. Literally. Her hair lightly glowed with the colors of a sunrise. Even at this time, Twilight could do little but gape.
Celestia dipped her head demurely. "Close your mouth, Beloved, the flies will get in."
"Is there anything I should know about this conference." Twilight called as she walked over to the breakfast table. The room felt quieter than it should. Looking over the array of fruits and vegetables she grinned. She was famished after all and some of these things she had only heard of in books before.
"Oooh, what's that?" She asked as she spotted a small wrinkled fruit towards the end of the table. She grabbed it with her magic and floated it towards her mouth. Before she could take a bite, a stronger golden magic slapped the fruit from her grasp and sent it rolling across the floor. It rolled to a stop next to another of the same fruit, with a bite taken out of it that lay next to a small form.
Twilight looked down on the crumpled, sad little body of the dead monkey. "What happened to him?"
Celestia looked at her with deadly seriousness. "Bad date." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Bad Date - Foals Errand - Feb. 2, 2015 | By Foals Errand, a newcomer to the Lightning Round but a familiar face to the collab!
Twilight smiled as she walked beside Celestia. Being out with her like this felt so good that she could almost forget about the six guards surrounding them. Almost. She sighed as Celestia bent down, giving her ear a quick nibble.
"What is it, my dear Twilight," Celestia whispered into Twilight's ear.
Twilight shivered as she felt Celestia's warm breath in her ear. "I... well, I was just thinking how nice it'd be if we could have one date without being surrounded like this."
Celestia considered the query, causing them to pause their walk. "Captain Thunder Clap?"
The pegasus was by her side so quickly Twilight would have sworn he had teleported. "Yes, Princess?"
"Twilight Sparkle and I wish to spend this night by ourselves." Celestia smiled down at the pegasus who was trying not to gape.
Twilight was impressed once again by her marefriend's ability of making an order sound like a request. She shook her head as the new captain finally nodded and he and the other guards headed back to the palace. "You mean we've been dating for five months and all I had to do was ask you if we could have a date alone?"
Celestia simply smiled down at the smaller alicorn and wrapped a wing around her. "Well, Twily? Where shall we go?"
Twilight wrinkled her muzzle. "Tia, I hate it when you call me 'Twily'. That's what Shiny calls me. It's just... disturbing."
Celestia laughed. "Alright, Twi. Is that better?"
Twilight grinned. "Much. Now, there's a small cafe about a block away from here. Supposedly they have the best, fried rose petal bites and daisy sandwiches!" She licked her lips at just the thought.
Celestia laughed and shook her head. "Two princesses eating deep-fried sandwiches? The nobles will have a fit! Sounds wonderful."
Twilight nodded and led the way to the small cafe, not noticing the pony trailing after them.
The hostess stared with her mouth wide open at the two princesses before gesturing half-heartedly at an open table that Twilight and Celestia sat at before opening their menus. Twilight scanned hers while licking her lips. Celestia, on the other hoof, slowly looked hers over. A nervous teen pegasus came over and tried not to stammer.
"W-welcome to the Lunch Box! My name is Hot Wing and I'll be your waiter tonight. Can I get you mares something to drink? Er, I didn't mean mares! Princesses! I'm, uh..."
Celestia lifted a hoof to stop the stuttering colt. "It's alright, Hot Wing. Tonight we are simply two mares on a date; it is fine for you to treat us that way."
Hot Wing nodded."Of course! Uh... So, can I get you something to drink?"
"Tea for me, please: iced. Twi?"
Twilight glanced away from the menu. "Oh, I'll just have water with a lemon, thank you."
Hot Wing nodded and headed to the back before returning with their drinks quickly. Unnoticed, the pony who had followed them slipped into a seat opposite them and ordered a simple cup of coffee.
Twilight and Celestia sipped at their drinks before ordering a meal to share: a deep-fried daisy sandwich and deep-fried rose petal bites covered in cheese sauce.
"Have you ever had this type of thing before, Tia?"
Celestia sipped at her ice tea as she considered. "No, I don't think so. This should be quite the treat."
Twilight's ear flicked as she heard the giggles of two fillies. They were running around chasing after each other. "Do you think we should say something, Tia?"
Celestia shook her head. "Not tonight. I think the restaurant management can handle it." She smiled as she reached across the table, taking Twilight's hoof in her own and leaning forward to kiss her beloved's lips.
Several ponies were later asked exactly what happened, but none of them were ever really certain.
The fillies were running around...
Hot Wing was carrying the heavy plate of food...
Celestia was leaning forward...
... Hot Wing slipped. The plate went flying and splattered both Celestia and Twilight in rose petal bites and cheese sauce just as their lips touched. A bright flash of light captured their attention as several camera flashes quickly went off before the pony teleported away. Celestia looked at Twilight and grabbed a rose petal bite stuck to her horn and dipped it in the cheese sauce on her cheek before popping it in her mouth. "Tastes good."
Twilight groaned, then immediately laughed. "Tia, being with you can make even a bad date like this a great date."
The next morning, Luna opened the paper to see a picture of Celestia and Twilight lip-locked and covered in cheese sauce. She promptly spit out her coffee and cocked her head.
"Tia! Is this another one of those new fetish things?" |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Bad Date - JumbledThought - Feb. 2, 2015 | By JumbledThought in his debut effort for all things Twilestia!
Boom!
The citizens of Canterlot retreated further into their homes as the final Tatzulworm fell to the cobblestone streets. The three behemoths had spawned from the castle and had caused panic and chaos throughout the whole town for almost an hour now. The royal guard had been ineffectual against their tough hides, and only through the power of all three alicorns within the city had they been defeated.
Kibitz walked through the destroyed great hall and started to shake his head. What had once been a pristine, well kept, and even well organized place of beauty and intellectual discussion had now been reduced to rubble, splintered tables, and the large mass of a full grown Tatzulworm corpse. He grimaced at the thought of the hours it would take to clean this place alone. And then twice that amount for the paperwork.
He chuckled to himself as he headed out the somehow still standing arch that used to be the entrance. Not that the doors were still there. No, Luna had ridden one of those all the way down the mountain after the first beast had been killed. I think I even recall her yelling, 'Wee', all the way down.
Finally, he made his way down to the city streets outside the castle where his radiant princess stood now. Always on schedule, always courteous, the exact symbol of what a good leader should- "Oomph!"
Celestia looked down at the pinned stallion beneath her and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Where is Twilight?"
Kibitz blinked for a few times before putting his immense focus on the one thing he did so to. A small, dull, yellow flash erupted beneath Celestia and tutted at the princess. "Just because you and your sister think it is funny to contradict me about what I was just thinking, I do not. Now, I am not going to help you until you calm down. At least one thing must stay stable after such a disaster and that thing should be you."
For a moment all Celestia could do was make her eye twitch. Her beloved was gone, rubble was in her mane, and Luna was probably still skating her way down the mountain. Or climbing it. I think one of these monstrosities may have gotten her wing. She shook her head clear once she remembered that she had more important things to worry about. "Kibitz, please do not be stubborn this time."
"Do you know how much overtime I'll have to schedule for the servants. Oh the complaining I'll have to listen to."
"Do not joke about this!"
"You think I'm joking? Just coming down here had me calculate a displacement of three of your upcoming meetings. Do you know how troublesome some of these nobles can be? I'll probably even have to actually spend time with that awful nephew of yours. Blue Balls I believe."
Celestia smacked herself with her hoof and took a deep breath in. "His name is Blue Blood."
Kibitz smiled and stood a little straighter at the shift in tone. "Ah, now see, that's more like it. Now, about these damages-"
"Kibitz." Her face came very close to his. "If you do not help me find Twilight right this instant I will..." Celestia paused for a moment before finding the perfect threat. "I will take a day off as I am allowed."
The already somewhat pale stallion turned white as a sheet at the words and stammered out, "We-well, if you put it like th-that, I see no good reason to delay finding your, erm, friend, as quickly as possible."
"Yes, I see no reason as well." With the deal struck, they both set off in search. Hi and low they did scavenge for the missing princess, but not even forcing Kibitz into the sewer prevailed. While the two run down the street they started, Celestia keeping a fair bit of distance from her now smelly assistant, they both heard a muffled, "Help!"
Celestia's ears twitched and she stood stock still until she heard it again. Turning her head only brought her to the final Tatzulworm, but that shouldn't have been possible. Right? Slowly. the solar princess cut open the side of the beast and a magical blast of purple magic sent juices flying everywhere. Slowly, Twilight crawled out.
She soon found herself in a tangle of white hooves and being embraced by somepony. Looking up from her dazed state, she spotted Celestia, the pony she loved. "You..."
"Oh I am so happy to see you are all righ-"
"Bitch!" Twilight spread her wings and quickly flew above Celestia. "I am covered in gastric juices. I just had to fight, for over half an hour, a creature I never wanted to see again in my life. Before you say anything more, I need to know why the buck you summoned them?"
Celestia swallowed hard and rubbed one hoof on the other foreleg. "You said you wanted tonight to be adventurous."
Twilight's eye twitched for a moment. "I... meant... the... Food!"
Celestia blinked a few times. "That... that actually makes a lot of sense. So no Tatzulworms?"
Twilight sighed. "No, no Tatzulworms." She looked around herself at the ruins of the street. "I need to relax. I'm going home. You know, Ponyville, where the crazy shit at least isn't from another pony's fau-" She stopped as the memories of chasing Philomena, her mane on fire, and especially The Smarty Pants incident as it was now referred to. "I'm going to bed."
A single hoof stopped Twilight. "Try again next week then?"
Kibitz stepped up. "Now, now, we don't need another disaster on our hooves. Besides, you two will be busy repairing the town. We have buildings to repair, ponies to heal, and don't get me started on the paperwor-" Two rocks suddenly leaped from the rubble and knocked the poor stallion out.
Celestia glanced at Twilight as both of their horns turned off. "Your reflex to more paperwork."
"Uh huh."
"Neither of us will speak about any of," Celestia waved her hoof around, "this, again?"
"Agreed."
She moved closer to Twilight. "And I get a second chance to make you dinner next week?"
Twilight paused and then glanced at the beast beside them. "Know any Tatzulworm dishes?"
Celestia smiled. "No, but I can make a spaghetti and mold it to look like one."
Twilight nodded. "Then deal. For now though, I need to get home and rest."
Both nodded and Kibitz raised his head. "Paperwor-"
Bam! |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Bad Date - Fuzzyfurvert - Feb. 2, 2015 | By Fuzzy Furvert
(Warning, features non-pony-character humans)
12:37 a.m.
Nineteen miles out from Powder Springs, Georgia [USA]
Shadows jumped as Officer Jerry Reynolds swept his flashlight over the field again. A couple of eyes, low to the ground, reflected the light back for a moment when an opossum looked his way before scurrying into the underbrush at the treeline. Otherwise, this area of the pasture was clear.
"This is going to be one of those stories that gets passed around the precinct, I can jus' tell." He spit into the grass and turned around to carefully make his way back to his waiting patrol car and the cuffed drunk in the back.
Officer Reynolds dropped into his seat and took a moment to buckle himself in while he started the old Buick up. He radioed in the situation and backed up around the parked pick-up that was near the gate which lead to the pot-marked, nameless access road, which in turn lead him back to 278 and the county drunk tank. The patrol car bounced over the shallow culvert and he hit the gas once the wheels were on the asphalt.
"Hey," Reynolds looked into his rearview mirror at the disheveled man in the back, "why don't you tell me what happened out there, Marty? We got a little bit of ride back into town."
Marty stared out the window morosely and shrugged, which caused him to belch loudly. "You wouldn't believe me."
"Try me." Reynolds grinned. "I've been doin' this job for nigh on six years now and I keep hearin' all kinds of stuff. Besides, you're gonna have to give a statement once we get back in. Might as well get that part out of the way."
Marty grunted and slumped in the back seat, bouncing along with the old Buick's shocks over the rutted road.
"Why don't you start by tell me why I just picked you up in the neighbor's cowyard, at midnight, trying to stuff a recently discharged firearm in to yer truck with your pants around your ankles and smelling like the back room at a titty bar?"
The drunk narrowed his blurry eyes at that remark and turned his head to sniff at the shirt he was wearing. He scrunched up his nose and then leaned back to get as comfortable as the cuffs would allow him to. "My rifle went off accidentally."
"Of course it did."
"I mean it!" Marty's eyes flashed, scowling. "The safety was off, I bumped it while I was trying to get my pants back up. Had it tipped on a stump. It fell down and went off."
"Yer lucky to be alive then, Marty. Don't look so sad!" Reynolds chuckled and shook his head. Up ahead he could see the fences on both sides of the road end as the access road merged with Sawgrass Way.
"I'm lucky the noise scared away the aliens. Coulda been abducted tonight." Marty burped, loudly, for emphasis. "I saw the lights between the trees. I seen going on fer a week now. Told myself I was gonna get to the bottom of it. Do ya blame me for taking a gun?"
Officer Reynolds stopped at the end of the bumpy old asphalt. "Out here? Nah, I don't blame you for that. But it ain't hunting season, and you were on a neighbor's property. It's also Sunday night and this is a dry county, Marty." He checked in the mirror on his door but the pastures behind him were dark beyond the reach of the patrol car's brake lights. The sky was a slightly brighter than the land and he could just make out the silhouettes of a few horses. Or maybe they were cows. Hard to tell in the dark.
"What does that matter? It ain't illegal to drink on Sunday, just buying." Marty smirked. "I bought it last Friday, been sipping off the case of Bud since then. It's not like I planned for this to happen while I was piss drunk."
"I don't expect you plan much of anything, do you Marty?" Reynolds hit the accelerator again and the car rumbled onto the smoother State-maintained tarmac of 278. "Still don't tell me why you had your pants down. I was under the impression that the pants came off during the abduction, to better facilitate the probin', rather than before it starts."
"I.." Marty looked back out the window at the passing trees and distant houses that lorded over the patchy farmland of the north Georgia hills. He sighed and looked back toward the front. "I saw two aliens, Jerry. You ain't gotta believe me, but I swear it's true."
"What did these aliens look like?" Reynolds kept his eyes on the black stripe of pavement. "Little grey men with the big eyes?"
"They had big eyes alright." Marty chuckled to himself. "But they weren't no little grey men. They looked sorta like horses, really."
Officer Reynolds laughed and cracked his driver side window to let in the cool air and the smells of a late summer night. "Marty, that pasture you were in is zoned for mixed use. It has cows and horses in it!"
"I know that! But they wasn't actually horses, Jerry, listen to me fer cryin' out loud!" The drunkard rolled his eyes. "They looked kinda like horses. They had four legs, long necks, little pointed muzzle...mouth...things. Tails like one too. I didn't get close enough to see if they had hooves too, but it sorta looked like it. One of 'em, maybe both...I dunno...had wings and both of 'em had like, a narwhal horn."
"A what horn?"
"Narwhal, you know, long, pointy and kinda spinny. Its some sort of fish."
Officer Reynolds chuckled again, harder this time. "I know what a narwhal is, ya 'git! But what yer describing sounds like a unicorn. My little girl has posters of them in her room. Your aliens look all majestic out there in the field?"
Marty burped again and grumbled an apology. "How is Katie doin', anyway?"
"She's just fine. Thanks for asking, Mart."
"Good." Marty paused, seemingly lost in thought for several seconds. The road rounded a corner, and for a moment, the glimmer of town lights and distant Atlanta came into view. The city vanished just as quickly as it appeared with the Buick followed 278 into a wide valley. "Unicorns could still be aliens, if they come from another world, right?"
"Uh...I guess so."
Marty nodded to himself at that and straightened in the seat. "So, anyway, I been seeing lights through the trees. Colored lights that flashed at random times. Sometimes there was this buzz that I could feel in my teeth. I thought it was teenagers or something at first, ya know? Like those reports over the news a few weeks ago 'bout that school up north where they had that supposed visitation and the rainbow-colored lights? I read 'bout that one. But it kept happening and I got this feelin' something weren't right at'all. So I went to scope it out. I knew I was onto something when I didn't see any fresh tire tracks. I parked my truck away a bit and slipped into the treeline to get a good blind spot. Found me a deer stand and I waited for the lights."
Reynolds nodded and rolled the window down fully to rest his arm where the wind could hit it and cool him down. No sense running the AC when the Georgia weather was being cooperative. "How long you sit in the stand?"
Marty shrugged. "Maybe 'bout an hour? My phone died somewhere along the way or else I'd have pictures of the aliens."
"Hmmph! Convenient."
"Yeah...well, anyway, the lights started, right there in the middle of the field where there's that dip? I can see it from my back porch. But there ain't nothing out there to cause it neither. And before you think it'll be funny, don't go suggesting to me it was swamp gas! There ain't even a creek back there." Marty snorted. "Outta the lights walk these two horse alien things. They weren't real big, understand. The biggest one was 'bout my size, maybe? Iffin' I was a horse. It was white colored, I think. But it had hair like some kid took a box of crayons and some glitter and colored on the sky. It was like CGI in a movie."
"Honestly?" Reynolds glanced back at his passenger in the rear view mirror again.
"Scout's honor." Marty bobbed his head back and forth, smugly. "The little one was purple, if I remember right. Had long dark colored hair that was all trimmed."
"What were they doing?" Despite himself, Jerry felt engrossed by the drunk's tale.
"Well, they stepped out of the lights and then it got dark again. Those narwhal horns of theirs must be like fireflies or something, 'cuz they lit up and then they set out a big red and white checkered sheet and a picnic basket. They even had a bottle with 'em, looked like one of the fancy kind you can get at the package store down on Sweetwater St."
"Oh come on!" Officer Reynolds barked with laughter. "Jus' when I thought you were going somewhere with this story and the alien horse things are having a picnic? Like with a real, honest-to-god picnic basket? Like outta Yogi Bear?"
"Yeah, jus' like the ones in the old cartoons!" Marty's face lit up and he laughed along with Jerry. "I've never even seen one in real life, and then here comes a couple of horses with one out on a picnic. How's them apples, huh?" Jerry didn't answer as he was trying to catch his breath, so Marty continued. "So yeah, these horses...or maybe they were more pony-sized...aliens sit down and start talking. I could understand 'em too. Thought maybe I had drunk the wrong stuff or something when that happened. But it sure sounded like they was talkin' in english."
"What...heh...what were they going on about?"
Marty shrugged again. "I didn't catch the whole thing. I was in the deerstand set back a pace. But I know I heard 'em talkin' 'bout a long weekend getaway and leaving someone called 'Sunset' in the care of someone else they called 'Applejack.'"
"Like the drink?" Reynolds shook his head. Of course this all still led back to alcohol.
"Maybe?" Marty glanced out the window at his side again as the traffic started to pick up and the lights from the city started to wash out the stars above. "I dunno, it was like a normal conversation. Like one our wives would have at a barbeque. Weird."
"Weird doesn't even come close to covering it, Marty. I still want to know why your pants were down 'round yer ankles."
"Uh...heh..." Marty cleared his throat and looked down at his lap. "Um, well, after they talked for a bit 'bout nothing in particular, they started eating what was in the basket. It was too dark by then to see real good, but their glowing horns kept them where I could see 'em. They didn't go for long and then the horns went dark. I thought they might have just vanished when I started hearing...well...hearing 'girl noises.'"
"'Girl noises?'" Reynolds frowned. "What does that mean?"
"Well, you know the noises girls make on those college girls on spring break DVDs?"
Reynolds coughed. "You mean the drunken hollerin' part?"
"No the part where they go back to the hotel room and start kissin' an' feelin' each other up, Jerry. What other part would I be referring to, huh?"
Officer Reynolds cleared his throat awkwardly. "So, the horse aliens were makin' out?"
Marty nodded and grunted. The patrol car topped the hill and the lights of Powder Springs lit up the car enough to reveal the blush on his cheeks. "Their horns started glowing again and I saw the whole thing. I...I was sorely confused, Jerry. They were horses, but they were also like people and the little purple one was on top and doing something I've only ever seen in porn to the big white horse. I'm sorry to say...it had an effect on me."
The old Buick was silent for a time. The road widened, traffic got heavier as they drew closer to the downtown area. Jerry Reynolds rolled his window up and sighed. "Jeezus, Marty."
"Please don't tell my wife, ok?" Marty looked wretched in the back, his voice soft. "Thanks for letting me zip up before you cuffed me, Jerry. I appreciate that." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Bad Date - Knight of Cerebus - Feb. 2, 2015 | By Knight of Cerebus
Twilight softly stared into her drink, blushing. Celestia was very pointedly and very politely smiling at a piece of wallpaper about two feet to the left of Twilight's head. One of them cleared their throat. Restaurant patrons buzzed a mixture of work stories, small talk and snatches of conversation about horse shoe polish and the need for limousine carriages. Somepony coughed somewhere. The silence between the two mares was at last broken by what had served as the probable source of it to begin with: One Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, smiling an over-wide smile and glancing between the pair of them expectantly.
"So what do you two think is the biggest moment when either of you have had to trust one another?" Cadance's voice had a sing-song cheer to it that suggested that Twilight and Celestia had lost a bet with her. Which they had, but that was besides the point.
"I gave Twilight my magic. That was difficult." Celestia said with all the enthusiasm of a deflating balloon.
"I guess it was the time I--y'know, Cadance, I don't think it's fair to withhold crucial information on the stakes for a bet. Stakes, like, say, that when you said we'd be dating mystery ponies of your choosing if we lost you meant we'd be dating each other."
"You never asked after the terms and conditions." Cadance said in a sing-song voice.
"Only because you wouldn't have told us who you were planning to set us up with anyway." Twilight blew a raspberry. Cadance stuck out her tongue, then rolled her eyes.
"You still haven't answered the question."
"Fine!" Twilight threw her hooves up. She settled down into her chair with her arms folded, then looked down for a moment longer. "Freeing Discord, for sure. I mean, I don't think I've ever yelled at Celestia before or since, so that's gotta count for something."
"Hehe. The only time you yell around Auntie is when somepony is failing to heap sufficient amounts of praise on her." The slightest trickle of red entered Celestia's cheeks, and Twilight's face lit on fire. Cadance's smile turned utterly diabolical. "Of course, the feeling is mutual. I'll never forget the look on that poor guard's face when you snapped at him." Cadance looked over at Celestia with a devious smile. "'Twilight Sparkle is a gift to the ponies of this kingdom, whether or not she understands the meaning of certain subtleties of common conversation." Cadance straightened herself to stand in an elegant poise. "Remember that well, my little pony."
Twilight snickered a little at this, her the bones of her back at last going slack where before they had been tensed and hunched. "I...I didn't know you stood up for me like that." Twilight scratched the back of her head.
"You spend more than enough time championing me, dear." Celestia smiled a quiet smile. "It seems only right that I return the favour."
Cadance cooed, and what could have been a tender moment immediately fell flat. The two ponies sighed, then looked back at their menus.
Cadance opened her mouth again. "It's not like this is the worst bet you've ever lost, Auntie. Maybe I should tell her about the time you had to shave your belly for--"
"You know, Twilight my dear, if there's one good thing about losing a bet on how well our countries did in the Equestria Games, it's that it gives us an excuse for some long-overdue private time."
Twilight sighed. "Hardly. We're gonna be explaining to the newspapers that we aren't actually dating for months. We'll have to make a press release, and there will be questions at conferences--"
Celestia gave a wry grin of her own. "And we'll be gossip at all the dinner parties, and Luna will tease us--"
"--So will Shining--"
"And we won't hear the end of it from our mutual friend," Celestia cast a glance to the chair beside her own, "until the end of the month at least."
The two sighed in unison. Twilight perked up. "But you're right, we are getting some time together at last. Time to talk about books, time to talk about magic, time to talk about friendship and history and the courts and chess and teas and--"
"--The embarrassing memories I have of the both of you!" Cadance injected. "After all, no date is ever complete without an embarassing story." She winked. "I think the best one to break the ice would be--"
"Hold up."Twilight held her hoof aloft to denote her need for a pause. She and Celestia shared a look, speaking volumes with a simple glance alone in the way that only two oldest of friends, lovers or family can. Then, at last, Twilight spoke up with an evil smile of her own. "You know, Tia, it seems like despite our best intentions to live up to the bet, we're not having a very good date. I'm thinking as to why that might be..."
"You've both been standing in silence the whole time! It's only now that you're--"
"I agree, Twilight. Having a spectator does seem to be problematic to the spirit of the bet. I hardly imagine the Royal Honeymoon would have been quite so 'idyllic and dreamy' if one of us had been spectating the entire time."
"You won't hear me disagree. So I was thinking of showing off a little trick Rainbow showed me for getting out of just this kind of situation. After all, our publicity after this is already gonna be a nightmare."
"Our ship has sailed, you might say." Celestia grinned the grin of somebody indulging in a private joke.
"You aren't thinking of outflying me, are you? Twilight, I love you, but we both know you've barely learned how to keep in the air. And you haven't flown anywhere yourself since last year, Auntie. Besides, you both lost fair and square and I demand a--"
"FOOD FIGHT!" Twilight threw a plate long into the sky and ducked for cover. Celestia's eyes widened, then settled on Cadance with a look filled with the infamous diabolical wit that she so rarely got to excercise. Cadance's own meal upended itself upon the pink princess' multicoloured mane, and Celestia disappeared under the table.
"What just--You can't ju--" Cadance was cut off by a plate of spaghetti hitting her face, then another plate of steak, and then at last by a very stern looking waitress glaring down her nose at her.
By the time Cadance had squarely pinned the blame on her companions and decided to lift up the table cloth for proof, Twilight and Celestia were already enjoying a quiet moment overlooking a waterfall on Canterlot's mountainside. Celestia leaned her head against Twilight's at exactly the same moment that a hoof was laid on Cadance's shoulder.
"Now, then, let's try that again." Twilight sighed. "I mean, I've been trying to tell you--but Cadance kept getting in the way, and we were in public, and I--I'd like to. I never thought we'd lose, and when we did I got all nervous and annoyed and then, well, it turned out to be you. And it made me, I dunno, excited. I wanted to--" Celestia put a hoof on Twilight's mouth. She looked down at it, then let it drop with a tender smile.
"I have something to say to that, but we've been cut off too much tonight. Go on."
"I wanted to, Celestia. To go out with you, I mean." Twilight smiled a quiet smile. "I mean, after all, I love--" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "--you."
Celestia's thought sputtered at the whisper, and she wrapped her wing around Twilight. "I bet you, my dear, that we don't need any trust exercises or mortifying family stories to know that that feeling is mutual." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Flaming - Ultra1437 - Feb. 8, 2015 | By Ultra1437
"There's more on your left, Tia!" Twilight called out as the pair galloped down Canterlot Castle's hallways. A veritable storm of parasprites chased them, eating everything they could along the way, excepting the stone that made the castle. Their wings forced any conversation to be held at a shout.
"I see them!" Celestia took a drag of the cigarette in her mouth, letting the smoke out her nostrils as she stormed down the hallway.
A window exploded, more of the little balls flying in. They stopped only to munch on the fine carpeting. Both ponies sped past them, the newest swarm joining their comrades after snacking.
Celestia took the lead, her longer legs lending her more speed. "Follow me, we'll sort this out in the Royal Armory." She thundered down the next right, leaping down the staircase that followed.
"Right!"
At the bottom of the stairs were a set of double-doors, easily twice Discord's height. Without slowing down, Celestia's horn lit and the doors slammed open hard enough to leave them barely hanging on their hinges. She hit the bottom and slid, her hoofcovers sparking on the tile. After clearing, the doorway opened up into a massive barracks in which Celestia took wing, picking up even more speed.
Twilight followed suit, hot on Celestia's fetlocks. She didn't slide, instead opting to take wing and soar through the doors with her smaller wingspan. After Celestia took to the air, she struggled to keep up, having to teleport two dozen meters in half as many seconds.
Celestia homed in on her target. An unassuming door, more a thin steel plate, was yanked open and tossed behind her, to the right. She snapped her wings shut and slid through the portal, the waxed hardwood flooring letting her slide a little easier. Twilight followed suit, sliding through the doorway with ease.
The swarm steadily chewed their way through the barracks. Parasprites of all colors rampaged, tearing the room apart. A jet of fire erupted from the doorway, garnering the flooding parasprites' attention.
Celestia stepped through the doorway, a long, grey tube in her magic. The tube wound behind her, to a pair of large tanks underneath her wings, one more that was larger still on her back. She noticed a pair of parasprites had started to eat the door. Twilight followed behind, a dozen more tanks held in her magic feeding three hoses.
Celestia lit her horn and her still-lit cigarette moved to tap against a small protruding tip on the hose she held. A small flame lit on the end, before it moved to tap against Twilight's. After a second, all four hoses were lit. "Alright, Twilight. Now we've got their attention. Let's get cookin'!" She smiled cockily, drawing her cigarette back to herself. With the worst Scoltish accent Twilight ever heard, Celestia yelled, "Theh canno' have ouwa castle as lon' 's weh stahnd!"
Despite the horrible accent, Twilight set into a defensive stance. "Just so you know, Tia, if we don't make it through this... I love you."
"I know. I love you too. We'll just have to live to see that love blossom." Celestia's stance mirrored Twilight's.
A parasprite screamed and charged, prompting a part of the swarm to follow. Celestia raised her hose and squeezed a small trigger. A liquid spurted from the hose, touching the fiery tip, before igniting and spraying all over the rushing parasprites. The group turned from devastating parasites to charred and flaming balls of fluff in seconds. The burning balls screamed before going still as the stench of burning flesh wafted through the air.
The rest of the swarm charged.
Twilight took the left side, three hoses spraying madly as Celestia took the right. Where Celestia only had one, she used her own magic to ignite entire sections at a time with fireballs and launching other streams of magickafire from her horn. Scores of the little things fell and started piling up around their hooves.
Queasy from the feeling of stepping over the dead parasprites, Twilight nimbly dodged those that made it through her three flamethrowers' reach. Celestia's swarm already waning, she spared a glance over at Twilight. What she saw left her cigarette forgotten, already down to the filter as she watched Twilight dance among the parasprites.
She was caught off guard as one made a daring move of going after Celestia's flamethrower, chewing a hole in the hose. It was rewarded with gallons of fuel and Celestia's weapon winking out.
Twilight looked over and her eyes widened. "TIA!"
Celestia whirled around just in time to see her flamethrower's nozzle being eaten by a dozen remaining parasprites. Her ears pinned back and she moved for the first time, charging forward. She telekinetically threw the tanks at Twilight's flaming swarm, grabbing Twilight herself. The parasprites ignored the ponies in favor of the discarded weaponry momentarily.
Celestia held Twilight in front of her as she made for the door they'd originally come in. Twilight wobbled in Celestia's telekinesis, only able to see behind them through Celestia's legs. As they crossed the threshold, Celestia pulled Twilight against her before slamming down onto the floor on top of the younger alicorn. A deafening explosion rang out in the room, before a wall of fire washed over the pair. As the air rushed to fuel the fire, both ponies could not breathe. Celestia did her best to shield Twilight from the fire with her body.
A few seconds later, air rushed back in, letting both ponies gasp and sputter for breath. Celestia shakily stood up and looked back into the room. Twilight moved to stand next to her, her breathing heavy.
"Is... is it over? Did we get them all?"
Smoke was still pouring from the room, but it wasn't low enough to conceal the carnage. Where the epicenter occurred was nothing but blackened, melted stone. Not even parasprite corpses remained. The area around it was still flaming as the wood floors burned away to the stone underneath.
"It looks like it." Celestia sighed, sitting down heavily. Cheekily, she leaned over to Twilight. "So, you love me, huh?"
Twilight turned beet red before sputtering incoherently. She turned away, kicking a hoof against the stone.
"Well, Twilight, I said I loved you too." A hoof came over and touched Twilight's chin, causing the younger mare to freeze. Closing her eyes, Celestia leaned in and spoke, "I think it's later, and we can let that love start to blossom." She lifted Twilight's chin before planting a kiss on the younger mare's lips.
Twilight was still frozen in surprise as Celestia pulled back. Her eyes opened and she noticed Twilight hadn't responded at all. "Twilight... Twilight?" She poked one of Twilight's forelegs with her own and garnered no response. A few seconds later, she noticed Twilight wasn't even breathing. Acting swiftly, she pushed Twi back to the ground, a hoof compressing heavily over Twilight's barrel. After three pumps, she touched her horn to Twilight's barrel and administered a shock. Returning to the pumping, she forced her lips against the younger mare's, for an entirely different reason. She forced air into Twilight's lungs and with her hoof pushed it back out. After three more rounds of shocks, Twilight twitched.
"Wha... what ha-happened?" Twilight coughed heavily.
Celestia carefully scooped the mare up into a hug. "We won, Twilight. Between you and I, we beat the parasprites trying to eat the castle."
"I remem-remember that, but w-what happened afterward?"
"I kissed you." Celestia tightened her hug somewhat. "Then you stopped breathing."
"I s-see." Twilight coughed once more. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, love. You're not dead, and that's all that matters to me." Celestia leaned down, fully intent on kissing Twilight once again.
Twilight buried her head in Celestia's neck, sobbing softly. "I'm sorry."
"Twilight, love, what's wrong?"
"If I can't remain conscious after a single kiss with you, how can I expect to do anything else with you?"
"With practice, love." Celestia laid back, letting Twilight lay on top of her, wrapping her wings around her little love. "I will love you, no matter what, and if I kiss you into unconsciousness, then I will just have to help you build up a tolerance. Alright?"
Twilight sniffled once. "Alright." She looked up at Celestia's face, smiling softly.
"There we go."
"Now, we're both filthy, my back is covered in soot from the explosion, and I know it stinks in here. How about we go get cleaned up?"
Twilight nodded once.
"Alright." She leaned down and quickly pecked Twilight on the lips. Twilight remained conscious this time, moaning softly. Celestia lifted her wings, letting Twilight go, and both ponies quickly left the destroyed barracks behind them. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Flaming - Jonesly - Feb. 8, 2015 | By Jonesly
A woman was running along a trail in the Everfree forest. Her long multicolored hair flowed out from under a simple golden helm. She was armored, golden highlights the only indication of the value of her armor. She carried a shield and a lightly glowing sword. As she ran, her eyes kept scanning the trail, following the signs of previous usage. She'd been pursuing for hours, yet showed no signs of tiring. It wasn't her lungs that were burning, but her heart.
As she passed a particularly large tree, she caught a flash out of the corner of her eyes, throwing up her shield, she barely caught the blade of an axe as it flashed towards her heart. With a loud clang, she was sent her rolling along the ground, coming to a rest in the middle of a glade. She rose to see a massive man in stepping out from the forest. He was easily three times her size and wore a hulking black armor with red highlights. He carried a massive axe with the ease of prodigious muscle and long practice. His uncovered hair was blond and his eyes were green, but there was a darkness at the corners that didn't look natural.
"You're here to stop me?"
"Eee-Yup"
"I see the shadow of the Nightmare in your eyes. There won't be a peaceful resolution to this, will there?"
"Eh, Nope"
She sighed. "Fine then, I don't have time for this."
He swung his axe at her, a slow, lumbering movement that she easily sidestepped. Her return swipe was blocked by the axes haft. They circled each other, carefully probing with measured strikes, attempting to get a feel for the others' fighting style or find a weakness in their defense.
She took a quick step towards him, thrusting her shield out in front in an attempt to punch him with the inches of steel. He blocked it with the head of his axe, then swung the haft up underneath the shield in a quick attempt to get a hit in.
She danced backwards, skipping out of his reach. As she did so, he took his axe by one hand and swung it towards her shield again. Odd, she thought, but then realized his intent as he managed to get the head of the axe hooked over the top edge of her shield. He then grabbed the haft by both hands and heaved. In one swift movement her shield was ripped from her arm and sent spinning across the clearing, it clanged off a rock and skidded towards the edge of the clearing.
She took her sword in hand, sliding her right hand further up the hilt so her left could join it in a two-handed grip. She took a chance and charged at him, swinging with a broad overhanded stroke. The massive axe was slow to intercept, but it made it. For a time the clearing echoed with the clanging and grunts of exertion.
After a time, she felt she was getting the upper hand, her strokes continued to have the same speed and frequency, but his were slowing down, coming more infrequently as he focused on blocking. At the last minute though she realized her mistake. Just because he wasn't hitting as frequently, didn't mean he couldn't.
With a sudden flurry he moved onto the offensive. Swinging his axe around as if it weighed less than her sword he pounded her defenses. He found his opening and instantly pounced on it, dropping his axe and punching her in the face with his mailed hands. She staggered back, her vision blurring as he picked his axe up once more.
Her guard was still open as he raised the axe in a massive overhead blow, putting his full weight behind it. She barely got her sword up in time to intercept it, angling it off to the side. Had she taken the hit, it would have split her in two. As it was, the blade of her sword snapped as it hit the ground still carrying the force of the axe on it.
He stood over her, hefting the axe, as he raised it for the final blow, she gripped the shattered sword with her hand. "I've got one last trick in me." She growled, tracing the magic runes inscribed on the hilt. As they activated, she could feel the power gathering, when it hit its peak, she thrust the hilt towards the man and yelled. "Aurora surgit!" A light, pure and hot, blasted out of the sword, slammed into the man and sent him flying backwards. He slammed into a tree on the far side of the clearing and was held there by the channeled sunlight. When it finally faded, he slumped to the ground. Smoke rose from his armor as he lay crumpled in a heap, unconscious.
Tossing the now melted hilt to the side, Celestia limped over to her shield. When she picked it up, she traced three runes on the backside. They lit up and formed a glow in her hand, as she pulled it back from her shield, a new sword formed in her hand, identical to the destroyed one she had discarded. She As She walked from the grove, flames licking up the trees behind her, she muttered. "I'm coming Twilight, hold on for me. With Sol as my witness, they shall not keep you." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Flaming - Knight of Cerebus - Feb. 8, 2015 | By Knight of Cerebus
"So what was it you wanted to show me?" Twilight leafed through the bookshelves of Celestia's study, silently nodding along with choices she agreed with and giving a periodic frown at those she quite clearly did not. "Some kind of new artifact? A surprise?" A dark thought came to Twilight, and she suddenly wheeled around. "Discord isn't involved in this, is he?" The scholar cast shifty glances to either side, biting her lower lip.
"No, dear." Celestia waved a hoof and chuckled. "I promise nothing so dire. This is something more...intimate." Celestia made an effort to look at Twilight with genuine emotion, her face forcing itself out of the eternally reassuring smile. Celestia's cautious optimism fought its way through walls of false serenity. She even managed to blush a little, despite herself. "I've been meaning to show you for a while."
"Intimate?" Twilight turned towards Celestia, her previous line of inquiry discarded in favour of another. "What kind of 'intimate'?"
"Perhaps it would be better to show you." Celestia lit her horn, walking towards her vanity. "It is not often I show ponies what I am about to show you, Twilight." She gave a wary sigh. "After all, you know how I like my privacy."
"What have you got for me this time?" Twilight trotted up to her mentor's side, eyes wide and shining.
"What if, Twilight, I was to tell you this was not my room?"
The unicorn nodded, giving Celestia a quiet smile. "Go on."
The teacher carried on at the learner's prompting. "I don't often show others my proper room for reasons that should become obvious in a brief moment." A spell washed over Twilight from the other side of the portal. She recognized it as a ward. And not a light ward, either. This was a ward stronger than she had ever known before, and was, of all things, a ward against heat, not magic, force or light. "This is where I sleep," Another ward, this one against pressure, "where I think," and a last against radiation, "and where I breathe. Some of my most treasured possessions are in this room, and I would be very grateful if you did not touch them. At least, not without permission."
"Absolutely." Twilight smiled.
"I suppose for most ponies this would not have quite so much ceremony. For you, though, this will be quite the experience. Shall we?"
"Please."
"Very well," Celestia's smile mirrored Twilight's own this time. A flash of gold rose along her horn, and the vanity rippled away to reveal a large portal. "Welcome to my room."
Twilight stepped out of her own world, and into a world of the truly alien.
The little alicorn's jaw dropped, her eyes bulging at the wonder in front of her. The word that first struck Twilight's mind was "otherworldly", but it was quickly replaced with the word "beautiful".
Arches of fire danced all around the room, rising up from the sea of molten plasma that served as the room's floor and rising up directly over the heads of the two ponies. Bursts of liquid hydrogen trailed like molten sparks in lazy patterns towards the sky. All of it was framed by a pure silver metal that Twilight could not identify, as well as magic that sent dazzles of light in intricate patterns spinning and wheeling across the walls (or, what she presumed were walls) of the room.
"Where's Equestria?" Twilight asked, knowing exactly where she was and yet needing the confirmation nonetheless. Her eyes searched the skies, and it was little surprise to her when Celestia pointed a hoof at a tiny twinkle in the distance. "I...wow."
She looked down at the floor, only to remember that there was none. To her surprise, however, a yoga mat lay beside the bed, of all things. "Part of how I keep thin." Celestia said sheepishly.
"Well, thin-ish." Twilight smirked. A wingtip smacked her over the withers for her trouble.
"I take you to my most private abode and what do I get? Fat jokes. It doesn't matter if we're in the depths of Canterlot's mines or on the surface of my very own sun. Fat jokes. My sister sees me get second helpings? Fat jokes. Cadance reads a story about one cake I scarfed in private? Fat jokes." Celestia sighed a long-suffering sigh.
Twilight snickered. "What does an egghead like me know, anyway? So what are we on right now? This is solid magic, yes? And the glimmer," She pointed to specs of light that were chasing each other in intricate circles around the floor, "and dim effects are just added visuals?"
"Quite right, my dear. I didn't want the light blinding my guests, naturally, so I made sure the light looked more like a slow burn than the blinding . I, of course, have no such problems. And I imagine that, with time, you won't either. In the meantime, we can see some of the products of my work. Most of it comes from times when I was younger and skinnier."
"And not half as good-looking for it." Twilight smirked again. This time, rather than exasperation, she was met with an honest-to-goodness blush from her old mentor.
"I...flatterer. You made me lose my train of thought, you devious unicorn." Twilight looked around, searching for what Celestia might have been thinking on.
"You were going to say something about adapting to the stars." There were all about the star that streched from one side to the other. "I harvested some of the products of the star to make what you see here. The room itself is aluminum. Most of the furnishings--the bed, the mirror, and, of course, the many, many bookshelves--were gifts from friends and family. If I am cold, I cast a basic counterspell to drop the wards by a minute degree. If I am tired, I can dim the light magic to total darkness."
"That's so..." Twilight looked around the room, "I mean..." She continued to work her jaw, thoughts bubbling up and being quashed under the magnitude of what she was processing.
"Twiligh--" Celestia was cut off by a purple torpedo hitting against her lips. She fought and failed to keep her balance, toppling backwards against the soft walls of her domain of pure magic.
"You made all this?! You, with nothing but spells, made all this?!" Twilight looked back around, then kissed Celestia again, this time with the slightest hint more restraint. She pulled back at last.
"Air, Twilight, I need air..."
"You're an alicorn, you're fine. Look at all this! I--I love you! I empirically, unequivocally love you! I mean, wow! You're so--wow!"
"Ready for one last wow?" Celestia paused for a moment. "Hopefully one that will not dislocate my jaw in the process?"
"I only hope my poor heart can take it." Twilight's eyes glistened with her raw amazement, emotion soaring through her entire body.
"I empirically, unequivocably love you, too, Twilight. Which is why this isn't my room any more." Celestia dusted herself off. "It's ours. I showed you the spell to get here, and I know you were watching well enough to learn how. Welcome to our room, Twilight. And, I hope, a new part--"
"Of our relationship." Twilight gazed around at the stars. "Of our--wow."
Celestia draped a wing around Twilight, watching fire lace itself in delicate streams along the surface of the sun. "Yes, dear. Of our wow." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Flaming - Feather Sigil - Feb. 8, 2015 | By Feather Sigil
In many ways Twilight could call herself a very fortunate mare, perhaps more fortunate than she deserved. Having a relationship with the kindest, most loving and most beautiful pony in all of Equestria was one of those ways. Better still, the flames of their love ignited on the same week of the month, right down to the day. It was common for mares who took their heat week off to take the day before it off as well; for Celestia, the court was closed to give way for an office day of peace and near-solitude, which Twilight always made sure to spend with her.
If estrous was a raging firestorm of lust that burned away all other thoughts and left only the purity of carnal bliss, the day before was the calm preceding that storm: a gentle flame, the kind that blanketed you with its soothing warmth and could lull you off to a pleasant rest, yet with a budding spark just beneath the surface, tensing, gathering its fuel before it finally blazed with all its might. For Twilight, too aroused to want to leave Celestia's side but not yet aroused enough to actually do something about it, the simplest and most mundane of things seemed even more magical, shimmering in burning mirages as if they were part of a dream.
Walking through the palace halls was just like a leisurely stroll along a warm beach. Drifting, nearly aimless, filled with as many little snuggles as they could get in without tripping over each other and the occasional tease of so much more, while all the wonderful ponies around them glowed incandescently; Twilight could only wish they too knew the kind of love they shared. Waiting for Raven to return with something they asked for, or pondering on how to respond to one missive or another, was just an excuse for fire to dance between their writhing tongues. Eating lunch was less about the food and more about their endless giggling at jokes that weren't actually all that funny while their minds wandered over the round, smooth shapes of the vegetables, constantly reminded of all the hot things they would do to each other the following evening. It didn't matter what they did; as long as they were together life was perfect.
When the night was still young they stoked their flames in bed together, smoldering with slow foreplay before kissing each other to sleep. Twilight knew they would see each other in flaming dreams, eagerly awaiting the next morning when their desires flared to a prominence only this blessed week could give them--only then the real fun would begin. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Dinosaur - Knight of Cerebus - Feb. 15, 2015 | By Knight of Cerebus
"Long ago these mighty creatures roamed the earth. For seven million years they were the most successful animals on the surface of the planet. Then, suddenly, a change in climate wiped out all of them. We believe it was volcanism, which then led to the acidification of the oceans and the loss of vegetation across the surface of the planet."
A bright-eyed little student watched her teacher in awe, taking notes as quickly as her little forearms could manage. The teacher turned from the rest of the class to give her a quiet smile, then turned to look at the bones assembled before her. There were large, spike-backed reptiles with brilliant protruding wings and fiercely curved claws. Some sort of bird with back legs more at place on a cat was suspended mid-flight from the cieling. "Can you imagine it? Vast herds of them, lost to time and space itself. We think that these features on their heads--yes, the horns there--were used mostly for display. At this point in time it was very common amongst the animals alive in the period to have six legs, two made for flight, it is also known that there were vestigal creatures--such as this one." The teacher paused, her attention turning to a skeleton with a massive, heavy skull and dozens of flattened teeth with blunt cusps on the end. Eye sockets larger than the students' own heads stared back at them lifessly.
"This one we know lived in some sort of forested area. Some of the pollen from the deposit we found it in comes from plants still found there to this day. Apples, wheat, oats, grasses, oak and elm trees are all known to have grown in the area. You can see the powerful back legs," she gestured with one arm to the animal's thick limbs, which terminated in a single toe made of a powerful platform of calcium and keratin, "here. It's a matter of debate as to what they were used for. Some believe that the reinforced back legs were used so the creature--which we call Ineptahippus verus--could prop itself up on only two legs and reach the apples found in the area surrounding. Others suspect they were a defense against predators, and still others think it may have used them to kick down trees in order to reach its food. Until we find more evidence, we may never know for sure."
The students were mostly too busy staring at the strange giants before them to internalize any of what was being said. That lost world that had been brought to them in fragments was not of interest to most of them. Instead, only its most immediate fruits drew their focus. But not the bright-eyed little creature near the front of the class. As ever, the immensity of the world around her fascinated her, and it seemed to be getting ever bigger as time passed by. She stopped by a pair that especially fascinated her, hoping she might draw the eye of her teacher.
The skeleton of two giants were curled around one another, forelimbs interlocking. Their thin, long arms ended not in claws but in more of the blunted toes. The two skulls were touching, and one appeared to have caved in partially under the weight of the other. The necks were bent, for the giants were of unequal size. One was only half the height of the other, and yet they still dwarfed the little feather animal in front of them. She searched her notes for what they might be, but nowhere did it state that there was such a species presented. "Miss Butire? What about these ones?" She pointed a scaly talon at the two creatures before them, the enormity of the five-pronged bones sprouting from their back suddenly drawing her focus. "Do we know anything about these two?"
"We do, in fact. They are the most recent animals from the Equizoic we have in our collection, actually. That means they lived the closest to our time period. We think they're a unique species, and we call them Alicornus regalis, which means "royal pure horn". Their horns were known to be much longer than those of any other species around them, and we think that their large size and spectacular horns and wings were part of the sign that their species was dying. When animals are about to go extinct, you see, they usually get bigger as an attempt to survive. A kind of last hurrah, really."
"Do we know why they died holding each other?"
"We don't really know why, actually. We know that there were social animals amongst these creatures, but a lot of theories have been put forward. The most popular one is that they died fighting each other, possibly over territory and food. That is the only reason why animals so different from one another would be buried together in the modern day, after all. But the modern day only shows us so much." The two hollow, lifeless figures stared out at the assembled classroom, daring them to try to understand the lives they had lead so very many years ago. "Whatever kind of life the two of them lead, it's almost all lost to us now."
The students stared for a while at the strange-looking creatures on display, as if they were in a freakshow of the lost worlds of yesteryear. Then, at last, once the teacher noticed that the freaks of the old world had started to bore them, she shepherded them away from the ancient animals. Her littlest and brightest student stayed a moment, though, staring into the eyes of those creatures so long removed from their ancient world and lives, so much forgotten and neglected by those living just the same on their world today. At last the little student broke away to join the class, and the two giant alicorns returned to their world of half-remembered secrets. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Dinosaur - Jumbled Thought - Feb. 15, 2015 | By JumbledThought
The Twisaurus Rex was finally awake and ready to roam. With her plastic claws, paper met spikes, and vampire fangs(because princess Tia wouldn't let her have real fangs) she was ready to hunt down her prey. The little beast gave a great roar to tell all around her that she was to be feared and that they would soon be breakfast.
"Rawr!"
Celestia turned around and saw her little foal of an apprentice crawling along her belly, staring at Celestia while in some sort of costume. A dragon? No, I think dinosaur fits better. She turned to Kibitz who was having tea with her and put her hooves to her cheeks. "Kibitz, whatever shall we do? There is a mighty monster running loose in the castle!"
The pale pony checked his watch and sighed. "I suppose I can give you two minutes to play with it."
She smiled at him and mouthed thank you. Meanwhile, the Twisaurus Rex was fast approaching her unwary target. Her skills at sneaking had truly proven too great even for her mighty mentor and soon she would dine on marshmallows. I will even get to have some of dat tea she dwinks.
However, the great Celegosaurus started to move. Have I been spotted? No, but I must speed up my plan. She tensed her haunches and let out a mighty roar as she charged forward. A very 'surprised' Celestia glanced at her student just before impact and felt a slight thud on her thigh. She gave a slight giggle as she had to admire how high the little filly had gotten.
But then the great Twisaurus Rex sat there, and only for a moment succeeded in keeping her monstrous pride before letting out a great bawl because her muzzle hurt. Celestia was down upon her charge immediately, snuggling into her barrel. Her lips came against the soft skin and the Twisaurus Rex felt her pride fall even faster as small giggles escaped her lips.
Once sure that Twilight had suffered no real injury, she brought the foal up ot her table where Kibitz glared at her and tapped his watch. Celestia rolled her eyes. "I am sorry Kibitz, but I must make sure this dangerous beast is sated so no other pony is hurt by its tyrannical reign."
Twilight furrowed her brows at the word tyrannical, but soon her attention and shame evaporate. There in front of her lay three double chunk chocolate chips. She let out a gasp as a golden tea cup came in front of her and took a sip of her teacher's tea.
Celestia smiled at her student as she drank. This smile evaporated as Twilight spit it out and covered her face in it. She glanced down at the big eyes that now looked at her and the dark purple tail that wrapped around herself. She let out a sigh and drank some herself before spitting it into Twilight's face, causing the foal to start pawing at her face as she flailed on the table. Truly, the great Twisaurus Rex's greatest failure/success. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Dinosaur - Jonesly - Feb. 15, 2015 | By Jonesly
The office was quiet, the only sound the ticking of a clock on the bookshelves lining the wall. Twilight Sparkle was bent over her desk, intent on the documents before her. She could be heard quietly muttering arcane formulas and half remembered thaumaturgic theorems.
Behind her and unseen, the door slowly opened. On the far side a pair of magenta eyes twinkled mischievously as they met with a smaller pair of emerald eyes. "Go get her." Celestia whispered.
The peace and quiet of the office was shattered with a mighty roar. "RAWR IMA DINASAWR." With that mighty pronouncement a flashing green and blue blur flashed across the room. Twilight spun on her cushion with a shriek just in time to fall to the floor with a grinning bundle on her chest.
"OM NOM NOM, IMA EAT YOU UP MAMA!" Suiting action to those words, the small mouth started chewing on Twilights ear.
Twilight started giggling uncontrollably. "Dawn, Dawn! Not my ear, I'm ticklish, hahaha, please no more, hehehe, I surrender!"
A golden glow surrounded the small blue pegasus filly and lifted her off of her mother. As she floated through the air, Twilight recovered enough to reassess the situation. Her two favorite ponies in the world were standing in her office... wearing costumes. Her daughter, Dawn Morningstar, was dressed in a green suit with a long stuffed tail bedecked with felt triangles lining it. Her head was tucked into a larger hood with more felt spikes and some long white felt teeth that came down around her face. Topping the whole ensemble were two large eyes. Celestia on the other hand, was wearing a simple hat. Well, not that simple, in fact, it was rather goofy. It was a knit wool cap with a hole for her horn to go through, above that hole were two more knit horns. Celestia was also wearing a t-shirt with the words, "Juvenile Torosaurus" printed on it.
Twilight looked to her wife. "I like the new look Tia. It oddly suits you, I'm also loving what you've got our daughter in. May I ask where you got it?"
Celestia raised an elegant eyebrow. "What, a mother can't create a costume of something her daughter loves just to see her wear it?"
"Rarity?"
Celestia deflated a little. "Rarity."
Twilight moved over next to Celestia and nuzzled her. "Alright, I can see where this is going. You two are dinosaurs and I'm about to join you, aren't I?"
"Pwease Mama? Mommy Tia said you'd take us to the museum. They have dinasawrs!" Dawn looked at her mother with excited eyes. "Can we go see them?"
Twilight put her hoof to her chin. "Hmm, let me think about it. Celestia, do you have any input on this proposed expedition?"
Celestia grinned. "I proposed it, of course. I want to see them too. All of those dusty old fossils... and these ones won't beg me for political favors!"
"Well, since your mother said it was ok, your other mother agrees. We'll go to the museum, then if you're good, I think Mommy Tia will buy us both ice cream."
Dawn erupted in joy, "Yay! I love ice cream, I love dinasawrs, I love Mommy, I love Mama. Yes. Yes. Yes. Let's go!" She punctuated her exclamation by bouncing around in a circle around Twilight, her plush tail flopping all over as she celebrated. The tail folded under her hooves and caused her to faceplant on the floor. She popped up instantly though and continued her dance around her mothers.
Celestia and Twilight looked on with soft pride and burning love. As they did so, Celestia leaned over and nudged her wife. "I've got a hat for you too"
Twilight groaned. "Yes dear." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Dinosaur - Ultra1437 - Feb. 15, 2015 | By Ultra1437
"Are you sure, Twilight?" Celestia asked, a gut feeling making itself known. Either that or indigestion.
"I've got it all planned out, Tia. Don't worry!" Twilight's horn flashed, and the pair vanished.
Birds scattered as a flash of purple light dumped two alicorns out next to a tree. A massive creature stomping behind them caused both alicorns to look around warily. After a moment, the stomping travelled away.
"Twilight?" Celestia asked.
Twilight's right wing tapped Celestia while her left moved to her lips and she shushed the elder alicorn.
Nodding, Celestia crouched lower and whispered into Twilight's ear, "We're in the right location?"
"Yes," came her soft reply. "Now, to set up our picnic."
"Why did you pick here of all places?" Celestia took a good look at the clearing. A beautiful little pond sat where a stream from further up the hills in the distance dumped out. Absolutely massive trees, most of their trunks larger around than even some homes, littered the area and provided plenty of shade while little bushes gathered where the sun still shone. Further down, the pond flowed off into a small valley, with quite the view of a forest below and the mountains beyond.
"You can thank Fluttershy for this."
Celestia quirked an eyebrow and prompted Twilight to continue.
"Actually, thank the pony who called herself the Evil Enchanter and hexed Fluttershy," Twilight explained. "She sent Fluttershy to right around this area, and when Discord and I arrived to save her..."
A small caw preceded a pterodactyl the size of a kitten landing next to Twilight. The little flyer nuzzled right up against her before settling down for a nap. Twilight laid down and curled around it. Celestia's heart leapt to her mouth at the sight.
Twilight covered the pterodactyl with a wing. "We managed to save this little one after hiding from a few predators. They'd taken his mom--he was so tiny and defenseless, we had to. He's taken a liking to us, and I thought... maybe if I brought you here and showed you, we could bring him with us, back to Ponyville?"
Celestia was stunned. "I... you want to bring a pterodactyl, from the ancient past, to modern-day Equestria?" Celestia sounded the logic out loud. Her voice was even, but still had a questioning inflection.
Twilight prepared herself for a denial, tears already gathering at the corners of her eyes. She looked down at the little sleeping dinosaur in her wing.
A wing made its way to Twilight's chin, forcing her to look Celestia in the eyes. "I feel like you've been abusing travelling to this time because you're as attached to him as he clearly is to you..." said Celestia. A tear fell from Twilight's eye. "But," Celestia continued. "I am willing to make an exception." Twilight's ears perked. "Just." Celestia's wing removed itself from her chin. "This." It moved to her right eye, clearing the tears. "Once." The wing moved and cleared her other eye. Celestia nuzzled against Twilight's cheek.
Smiling now, Twilight replied, "Thanks, Tia. I know Fluttershy and I will take care of him."
"Twilight, if he does grow up a danger to my little ponies..." Celestia spoke seriously, "I want you to know this. I will not hesitate to defend them if it comes down to that."
"I know, Tia." Twilight looked down to the pterodactyl once more, sleeping comfortably.
"I will admit, he is adorable," Celestia cooed, muzzle poking under Twilight's wing. She accidentally bumped up against one of his wings, nudging him slightly.
It had the effect of waking the young pterodactyl up. Small little eyes opened and he uncurled to stretch, yawning cutely. Tapping against Twilight a couple times, the wing moved away and he climbed all the way up Twilight's side. His eyes set on Celestia and watched her mane wave, wiggling slightly along with her moving hair. After a moment, he lost focus and fell over onto his side with a squeak.
Both ponies giggled as he sat back up and lost himself looking at Celestia's mane again.
After an hour, the little pterodactyl had a small fish and settled down for another nap. "Whenever you're ready, Twilight, we can head home."
Twilight nodded and all three, pony and dinosaur, vanished, just as quickly as they came. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Reunion - Fuzzyfurvert - Feb. 22, 2015 | By Fuzzy Furvert
Twilight slumped over in her seat,her head leaning on her Princess' shoulder. I'm soooo tired... the carriage ride was so uncomfortable. Silly Pinkie wouldn't shut up about the 'Yay! You're Back!' party. She snuggled closer, listening to the royal chariot purr as it cut through the air. In the back, Spike snored gently and Owlowiscious shifted on his travel perch, but made no sound.
"I'm so glad I'm home, Tia." Twilight muttered sleepily.
"Yes. I missed you terribly." Celestia's hoof fell over hers. "I'm really glad you're back home."
Twilight laughed tiredly and snuggled closer, tightening her grip around Celestia's foreleg. "Pony be sleepy." Twilight paused for a long moment. "Sleepy enough not to care about mangling Equish."
"We're almost there."
"Uh huh." She pressed her lips against the fur of Celestia's shoulder. "You're going to stay with me tonight, Celestia, right?"
There was a short pause after her quiet question and Celestia's hoof pressed against hers. "Yes."
"Mmm, good. I want to snuggle." Twilight giggled again and rubbed her face into the warm, off-white coat before lapsing into sleepy silence.
Eventually, Celestia directed the chariot into the front courtyard of the Ponyville Castle, Twilight watched through heavy eyes as trees and familiar houses passed by in the night. Celestia had the guards park in front of the royal tower building .
Twilight groaned. "Now we're going to have to go up all those stairs because of my luggage and the assistants! It's no fair! I'd teleport, but I always miss when I'm tired." She unbuckled the straps that held her travel trunk and levitated it and a still unconscious Spike out of the chariot. Her second assistant hooted softly and took to the air. "Let's get it over with."
Celestia paused, still sitting, but Twilight was already heading for the door. She heard the older mare directing the guards to return to Canterlot and a moment later, a golden glow joined her own in lifting the heavy luggage. It took a whole lot more playful whining and huffing, but they managed to get up the stairs with the oversized steamer trunk and catatonic dragon without waking Spike once. Twilight slumped against the wall outside of her bedchambers.
The double doors swung open with a golden glow and Celestia looked back at her. "We're almost done, Twilight."
"I know, I know. Oh beautiful, soft, Equestrian mattresses! Thank Faust!" She hefted Spike back up onto her back with a groan and dragged her tired hooves inside. Twilight pushed her trunk to the side and lowered Spike into his basket bed in the antechamber before the main room. Her saddlebags dropped with a thump as soon as she crossed that final threshold. Much like her mentor's personal room in Canterlot, the room was fairly spartan with only a few essential pieces of furniture. Unlike Celestia's, however, two of the walls were completely dedicated to over stuffed bookshelves. "I want to just collapse...but I think I have to pee."
Soon, Twilight was in the bathroom while Celestia made sure Owlowiscious had water and a window open to go hunting when he felt like it. The bathroom door opened and Twilight peeked around it, a bright blush as her face. She stepped out and tugged on the hem of her silken, chocolate-colored shift. A gift from Rarity, to celebrate her return from abroad, and it barely reached mid-cutie mark on her. Her crown was already put away, and her mane was tied back into a simple braid.
"D-do you... need to...use the bathroom?" She muttered quietly, edging towards the only bed.
"Give me...a moment to...freshen up. It won't take long." Celestia muttered as she looked at the floor, the bed, anywhere but directly at Twilight.
A short while later, Celestia return, crownless, royal peytral removed, and shoes long since gone. She pulled up short at the door. Dim candlelight lit the area around the bed, where Twilight sat, chewing the end of her braid idly.
Twilight dropped her hair when she noticed the Princess standing there, and clapped her hooves together nervously. "H-hey...Princess."
"Hey..." Celestia's eyes skittered away nervously from the vision on her bed. "It's been too long since I've seen this." The Princess smiled ruefully. "Just when, in my thousands of years, did a 'few weeks' turn into 'too long?' How do you do this to me?"
"Aren't you..." Twilight stopped and blushed brightly again. She stretched out her legs, one corner of her mouth turned up. "Aren't you going to kiss me like you did at the port?"
"Do you want me to?" Celestia asked quietly when she stepped up to the edge of the narrow bed.
Twilight nodded quickly. Celestia eased herself into the bed neck to Twilight and reached out to slowly take her chin and turn her face upwards. Celestia cupped Twilight's face, lifting it towards her. As their lips met, Celestia dropped one hoof, letting it graze over Twilight's nighty and coat until it reached her butt and squeezed softly. Both of Twilight's forehooves gripped Celestia's coat and pulled the rest of her body up against the older alicorn.
The kiss deepened. Their mouths opened wider, and pressed together as teeth clicked against each other, tongues exploring. Celestia's grip on Twilight tightened, pulling the mare closer. Twilight's arms snaked up around the larger mare's neck and she ran her hooves through Celestia's mane. Hesitantly, Celestia took Twilight's full bottom lip into her mouth and sucked lightly. Twilight trembled slightly and rocked her hips forward, a small sound rising from her throat.
Celestia released Twilight's lip and wrapped Twilight's braid around her hoof, cupping the back of Twi's head. Tia angled her mouth over Twilight's, forcing another small whimper to escape the smaller girl.
Not to be outdone, Twilight captured Celestia's tongue and did to it, what had been done to her lip. Their mouths parted a moment later and Celestia kissed her way over Twilight's jaw, using her hold on Twilight's mane to move to her head to the side. Celestia bit down gently and sucked the skin on Twilight's neck, until Twi moaned in need.
The junior Princess began to writhe beneath Celestia's mouth and whimpered, digging the edge of her hooves into Celestia's skin. The larger mare's hoof on her ass slid down and traced the curve of her where thigh met butt.
Celestia trailed wet kisses down Twilight's shoulder and then leaned back to look into Twi's eyes. "Have I told you, I'm happy to have you back?"
"Y-you might...have mentioned it...yes." Twilight muttered breathlessly, tugging at her silken shift. "I'm glad to be back, now...let me get this off."
Celestia moved away from Twilight's skin, a reluctant rumble deep in her chest. She let Twilight pull the sleepware over her head and smiled at the sight before she snuffed the candles with her magic. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Reunion - JumbledThought - Feb. 22, 2015 | By JumbledThought
Celestia glanced up as a soft knock came against her door. The visitor did not wait for a reply and walked in. The princess' heart soared at the sight of her beloved, purple mare. She went from the door to her in a flash, the year's absence having made her feel cold and she craved the warmth.
Twilight reciprocated to the touch, shaking from the joy that filled her. For but a moment they held each other close. This moment was only theirs and was one of many they cherished. But like so many before, it was not to last as a white pegasus guard came in and saluted them.
Celestia blinked away a tear and stepped forward. A letter was presented to her and she let out a soft sigh. Quickly she read it before turning to Twilight. Her student spent a moment with her mouth open. Celestia begged for Twilight to tell her to stay. To command her to disregard her duty for their time together. It was not to be though, as it never was, and soon she left the room with the parting words stealing the warmth from her body.
"I hope to see you soon." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Reunion - Jonesly - Feb. 22, 2015 | By Jonesly
Celestia walked into the throne room with a slight limp. Her hair was disheveled and her armor scuffed. Somewhere along her journey, she had lost her shield. She had fought through every challenge she faced, but had finally made it to the center of the Castle of the Two Sisters.
"Luna! Luna come out and face me!" She yelled into the seemingly empty room.
"Luna isn't here. Luna will never be here again." A sibilant whisper came from the shadows.
"Well I'm not calling you Nightmare Moon." Celestia replied.
A dark haired woman stepped out of the shadows, she was shorter than Celestia, though not by much. Clad in a set of black armor with a silver sword at her side. "What do you want, Celestia Morningstar? Why have you fought through my lieutenants just to see me?" Nightmare Moon growled.
Celestia smiled grimly. "You know what I want, Luna. I want her back."
Nightmare smirked. "Then come and take her."
Celestia launched into motion. Swinging her sword overhand, she charged Nightmare Moon, who drew her own sword and parried neatly. With a flurry of thrusts, slashes and parries, they danced around the throne room. Swords clanging together as the battle raged.
They moved back and forth across the room, Celestia matching her sister stroke for stroke even through her exhaustion. Nightmare suddenly burst into a flurry of movement, striking from her right, her right, her left then her right again. Celestia struggled to counter each stroke, moving her blade to intercept. Nightmare started getting fancy, adding more flourishes to her strikes, her confidence building as she could see her sisters stamina flagging. She struck from the left and when Celestia parried, she started to spin to her right for a strike. However, the instant her back was turned, Celestia surged forward and slammed her fist and hilt into the back of Nightmare's head, who collapsed in a heap, her sword falling to her side as she was dazed. She rolled over to face her sister only to feel cold steel at her throat.
"You always favored the dramatic over the effective." Celestia said coldly, holding her sword steady.
With a gulp, Nightmare yelled. "YIELD, I YIELD!"
"Where is she?" Celestia asked coldly.
Nightmare called out. "Twilight, could you come here, please?"
A door on the far side of the room opened. A shorter woman walked out, her purple dress in tatters. She clutched her side and her hair was ragged, looking like she'd had a rough time, which she had. She walked stiffly towards Celestia, focused on her princess, hope dawning in her eyes. Celestia moved towards her, her sword arm dropping, her other hand raising towards Twilight Sparkle. Their eyes met, and the rest of the world faded into the background.
Shadows flickered and Twilight moved towards Celestia, smiling weakly, tears forming in her eyes. Suddenly she stopped, her eyes widening. She looked down at her chest in shock, at the point of a sword dripping blood. "Cel-Celes..." she breathed out as she collapsed.
"I may have never matched your physical prowess, but I was always your better at stealth and treachery." Nightmare Moon snarled, pulling her blade out of Twilight's back.
"NOOOOOO!" Celestia screamed, flashing forward towards Twilight. "NO! Twilight! Don't be... You can't.. Don't leave me, please, I'm begging, don't leave me. Hold on!"
Even as she crossed the distance between them though, it was too late. Twilight's breath slowed and with a final gasp, she lay still, her eyes still staring at Celestia.
Celestia fell to her knees. Tears freely falling from her eyes. "No.... no... nononononono... NO!" She screamed, jumping to her feet and facing her sister. She growled unintelligibly, raising her sword in a mindlessly aggressive stance.
She dashed towards her sister, flailing her sword at Nightmare Moon, she hammered her down, forcing her into a defensive stance. Her sword flashed down again and again, her rage fueling her speed and strength. Nightmare tried to put up a defense, somehow managing to get her sword into a position to block every strike, but she could not gain any momentum, she struggled merely to block the strikes of her sister. Celestia's face twisted with rage as with a final strike she slammed Nightmare's sword to the side and drove her own sword home.
Nightmare Moon gaped at her sister, sinking to the floor, Celestia followed after, going to her own knees with her sister. Panting heavily, she took a moment to calm her rage.
Celestia stared into Luna's eyes, possessed by the night mare and impaled on her sword and whispered. "Never again." She traced her finger over several runes on her hilt and channeled her full power into them. Feeling the strain of magical effort, she didn't stop, instead she poured forth all of her grief and pain, powering the spell to critical levels. A beam of light exploded into being, connecting her sword and the sun.
The light grew in brightness, the heat of the room rising with it. Celestia crawled over to the body lying on the floor. She gathered Twilight's smaller form into her arms. Smoke started to rise from her armor. Before the burning light overwhelmed everything, Celestia whispered to her love. "Wait for me Twilight, we will be together again." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Valentines/Hearts and Hooves Day - Knight of Cerebus - March 6, 2015 | By Knight of Cerebus
Twilight Sparkle was not a mare of complex tastes. Books, of course, were her ideal present, and getting her one was sure to win her instant gratitude. Her ideal location for a dinner date would have been a burger shack, and more specifically one with quasi-illegal levels of grease topping their meals. She had, Celestia mused, taken to the inability to die of heart attack quite effectively. That was another problem, of course. How could she top the gift of a disease-proofed body with heightened magical powers, wings and a title to her own kingdom by way of gifts? She mused with no small amount of amusement that Twilight would probably cherish the book more than she ever had her princess status, and not because she disliked said princessliness. So there she was, searching for books that would cover some facet of their relationship effectively. The Egghead's Guide To Solar Cycles jumped out at her, but so did Alicorns At Court: A History and Sol Invictus: Changing Art of our Unchanging Ruler. She closed her eyes and felt the sun's position in her head. It was already almost midday. She held back the curse trying to force its way past her lips. Celestia nullified her frustration by musing on how she had arrived at this somewhat desperate point. She decided that she had, perhaps, put this off too long. In fact, she likely would have forgotten that Twilight might even be expecting a gift or any kind of special occasion if not for Cadance's stern reminder to both her aunt Celestia and her aunt Luna that this was a very special day to make their very special ponies (she had looked pointedly at Celestia at that) feel as special as they were.
Given that this required she make a personal statement about Twilight, she had (quite understandably, she thought) only worked up the nerve to finally begin looking roughly an hour ago. She scanned the shelves again, pondering on why precisely her emotions wrested control of her behaviour away from the logic and patience she was so used in almost every scenario tying to her loved ones in some way. She stopped almost as quickly as she had started when the words "there can only be one Princess in Equestria" flashed through her head. "Twilight isn't Luna," she chided herself. The store clerk looked at her for a moment, but when she gave her usual calm and neutral smile he returned to waiting for other potential customers. Celestia, in the meantime, steeled herself, trying to piece together a logical and diplomatic solution to her problem. Twilight loved books, that much was clear. But Twilight also had a library stacked full of books that were amazing in every way and spectacular beyond belief. So, naturally, it followed that she had to somehow draw Twilight's attention to this book in particular as being different from books gifted to her by Rarity, Spike, Rainbow Dash or Shining Armor, for example. Which meant she had to find a good way to grab Twilight's attention. She held back a smirk and a blush once she hit upon the immediate answer: She herself turned Twilight's head far more than any other object in the universe, up to and including her entire library of books or (arguably) her own friends and family. Thus, she needed a book on herself. But Twilight almost certainly had many of those (perhaps too many, if she knew her Twilight as well as she thought). Which meant, of course, she needed a book about herself that only she could give Twilight. Which meant, of course, that she had an answer. If she could not give Twilight a book about herself, she would give Twilight a book by herself. Which meant that she had quite a journey to to make, and, given she was expected during the evening, not a lot of time to make it. She spread her wings, preparing herself for long expedition she was soon to undertake. It was the perfect plan.
---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---
Twilight Sparkle collapsed into her chair with a sigh. Everything was set up precisely as was, she reasoned, most likely to make Celestia happy. And it was killing her a little bit inside with the panic that she had to repress every time. The thought of imperfection, or worse, dissymmetry, was driving her to distraction. And yet, this was exactly what she needed at the moment, and she knew it well. This was what Celestia wanted for Valentine's Day, she was sure, and thought it was an undertaking of mythological scope, she had fought hard and well for this victory of mind over matter. Her room was catastrophically filthy. Books lay strewn lazily upon the floor. Her furniture was out of line. An empty tea cup long since sipped dry was present on the askew coffee table. There were charts, diagrams and notes covering the surface of her table and scattered about the floor at all areas. She viewed the room with a grim satisfaction. This was a day like no other. This was a day that she would remember well. For this was the day...she started acting casual. She only hoped it wouldn't end in total disaster.
She levitated a set of notes with prompts for her over to her side table, making sure some of the corners were folded and the papers were not aligned. Ideally Celestia would never see it, but practice and repetition were the best teachers a mare could ask for, to Twilight's way of mind. One last touch was all she needed. With a delicate touch, she gingerly rolled a set of cowlicks out at the front and back of her hair. Not enough to look like the porcupine's mane that signified her latest descent into madness, but enough that it would look like she was ready to feel at-ease with a mare of her equal status and not a superior to herself in every way, shape and form. It was the perfect plan. Twilight heard somepony knocking at the door.
---／人◕ ‿‿ ◕人＼---
Celestia looked around the room in confusion, her eyes taking in the state of dissarray that was Twilight Sparkle's library in utter confusion. "Tia! How're you doing...yo? I hear that you signed a treaty with our, uhm, bros the griffons, yeah? So that's s'all good."
"Err, yes, quite." Celestia said absently, taking in the room. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Not at all. I have everything just on the low" Twilight looked up for a moment, mouthing some words to herself "-down, just the way I want it." Her eye twitched, causing Celestia's brow to crease in concern.
"Twilight, is everything alright? You seem...not yourself."
"Nope, everything's s'all good." Twilight flopped down on the couch. "Just spent some time working on Tank's helicopter with Spike...yo...and making sure the Cutie Mark Crusaders don't get into trouble for my girl Dash." Celestia could feel Twilight's brain screaming against its restraints from where she was sitting. Twilight looked like she was about to press onwards, but at last looked up at Celestia's face. "I--hmph. This isn't, err, well, I mean, I wanted this to go a little bit different from what we're doing now."
"Oh?"
"Never mind. It's just a little--stilted. That's the word."
Celestia's mind set to work analyzing what Twilight might have been attempting to do. She immediately reached a conclusion and, given the lack of danger should she end up wrong, took a gamble. "Hearts and Hooves Day jitters, I presume?"
"Something like that, yeah. You see, Cadance implied none-too-subtly that this was a big deal, so I started wondering about stuff you liked that might make today special and then I thought about how you want to be just another pony and then I thought about how I might change things up today and then--" Twilight paused for air. "I decided to get a little bit too creative, I think. Anyway, umm. I've made a Hearts and Hooves resolution, I guess you could call it."
"As have I, as it so happens. I have had quite the epiphany regarding how I need to start thinking of you, and as a result, I had the clarity of mind to think of something I know you'll be excited to see." Celestia revealed the ancient scroll hidden under her wing.
"Oh wow," Twilight's eyes went wide. The little alicorn scampered over to Celestia's side immediately, causing the older pony's smile to widen into that doting beam that was saved just for a happy Twilight Sparkle. "This is amazing! This must be--oh." Twilight's face scrunched up. The drop in Twilight's tone was like a piano playing its lowest chord by mistake mid-concerto to Celestia's listening ears. "It's this." Twilight immediately recovered, giving a grin that Celestia would best describe as generous. "It's, err, well, I had it assigned for history class one year, and I've read the whole thing in the archives about seven times over. But, um, it's nice to have an older copy."
"We have a copy of my writing in the archives?" Celestia blinked.
"Right under authors "E". Everfree, Celestia Morningstar." Twilight recited with the certainty granted only to those who had memorized the strange arcana known as the Dewneigh Decimal System. "Anyway, it's, you know, nice. But I've read an older edition, you know."
"But I--" Celestia sighed, laughing. "Do you remember what we originally had planned today?"
"I think it was a talk on politics."
"Yeah."
"Do you think, perhaps, we might have more fun with that?"
"I think so."
"Perhaps, then, we should cast aside sweeping revelations. I think I have a paper in mind for you, special holidays and brilliant intrigue be hanged."
"I think that sounds like a very special holiday to me." Twilight smirked, setting aside the scroll and the notes with a flick of her magic. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Valentines/Hearts and Hooves Day - ultra1437 - March 6, 2015 | By Ultra1437
"Twilight? What are..." The words on Celestia's tongue were lost when she entered their shared chambers. Arrayed around the room, literally, were dozens upon dozens of lit candles. The bedspread had been changed to a deep crimson, with flower petals scattered about on top. Twilight herself was nowhere to be found, but hoofsteps could be heard from their suite's bathroom.
Not paying any attention, Twilight trotted out of the bathroom, humming a small tune to herself. Her eyes were closed up until she hopped onto the bed. She lay herself down provocatively, and opened her eyes. Immediately they widened at Celestia's gaping stare. "T-Tia!? What are you doing back so early?" She sat up quickly in surprise.
Her brain thoroughly going through its unexpected shutdown procedure, Celestia spoke, "I... forgot to get the thing... with the stuff." Celestia couldn't help but stare unabashedly at her wife. She'd really cleaned and prettied herself up, going so far as even having lingerie, that outside being seen by Celestia, wouldn't even be considere lingerie.
"The... thing with the stuff?" Twilight inquired, skeptical.
Celestia nodded, a blush spreading under her coat quickly. She coughed into her hoof once. "Yes. I forgot to grab the latest report for Luna."
Twilight passed the report over, immediately knowing what Celestia had meant. "Thanks."
"You know what? Screw it." Twilight took the report and teleported it away. "Let's get our night started early." Her eyes half-lidded as she stood up.
Celestia's blush deepened as Twilight walked, no strutted to the closest end of the bed, her body swaying hypnotically with each step. She noticed Twilight's horn hadn't gone out a moment before the door shut firmly and clicked. She squeaked in surprise when Twilight's magic brushed against her neck just right, and a squeal turned into a moan when a few select feathers in her wings were tweaked.
Twilight, for her part, was a giant pony-shaped bundle of nerves up until that moan. 'Whew, that section was right. This is a lot tougher than it looks,' Twilight's thought broke off as a 'whoosh' toppled and extinguished the closest candles to Celestia, her wings standing up suddenly.
Twilight hopped down and strode right up to Celestia, continuing to tease and excite the older mare.
"Twilight? Why are-" She was cut off as Twilight planted a passionate kiss right on her lips.
"Happy Hearts and Hooves Day, Tia." Twilight's eyes shone brightly before she leaned in and nuzzled against Celestia's neck.
Celestia's eyes widened, she'd completely forgotten. 'Today was Hearts and Hooves Day? How did I lose track of that?' She took a step back. "I-"
"I know, you forgot," Twilight spoke frankly. Celestia's ears pinned back. "That's alright. I was planning on surprising you, so... surprised?"
A nod was accompanied with, "Very much so." Celestia leaned down and kissed Twilight in return. Her sudden action, coupled with it's sheer passion, stunned Twilight for a second. The younger mare moaned and returned the kiss with equal passion eagerly.
Parting her lips slightly, Celestia's tongue pressed against Twilight's lips. Twilight acquiesced to Celestia's probing tongue, letting the welcomed visitor in. Celestia's left foreleg instinctively stroked up and down Twilight's counterpart lovingly. Their tongues writhed and danced together for a few minutes. They ended up side by side, their closest wings' feathers melding together. Mutually, their impromptu make-out session ended with both parties panting heavily.
Twilight smirked and turned around, her tail stroking against Celestia's chest. "C'mon. Let's have some real fun." She hopped up on the bed and patted the spot next to her as she sat down.
Celestia was all too happy to oblige. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Valentines/Hearts and Hooves Day - Foals Errand - March 6, 2015 | For this prompt, Foals Errand wrote a mature story. As usual, head over to Hot for Teacher and check it out (listed as "Conception"). Content warning: futa, impregnation |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Sunset Shimmer: Forgotten - Knight of Cerebus - March 14 to 21, 2015 | By Knight of Cerebus
"I brought somebody to see you, Sunset." The young, bubbly blue-coated volunteer cast a smile over at the pony currently reading the Canterlot Times. "She's an old friend of yours." The quiet gold-coated mare looked up from her place beside the fireplace, setting aside the paper with a smile.
"Who do you have for me this time?" She crooned, peering out through her reading glasses to watch the other pony. Before her towered a giant of an alicorn, her thick blue and pink mane swirling in a cosmic breeze that wasn't there. She set forward a set of flawless lavender hooves, step by careful step. Though everything about the alicorn suggested a sense of harmony and peace, the pony in the rocking chair beside the fireplace cringed in place and recoiled from the sight.
Twilight gave Sunset a bittersweet smile. "Hey, Sunset, I just came to drop off some more books for you. I know you wanted to finish all the greats before--well, you know." She gave a wince. She set down a copy of Tropic of Prancer beside the other twelve that had accumulated thus far, then placed the fifth edition copy of Hoof of Darkness over by the fourth and eighth editions she'd brought the last two times. The rest of the books were new. She liked to remain optimistic.
Sunset, for her part, was still making her best effort to disappear into her chair. "Principal Celestia! How did you even--? I--never mind. I-I-I know this looks bad, and I know it probably is bad, but--"
"Shhhh." Twilight's well-practiced librarian voice proved its worth once more. "It's not her, Sunset. It's Twilight Sparkle, remember?"
"Twilight...Twilight?" Sunset grasped the book between her hooves protectively. "What have you found out about me this time?" Her eyes narrowed. "The crown is mine! I deserved it! No...wait...we weren't...we were friends, right?...I taught you how to write, didn't I?"
Twilight smiled that smile that hurt to wear again. "Of course you did. I just...wanted to see how you were holding up."
Sunset smiled to herself. "It's been great! All the time spent with friends...or that was spent with friends." She frowned all of a sudden, and realized the odd sensation of her heart breaking without her knowing why. "I...think it's still spent with friends, isn't it? Have my reports to you been okay? I hope you learned something from 'em. I know I did." She gave a nervous chuckle, then winced when it came out a croak.
"Maybe we should reschedule, your highness." The young helper pony chimed in. "You know how she gets. Some days she's sharper than me and twice as busy. Then you get some days like this."
Twilight sighed. "I know, Humble. But you don't need to be as sharp as she is--was--to know that the good days are getting shorter, and she doesn't have them half as often as she did."
"They've been good days." Sunset said defensively. "Except last week. You know how Dash can be." She gave a wry chuckle, and Twilight made a token effort to join her.
"Yeah, I do." The alicorn swallowed on a ball she hadn't noticed forming in her throat. She turned back to the nurse. "How long do you think she...do you think she has?"
The smaller pony shook her head, her mask of smiles slipping to reveal an aura of exhaustion taking shelter underneath. "It's never clear in cases like these. It could be two months or it could be next week. But what you're doing is good for her. You have to keep them busy and keep them loved. You're doing both, and it's been great for her. For both of us, honestly." She gave Twilight a smile that was decidedly genuine.
Twilight gave a good-natured smile back. "You're reminding me of my wife. I keep trying to get her to come here, but she says it's 'not time yet'. Heh. She's just too proud to admit how much it tears her up. Seeing her old student like this, I mean. I love her to bits, but that pony couldn't show her heart to the world if it would kill her. Anyway, ah, I should be thanking you for everything you're doing, not the other way around. Even if I had the time off, there's no way I could stand seeing this every day," She gestured quietly at Sunset's currently blank stare and open mouth. The bookish alicorn made her best efforts to pull her out of her stupor. "Would you like to read with me, Sunset? For old times' sake?"
The elderly mare's face reclaimed her recently-lost trademark wicked smirk, which peaked its way out through the wrinkles and gray hairs along her muzzle. "Think you can keep up, egghead?"
Twilight shot back a quiet, painful smile. "I think so, yeah." She said more to herself than to Sunset. She set a book in front of each of them, resting a young and vital hoof over top of her old friend's own withered and slender limb. She set to reading alongside the older pony, trying to ignore how quickly she was going compared with her famous counterpart. It was only because Twilight chose to ignore it that she didn't notice Sunset's eyes run over the same photo of herself and six other girls again and again and again. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Sunset Shimmer: Forgotten - ultra1437 - March 14 to 21, 2015 | By Ultra1437
She walked despondently down the empty street. What city she was in wasn't important. Neither were any of the houses or stores she trod past. All she saw was a broken-down town to match a broken-down mare.
As she approached a half-destroyed fountain in the city's square, she looked up to the moon. It hung almost limply in a corner of the sky, casting long shadows off the buildings. She sighed and sat down heavily next to the fountain.
She eyed the ruins. "How long has this town been forgotten? Probably a lot longer than I have..." A flash of alabaster in the corner of her eye drew her attention to a particular building.
Heaving herself to her hooves, she trudged over to where she'd sworn she saw the flash. Sitting against the building was a single feather. The mare's horn lit, a bright cyan glow cast about her, and the feather lifted to her eyes.
As her eyes widened, she dropped the feather against her yellow-orange hoof and nudged it with her nose. 'It can't be...' The feather's scent was faint, but unmistakable. It was 'her' scent, bringing memories back both good and bad. Fearfully, her ears pinned back against her head, against her red and yellow mane, and she dropped the feather and scampered away, back to the fountain.
As she rounded to the fountain's opposite side, a spot of lavender caught her vision much like the white feather had. She straightened up in fear, thinking, 'I already found one of their feathers. What's the chance that this is one of the other's?' Slowly, she made her way over to the spot of lavender. It wasn't a whole feather, just a tip, but it was enough. The mare smelled this feather too, and recoiled worse.
She veritably screamed and took off at a gallop, previous direction forgotten. At the edge of the town, she tripped before breaking down into uncontrollable despair where she lay.
Princess Luna stood on a nearby hill overlooking the town. She could clearly see the mare, Sunset Shimmer, weeping fearfully where she'd fallen. 'Is she truly so scared that even a hint of them sends her into a spiral of fear?'
As the mare's sobbing died away, she made her move, teleporting.
Luna materialized behind a building, away from Sunset's line of sight. She was content merely to observe for now, but she did know something wasn't right with her quarry. Usually Celestia's previous students were ecstatic to see something that reminded them of her, not send them into a crying fit.
As Luna crept closer, Sunset was speaking. Truthfully, she was moaning in despair, but quietly.
"Please, just forget about me." Sunset hiccuped. "I'm not worth worrying over. Just forget I even existed." She sniffled this time. "It will be better for all if I just disappeared forever."
Luna was moved to action at these words. She softly strode up behind the crying mare and knelt down. She made her presence known when she wrapped a wing around Sunset.
Sunset jumped and tried to pull away, but the wing only wrapped tighter. Sunset screamed, "No! Let me go!"
"Calm yourself, Sunset Shimmer," Luna instructed her simply. "You have nothing to fear from me."
Sunset struggled harder, forcing Luna to wrap a hoof around her and hold the mare against her chest. As the minutes passed, Sunset's struggling slowed until she was reduced to panting for breath.
Fearfully, she turned to face Luna. "W-Who are you?" she asked, noting that Luna was an alicorn.
"Who I am is unimportant, Sunset Shimmer. I have watched you for some time now, and come to offer help." The wing trapping Sunset lifted to wipe the tears from her eyes, and the hoof loosened its grip slightly. "You fear the Sun-Princess and her pupil, yes?"
Sunset could only nod.
"I ask you, why? Why are you so afraid of them? They are nothing if not benevolent. If you fear their wrath for some perceived slight or attack, then your fears are unfounded," Luna winced at how she ended her statement.
Sunset shook her head. "No! I... I just can't face them!" Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked away.
Luna shook her head softly and the wing returned to clean Sunset's eyes. As the mare calmed down, she looked into Luna's eyes. There was no malice, no threat, only genuine care.
"I-I'm afraid of them."
One of Luna's ears perked upright. She said nothing, but tightened her grip slightly, leaning around the smaller mare just a bit.
"I ran away from one, and nearly killed the other with my own hands." Luna knew the stories from both parties well. She'd seen their occasional dreams, after all.
"Now... now they want to speak with me. I..." Sunset started crying again. She spoke incoherently as she sobbed.
Luna tightened her embrace, cooing softly.
After another few minutes, Sunset calmed down some. Unprompted, she continued, "I know they just want to get rid of me! I'm nothing but a failure and a threat to them!" She hiccuped once more. "So, I'm just going to go away and stay away. Permanently." The mare's voice took on a steely edge that set off a few warning bells in Luna's mind.
"Sunset Shimmer. You are not, and never will be, a failure to Celestia." Sunset winced at the name. "You are a strong pony who has made mistakes, yes, but these mistakes are not the kind that cannot be forgiven. I am sure that Celestia and Twilight-" another pair of flinches, "-will forgive you. They only want to make sure you are alright."
"How do you know that?" Sunset questioned, leery of the mare that helped comfort her.
"You truly do not know who I am?"
Sunset merely shook her head.
"I am Princess Luna, formerly known as Nightmare Moon, the Mare in the Moon. I am also Princess Celestia's sister." Sunset's ears pinned back and her pupils shrank. "Twilight Sparkle and her friends used the Elements of Harmony to free me from Nightmare Moon's possession."
She leaned in and nuzzled against the top of Sunset's head. "Trust me, Sunset Shimmer, when I say that they bear no ill will against you."
Sunset would have none of it. "You-You're lying! You're just trying to help them get rid of me!" she shrieked, her struggle to get free renewed.
Luna's grip became like iron. Her voice echoed, "Sunset Shimmer! I am nothing if not truthful! Why would you think that Celestia and Twilight would want to be rid of you?"
Sunset struggled as she yelled. "Because! I saw them kissing on the night before I stole Twilight's crown!"
Luna spoke softly, "Is that all?"
"Is that all? Is that all?! Their relationship was clearly a secret and they want to silence me!"
Luna chuckled. "No, Sunset Shimmer. Their relationship is not secret. While they have not announced it openly yet, they do not hide it from view." She released Sunset, standing tall. Leaning over Sunset, she whispered in her ear. "They probably want to help you to readjust to Equestria again. That and... likely they want to surprise you with a gift of sorts. You are the reason they got together."
Sunset's voice cracked as she asked, "W-What?"
"Celestia told me, and you will be the only soul I will have told this to." She took a calming breath. "When you ran off and disappeared, Celestia fell into a deep depression. For years she thought that there was no hope of finding one of the final Element Bearers, and would have to slay me."
"Then came Twilight. The little filly that nearly destroyed the tower her test was taken in." She sat down next to Sunset. "After Celestia rescued her from the magic surge she'd been overcome with... the rest was, as you might say, history."
Sunset was crying again, but the smile she wore proved they weren't fearful tears anymore. "You really mean that? That they want to help me?"
Luna stood, a wing helping Sunset to her hooves. "I do. Come, Sunset Shimmer. Let us leave this place for happier grounds."
Together, the pair strode from the long-forgotten town, toward a brighter future. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Conflict - ultra1437 - March 31, 2015 | By Ultra1437
The otherworldly dirt kicked up as Celestia landed in a clearing, her gleaming white armor only offset by four green, holographic pads projected from the front of her legs.
A horde of Hive Thralls closed in, chasing her unrelentingly. Where she landed, she turned and faced her pursuers.
As they closed, Celestia's hooves started moving. Not in a charge, not in a retreat. She started dancing.
Music started playing, seeming to emanate from the holographic pads.
The Thralls stopped suddenly, almost as if they were compelled. After a few seconds, they followed along in her hoofsteps.
Celestia's mouth opened, and she sang,
"It's Crota's End time,
And something evil's lurkin' in the dark."
She reared up onto her rear hooves and slid sideways a step. Her forehooves clapping together. The Thralls mirrored her perfectly, seemingly entranced.
"Within the Hellmouth,
You see a sight that almost stops your heart.
You hear a shriek-
The Weight of Darkness fallin' on your raid team!"
Celestia's forehooves sprung up in mock surprise to her face as she backpedalled, the Thralls keeping pace, pushing forward toward her.
She clapped her hooves together again as she crooned,
"Your knees are weak,
As Crota looks you right between the eyes-
You're paralyzed!"
Twilight landed next to her, joining in effortlessly as both ponies shake their hips. They lock forehooves and Celestia dips Twilight back. The rest of the fireteam laughs as a dozen Thralls partner up and copy their movements.
Celestia's voice is joined by Twilight's as they belt out the chorus,
"'Cause this is Thraller! Thraller night!
And no-one's gonna save you from the Hollowed Acolytes!
You know it's Thraller! Thraller night!
You're fighting for your life inside a brawler Thraller tonight!"
A pair of sword-wielding Knights spin their way in, staying off to the side, but still in sight. They pantomime Celestia and Twilight's actions, facing the Thralls.
"You hear a great roar!
And realize that there's something in your path.
You feel the Presence-
Of Crota keepin down your team's health."
Twilight took off, only to be replaced by Applejack. The new couple then spins freely for several seconds, only for Applejack to hoist Celestia above her head. A thundering applause from the Thralls follow.
"You check your synth count
And hope that you've possibly stocked enough.
But all the while you hear your team screaming about those orbs!
You're outta time!"
Celestia and Applejack turned to the Thralls, stomping forward several steps. The Thralls backed up in mock fear.
Applejack takes over the chorus alone this time, her alto voice booming off the rocks.
"'Cause this is Thraller! Thraller night!
There ain't no second chance against him with his Oversouls!
You know it's Thraller! Thraller night!
You're fighting for your life inside a brawler Thraller Tonight!"
The Thralls playfully hit each other, pretending to fight amongst themselves.
Twilight, hovering over them, sings,
"Gatekeepers call;
And exploding cursed Thralls blend in with the hordes!"
Two pale Thralls wander behind them, before exploding impressively.
"There's no escapin' the eyes of those Ogre twins."
Celestia and Applejack sang in the background,
"They're raging now!"
Twilight's voice sounds over their own,
"This is the end of your run!"
A pair of massive Hive Ogres eyes glow before purple blasts of energy release, crossing above Twilight.
"They're coming to get you;
Thralls closing in on every ramp."
The Thralls pair up and one ducks between their partner's legs lithely before they right and repeat the maneuver with the other Thrall ducking down.
"They will wipe you;
Unless you change up the place to hide!"
Everyone present hides their faces behind their limbs before peek-a-booing childishly.
"Now is the time-
For you and I to take out that Swordbearer.
All through the run,
I'll save you from the aggro from the Boomers,
We'll kill him now!"
Twilight lands and takes her place alongside Celestia and Applejack as they slide-step and clap their hooves. After three claps, they turn to their side and mock a predator's stance, quick-turning to the other side.
Celestia's voice rings alone again as she sings the chorus,
"That it's a Thraller, Thraller night
Let's build this bridge so we can get that ch~est open guys!
Guys, this is Thraller, Thraller night
So let me pop a bubble and hold this totem, got 'em!
Get him! Popped him! Here tonight!"
A purple sphere appears behind the three, between the Ogres. A pair of shots cracked out, each finding a Knight's head, vanquishing them instantly.
"'Cause this is Thraller! Thraller night!
'Cause when I lock on I can shoot my rocket launcher twice!
Guys, this is Thraller, Thraller night
Come on guys, let's take the fight to 'em! Brawler Thraller!"
Two rockets soar over the three ponies, only to veer around and strike the Ogres, killing them instantly.
Big Mac's basso voice resounds as he intones the final verses.
"Darkness falls across your room,
The midnight hour is close at hand.
Guardians scour in search of loot,
To gnaw at Crota's mighty boots."
A massive green Knight steps into view, only for a pair of rockets to shoo him away. Celestia, Twilight, Applejack, and the rest of the incapacitated Hive continue to dance unhindered.
"And whatever shall be found-
Without the Oversoul wiping the round-
Must stand and face Wizards from Luna's Moon.
And restart their run once again."
Two floating Wizards are struck with multiple bullets, killing them. Their rags float down.
"The foulest stench is in the 'Mouth,
The cheese strewn about for seven weeks.
And armored Knights from every door,
Are closing in to wipe your team..."
Several Thralls drop to the floor as their energy is spent. Others look to be on their last legs, barely keeping up with the madly dancing ponies.
"And though you fight to get your loot...
Your body starts to shiver.
For no mere Guardian can resist-
The call of the Thraller."
The entire fireteam laughed uncontrollably as the final Thralls are finally vanquished. After the last Hive was killed, the music faded.
Setting back down on all fours, Twilight panted heavily. "That... that was exhilarating, Tia."
Celestia was sweating under her armor, but wasn't winded. "Well, these new Radiant Dance Machines are something, aren't they?"
Applejack kept rocking on her hooves to the tune. "Darn tootin'. Never knew we'd have such an easy time against them Hive. Must be some kind of hidden ability're somethin'."
Celestia nodded. "I guess they do have surprising social benefits." Her wings flapped, lifting her to a hover. "C'mon, we've still got Crota to slay. It won't likely be as easy as that was."
The six ponies continued on, unaware of the consequences from their act. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Premiere - Fuzzyfurvert - April 5, 2015 | By Fuzzy Furvert
Celestia sat in her private screening room, the lights already dimmed in preparation for the show to start. She leaned back in her plush chair and looked over at Cadance, where the younger princess was tapping her horn to her drink.
"Re-chilling it again?" Celestia lifted her own cup and checked the ice content. Most of the cubes still remained. "Where is everyone? The premiere is in less than five minutes."
Cadance took a test sip of her drink and smiled when she found it to her liking. She relaxed in her own seat and shrugged. "I'm not sure, honestly. Luna said she and Twilight had something planned for dinner for all of us while we watched it. I assume they'll be here soon."
The words had barely left her mouth when the door opened and long trolley topped with a chromed serving lid entered. The trolley was being pushed by Luna herself and she quickly parked it in front of all of their chairs. Luna glanced up at the clock and grinned, lifting the covered serving tray off the trolley and onto a low table. "Huzzah! Beat the clock!"
"Only just." Celestia pointed out. "Where is Twilight? The show is about to start, and you know she'll want to tell us about all the mistakes and bloopers as they happen."
"Or how the animators managed to draw her ponysona's ass bigger by half a pixel or something." Cadance offered with a giggle.
"Ladies," Luna cautioned, "let us not throw stones. She's an alicorn now, just as we are, and a more plump posterior comes with the power." She slapped a palm hard against her hip. "None of us can fault her, or those that create representations of Twilight, for displaying that. Besides, it's one of my favorite qualities she possesses."
"Can we please stop talking about my butt like I'm not here?"
The three Princesses all looked at the serving dish, only two of them doing so in surprise. Luna chuckled and lifted the lid, revealing one Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, 'children's' TV star and the luckiest mare alive, naked and covered in an assortment of sushi. She was surrounded by all the trimmings, dipping sauces, fresh ginger, wasabi and three color-coded sets of chopsticks.
Luna set the lid aside and took her seat, the overhead lights dimming further and the huge projection on the opposite wall came life. "Twilight's Special Premiere Surprise Dinner is served! Grab your chopsticks and dig in."
Cadance blinked, but she was the first to take the offered sticks and pluck a piece of nigiri from Twilight's belly. "So...what's this all about?"
"You know how stressed I get when a new season starts. I needed something to help me relax."
"And the breathing exercise I taught you wasn't enough?" Cadance dipped her sushi into a small bowl of soy sauce. "If I wasn't so tickled over this--and getting free food out of it--I might be upset about that."
"Oh stop, Cady." Celestia took up her white chopsticks and some sashimi off of Twilight's thigh. "Twilight was obviously under a lot of stress making sure everything went right." She nodded to Twilight. "Isn't that right?"
"Well...yeah. Now that it's out for the world to see, I can finally kick back and relax some." She glanced at the TV where her pony-self was just setting down in the hot-air balloon during the opening sequence. "Plus, you've been here without me for the last six months while I did voice overs and promos and all the meet and greets with the show's fans. I wanted to show you all that I missed you all very much during that time."
"That is quite admirable of you, Twilight" Luna leaned over the prone Princess. "Thinking of our feelings...our cravings...first, rather than basking in your rightly deserved fame." She pinched a roll that sat on top of Twilight's proud chest, causing Twilight to squirm.
Celestia giggled and took another piece of sashimi from Twilight's body. "So what happens when the show is over and we're out of food?"
"I get a bath."
Celestia chuckled again. "Only if the three of us are invited."
Luna nodded. "It HAS been a long six months without you."
"And we're always hungry again, an hour after eating sushi." Cadance added with a leer, uncovering more of the Princess while a tale of ponies and ideologies played out on the screen. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Break - Foals Errand - May 17, 2015 | By Foals Errand
"Almost, almost, almost!" With her hooves planted firmly on the floor, Twilight kept her focus fully on the ball she levitated--her little tongue sticking out as she concentrated. A few sputtering sparks fell from her horn as she pulled her tongue back in and gritted her teeth. Princess Celestia had left the room a few minutes ago in distress--something about a pony or something that Twilight had been too absorbed in her lesson to really listen to-- though she had heard Princess Celestia tell her that she'd be back within the next hour and for her to continue to read the chapter they had been discussing. Twilight had tried--she really had-- but at five years old, her attention span was far shorter than even a filly double her age. So when she had seen that globe behind her teacher's lectern, well, what better chance to work on her levitation?
"Come on, come on, come on..." the ball wavered in her magical grasp, "No! No, stay up, stay up!" Twilight strained, but it was just too much. Five feet from the floor, her horn sparked out and the globe smashed into the ground, shattering into hundreds of pieces across the tiled floor.
It took exactly five seconds for two facts to hit Twilight harder than a buffalo at full charge. One, her magic was a lot weaker then she remembered and two, Princess Celestia's globe, which was probably hundreds of years older than Twilight could ever hope to be, was laying on the floor, smashed into at least thirty three pieces. "Oh no, this is bad! This is really, really bad!"
Twilight grabbed at her ears and stared at the globe, as if trying to force time to go back to when it hadn't been smashed. Unfortunately, time didn't work that way, and the globe remained shattered.
"Okay, okay, I can fix this," she said as her little voice rose with her panic. "I can! Option one: I run away and leave Equestria and become a... what did mommy call them? A gypsy pony... No, not a great option. Okay option two: I search the Princess's desk for some type of paste and fix the globe!" Her eyes brighten. "Yes, that sounds much better!" With a nod to herself, she began searching Princess Celestia's desk, causing various office supplies to fly from the drawers because of her search.
A worn sigh escaped Princess Celestia as she made her way back to her study. The fact that she had been taken from her lessons with Twilight for something as mind numbing as a complaint of social etiquette was enough to drive anypony batty. I swear, sometimes I think that the nobility would be unable to wipe themselves if I didn't give them permission to do so.
A huff escaped her. At least she'd never have to worry about Twilight Sparkle acting like that in front of her. She glanced at the clock as she passed it by and winced. It had been over an hour since she had to leave Twilight alone but she knew the little filly was very studious. Well we can end the lesson a bit early. Maybe go outside and play hide and seek? Yes, that will be nice! With a smile back on her muzzle, Celestia opened the door to her study and stared at the sight in front of her.
is it
Twilight Sparkle sat on the floor with a haphazardly glued globe in front of her; her fur caked with paste. Celestia's lips twitched as she stared at the sight.
"Twilight Sparkle?" She called gently to see the little filly's head lift in shock, her eyes wide and her bottom lip trembling.
"I'm so sorry, Princess Celestia! I was just trying to practice my levitation! I didn't mean to break it!" Twilight's ears pinned back and bits of her mane sprang up. "Please don't make me go away and become a gypsy pony!"
Celestia blinked a few times before a laugh burst from her muzzle.
The little filly lowered her gaze to the floor, her body quivering. "I-I'm so sorry, Princess Celestia."
Getting her giggles under control, Celestia smiled down at her. "Oh Twilight! I would never send you away, especially just because you had an accident."
Twilight sniffled, wiping her eyes with a pasty hoof. "R-Really?"
Celestia nodded and wrapped Twilight in a gentle, winged hug. "Really. Now; since you are going to need a bath anyways before bed, why don't we go out to the garden and play hide and seek?"
Twilight immediately perked up, her tears gone just as fast. "Oh yes!" Her ears pinned back for a moment, a sheepish look playing on her face. "Um, Princess? Do you think that maybe..." Twilight gestured for Celestia to bend her neck down so she could whisper in her ear. A warm smile tugged at Celestia's lips as she bent down to listen.
Minutes later, several guards were wondering if something had been added to the water as Princess Celestia galloped past them--a lavender foal on her back giggling wildly. "Giddy up Princess," the filly squealed as she clung to Celestia's mane.
One of the guards blinked before returning to stand next to his partner. "Did you see..."
The older guard gave a gruff shake of his head. "No, and neither did you." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Science Fiction - Fuzzyfurvert - May 29, 2015 | By Fuzzy Furvert
The back alley had putrid stench that made her lip curl. For a nanosec she wished her body didn't have olfactory senses at all.
Trash and refuse littered the press-crete, collected against the brickface in knee-deep drifts. If the city's cleaning routines were still operating, it had not been to this side of town in a while. as the neon lights of the larger, populated, alleys and byways faded into an uneasy sort of half darkness. Rats - at least she assumed they were rats or something genetically similar - moved in the deeper shadows cast by ancient rusted dumpsters and discarded bits of crumpled plasti-steel pieces of junked out vehicles. Dirty runoff water from the ever present rains ran in a sluggish stream down the middle of the alley and she was careful to not step in it as she ventured deeper into the underbelly of the city.
Twilight despised what Canterlot had become. The mountain it once perched on like some white and gold bird of paradise was gone. Reduced to a mound of it's former self all in the name of progress and convenience. It barely even registered as a rise in elevation, the city was so layered on top of it. Here, at least, she could see the sky now and then between the buildings and sky-bridges that directed and ferried the city's hundred million or so citizens around on their daily, pointless lives.
Twilight frowned, readjusting her thinking. She mustn't look down on the ponies here. They were not intrinsically lesser than her. She was not some higher being, god-like in her power and ability in comparison. No matter what others might like to say. She was much more a dinosaur than these ponies that chose to live here as ponies just like them had chosen to do so for thousands and thousands of years. It was their choice to either join the Enlightened or not. If they did not, then that was their choice.
Choice is a powerful thing. It was choice that led her now, in the dark, though a fetid alleyway to a place she had not seen with her own eyes in more than seven centuries.
Twilight rounded the corner at the end of the little alley and stopped just outside the beam of light from a partially functional sign hanging low over a set of recessed doors. Between the doors a small kiosk made of plasti-steel with a thick plate of shatterproof, translucent crystal. Behind the glass, a dingy looking pony snored peacefully.
She scanned the building, her bio-enhancements pinging the local network for a full diagnosis of the structure. Twilight used old, cleared credentials for the access request. In part because she suspected the building wouldn't recognise her current set and possibly, doing so might trigger older defenses buried under the faux-brick exterior to not attempt to atomize her body. She really didn't fancy a walk back out here if she could avoid it.
The data stream told her everything was functioning within allowed parameters, if the energy consumption was a little high. It was the same standard info it would give any other system that came snooping around. Twilight ignored it and tapped deeper, her enhancements slipping past the security measures with ease. She was careful when she reached the real security armament, disabling the disrupters and force nets until she could reach the deepest, most hidden systems and routines. There she stopped and passively absorbed the data, examining it for signs of corruption or degradation. Anything more would be impolite.
Satisfied that everything seemed to be in order, Twilight walked up to the kiosk. She gave the pony inside a quick scan, confirming that he was a standard Earth Pony with only the minimal mandatory augmentations. She waited for his system to wake him up, taking a step back so that she would appear less threatening. She checked her social interaction protocol checklist on her HUD, stretching her lips into what she hoped was an appropriate smile as the stallion's eyes fluttered open.
"I'm here to see the Oracle." Twilight coughed, her voice low.
The pony blinked at her in incomprension, wiping a bit of drool from his chin. Her shook his head to clear it and tapped the button on his side of the plast-steel wall, a communication speaker buzzing to life. "What?"
"I'm here to see the Oracle." Twilight repeated herself, a bit firmer this time, and stepped forward again so his organic eyes could see her clearly. "I have credits."
"We don't take credits here." The kiosk pony set his jaw, his tone becoming aggressive. "It's bits and bits only. We don't take kindly to technocrat Enlightends or their cursed credits."
Twilight stood her ground. Her enhancements caught him sending out a call through the local communications node of the local net. It was tagged emergency and being routed for the authorities. They would make this more complicated, so she intercepted the call and sent the stallion's bio-enhancements a false 'received' notification. She could see his shoulders relax microscopically as soon as she did.
"I have no bits. I'm sorry. But I really must see the Oracle, it is vitally important."
"I don't care, filly! It's bits or beat off!" He stood, trying to loom over her from inside his tiny castle.
"I'm sorry." Twilight sighed, reminding herself again that it was choice that separated them. Choice that was driving her on to fix a mistake made long ago. Choice that chased her away centuries ago. So, she made the choice that the pony was going to walk home tonight, wherever that might be.
She reached forward, the end of her hoof breaking apart into several mechanized grippers, and grabbed the kiosk wall. The plasti-steel screeched, crunching under her hoof before the bolts and seals holding it collapsed under the greater pressure and a large jagged piece tore away. The stallion shouted, falling back from the small stool he had been sitting on, his own bio-enhancements firing out call after automated call for help. Twilight blocked them all.
"P-postphysical?! Here?" He scrambled back, pushing himself into the back wall that was covered with old printouts and piled high with the used containers of a few years worth of fast food. "What do you want?"
"I already told you." Twilight's voice was calm, unstrained as she tossed aside the wall and stepped into the kiosk. "Please get out of my way. I do not wish to harm you." She applied a smile to her face and checked her interaction protocol again to make sure it was more reassuring than psychotic. Whichever the effect, it got the stallion moving and he dived out of the kiosk and into the night, leaving her behind.
Twilight didn't waste any time and ripped the printouts off the wall with a sweep of her hoof. Under that was a layer of plaster and faux-brick which she brushed aside along with the used fast food containers. Behind that, her true prize lay, a molecularly reinforced malmetal bulkhead with a tiny slot for coded entry.
Twilight moved closer, a similar slot in her chest opening and a her neural interface node extended. She jacked into the slot on the wall and felt a slight sort of tug as her consciousness left her body and reformed in a subspace reality that was modeled after the ancient Canterlot of her birth. In front of her rose the mountain, taller here than it ever really was, and on it's side sat Canterlot Castle, bright and shining in the immortal noonday sun.
Twilight smiled for the first time in a very long time. Her hooves, flesh and blood so far as her mind could determine, clopping happily as she headed for the castle and the pony she knew would be there. Maybe now she could say she was sorry and could come back into the fold, back into the embrace of those she loved. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Science Fiction - ultra1437 - May 31, 2015 | By Ultra1437
"Ugh. My head..." Celestia blearily woke to find herself strapped to a table, several diodes attached to her horn, wings, and hooves. Craning her neck, she noticed the leads trailing over to a machine several meters away from her, on the other side of a clear panel. Comprehension was slow to come to her. "Where... am I?"
"You're in my lab," a voice answered her question. Celestia's head whirled toward the voice's source. A short, purple unicorn stood, eyeing a checklist floating in her magic. A small pair of rectangular glasses sat on the bridge of her muzzle as she scrutinized the paper. "I've brought you here to help me with some science."
"What... why?" Celestia's mind was lethargic. Thoughts came, but before she could vocalize them, they slipped away.
"Because performing experiments on myself isn't the best idea." The mare turned and looked behind herself, her lab coat fluttering as her tail twitched.
"Who..." Celestia's voice trailed off as her muscle control failed entirely. Her neck slowly slipped back against the table.
"I am Twilight Sparkle. And you are my pretty little test subject." Twilight finally moved, over to the machine. She picked up a sheaf of paper the machine was steadily recording on, analyzing the results.
"Your vitals are good, despite the anesthetic. Good. That means my first experiment was a success!" She hopped excitedly, lifting her body just scant inches off the ground. She turned back to Celestia. "Now for the other ones..."
She approached Celestia as the older mare shivered.
"Why... me?" Celestia managed to whisper.
"Why not?" Twilight replied casually as she stepped behind Celestia. Something clanged loudly.
Something cold prodded her flank, just between her cutie mark and her left wing. Twilight muttered, more to herself than to Celestia, "I should take some samples first... just to establish a baseline."
A prick of pain flooded Celestia's senses. She managed to raise her neck and crane her head around to see Twilight had jabbed a needle into her and was drawing blood into a vial.
Satisfied with half a vial, Twilight removed the needle and smiled. "That's a good sample." She stored the vial away, out of sight.
Twilight looked to her checklist and ticked off two items. Another floated up, with a blue liquid in it. "Now, this should restore your energy, but not your mind." She floated a second and third vial, yellow and orange respectively. "The yellow should restore your mind, but not energy. The orange one should restore both." Twilight floated the blue and yellow ones to Celestia's face. "I'm giving you the choice. Pick which one you want to try first."
As the unicorn waited for Celestia to chose, she moved back and behind the clear panelling. Celestia, meanwhile struggled to remember which was which. Eventually, her nose bumped the yellow one. Twilight floated the blue one away and retrieved a new needle. She spoke as the needle was fit to the vial, "Experiment One - Part Two: Alicorn test subject chose mind restoration vial. Administering now."
The needle jabbed into Celestia's side, exactly where the previous one had drawn blood. A cool rushing sensation filled her and after a moment, the fog on her mind lifted. Celestia's energy hadn't returned, but she could think freely now. The mare spoke, struggling lightly at her restraints, "Why are you doing this?" Celestia struggled to light her horn, and the machine next to Twilight started beeping.
Twilight shrugged as she turned to look at the readings. "Because I'm not an alicorn, and I want to know more about them."
Celestia shot back, "You could have just asked!"
"Would you have agreed in the first place? I want to see how much more powerful an alicorn is than a regular pony. The amount of anesthetic I needed to successfully neutralize you would have killed ten ponies. Would you liked to have known, and spoiled a control group?"
"It would have been nice!" Celestia struggled at her restraints. "When I get out of here..."
"Don't count on it." Twilight snidely replied. "I've enchanted those restraints myself. There's only one way to get out, and that's if I release you." The machine beeped more frequently. "The table is more likely to break than those restraints. You're here until I'm done with you. Provided you survive, I will release you."
A slam on the table signalled Celestia's change of tactic. Her hoof impacted the table, denting it. Twilight's surprise was apparent as the glasses fell off her muzzle. "How is that..." she quickly turned to the machine, pouring over its results. Reading for just a few seconds, her ears pinned back.
A growl emanated from the center of the room. "I will not be held here against my will. You will not cage me!" Celestia didn't know where the energy was coming from, but eagerly used it. There was a muffled pop and the beeping stopped. Each hoof slammed into the table, denting the six-inch thick steel. "These bindings will not contain me!"
Terrified now, Twilight backed up. Her perfectly-enchanted restraints snapped exactly as Twilight reached the stairwell. She quickly raced up the stairs, the machine's readings following behind.
"Run all you like, Twilight Sparkle. You cannot hide from me." Celestia's wings unfurled and flapped powerfully, shaking off the various devices attached to her. She looked up and took wing, straight into the ceiling. It crumbled as Celestia slammed into it, letting the alicorn pass through with naught but a thought.
Twilight emerged from the basement to a sight she never expected. As the door opened, the floor exploded. Where her desk usually was, now was the alicorn from the basement. The alicorn's flowing hair now raged as she stalked forward.
The unicorn cowered in fear as the larger alicorn almost literally towered over her. "I'm sorry. I'msorry I'msorry I'msorryI'msorry!" She curled into a ball and covered her head with her hooves!
Celestia craned her neck down, sternly glaring at the cowering unicorn. She lit her horn and removed the needle, making sure Twilight saw.
Twilight clenched her eyes shut as the needle aimed at her. She knew this was it, she was dead.
Something tapped her on the nose gently. "Gotcha! I win!" floated to her ears. She opened her eyes to see the back end of the vial up against her nose. She frowned as she uncurled from herself.
Celestia stood there, her mane and tail no longer raging in their unknown wind, smiling. "I must admit you almost had me beat, Twilight."
The little filly cheered. "I'll get you next time, Princess!" She hopped, eagerly hugging Celestia's leg.
"I'm sure you will, Twilight." Celestia's horn lit again and both the basement and the room they were in returned to their original states, before Celestia had crashed through.
After cleaning up and calming down, Celestia and Twilight cuddled on a big blanket in Celestia's room. The larger mare spoke softly, "Now, what was today's big lesson, Twilight?"
"Never just take things from others. Always ask first." Twilight replied simply.
"And?" Celestia quirked an eyebrow.
Twilight 'hmmed' and thought for a moment before responding, "Always make sure to ask before performing any experiments on anypony."
"Or anything. With Equestria, never know what might actually be alive." Celestia's horn lit and suddenly the blanket covered them both completely. Twilight squealed in joy as Celestia tickled her in their confines. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Resists - JKinsley - March 24, 2016 | Celebrating our first Lightning Round in a long while, we have JKinsley writing a mature story. As usual, head over to Hot for Teacher and check it out. Content warning: BDSM and toys |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Resists - NorrisThePony - March 25, 2016 | A new participant in the Lightning Round, but not a new participant to Twilestia, welcome NorrisThePony!
Thump.
There it was again. This time, the deafening sound of the sky cracking was accompanied by the ceiling above her doing quite the same. Twilight had to leap out of the way as a heavy bit of the castle roof tumbled above, striking the marble floor and exploding.
Canterlot Castle was falling.
Twilight did her best not to care as she sprinted through the imploding corridors. She had bigger priorities, after all.
Fallen bits of mortar and other structural debris blocked the way to the throne room before her, but she dispatched that with a blast of her magic and a few powerful flaps of her wings carried her over the rubble and into the blinding ocean of light that was the throne room.
The sound of pulsating magic was deafening, but not as loud as Twilight's screaming voice.
"Celestia!"
For a moment, the pulsating magic wavered.
Then, it resumed with added intensity.
"Celestia, you can't keep trying! Won't you at least listen to me?!"
Once more, the same wavering in the pulses.
Celestia was thinking. Rationalizing. Collating. Resisting.
Once more, the pulsating magic intensified.
"We all miss you, Celestia!" Twilight screamed. "I miss you, Luna misses you, Cadance misses you!"
When Celestia spoke, it was without volume.
"I can't give up, Twilight Sparkle. I can't."
Twilight grimaced a little as Celestia's voice cut into her mind--not that it was painful, simply a strange and disorienting sensation. When she replied, she did so aloud, and still at a scream.
"It's time to, Celestia! It's time to let go!"
"I can keep it together! Just a little more time..."
"You're keeping together a barren rock, Celestia." Twilight's head sunk. She didn't have the energy to scream anymore, but somehow she knew Celestia would hear her. "There's nothing to keep together anymore."
"Don't say that! There's always a way! We've always found a way!"
"Yes." Twilight nodded. "And we did it together, Celestia. Luna and Cadance are already gone. I... have to follow. I want to follow. But I can't leave you here, holding together some lonely rock in space for the rest of your damn life!"
"Then stay! Help me! You're right, we can keep Equus alive together! The way we always have!"
"Celestia... I know it's hard. I know because you said the same to me when..."
Twilight trailed off. Five faces. Five tombstones.
Anger, loneliness, and then peace.
"...but you need to let go, Celestia. Stop fighting!"
Silence. Celestia's magic continued to pulse, the ocean of white and yellow in the brightest shades forcing Twilight to squint. There wasn't a pony before her, simply a stubborn miasma of incandescent energy.
"Celestia..." Twilight choked. "You know why I'm here. You know cause I told you last time I was here. I'm... I'm sorry... "
"No! Don't be! Don't finish that! Please, Twilight, help me! We can do this together, I know we can... just a little..."
"Goodbye, Celestia," Twilight said. Firmly, and softly. A whisper into a void of soundlessness that she knew Celestia could hear anyways. She flapped her wings, once, twice, three times.
She passed over Canterlot, or, what was left of Canterlot. Centuries had been cruel to the city, and not even Celestia's stubborn magic could change that.
Before long, Equus showed its ragged curvature, missing too many pieces in too many places, like a half-completed jigsaw puzzle.
Twilight continued to flap her wings, forcing herself not to look back. Eventually, she did though, and when she did she was surprised by how much distance she had already placed between her and the pale blue little tennis ball.
She was glad she looked back, though, because the sight of Equus collapsing into itself truly was a great sight. She blinked in bewilderment, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her, if she was experiencing some wishful, delusional hallucination.
When a flare of yellow magic erupted next to her, she knew she wasn't. For several moments, Twilight was speechless even if she desperately wished to speak, but as usual Celestia was quicker on the draw.
"I hate it when you do that," the white alicorn said simply. "Fine. You win, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight did not speak. Together in the dark abyss of space, the two alicorns embraced, instead, and stood watching the final dance of rock and light that was home.
When it was over, Celestia was once again the first voice in the darkness.
"Well?" she asked, as if proposing they go off for ice cream. "Onwards?"
Twilight nodded, and together they flew onwards into the darkness. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Resists - Fuzzyfurvert - March 26, 2016 | A return of an old and prolific hand, Fuzzy Furvert
Twilight slumped in her throne, one leg thrown up on the huge map table and a book floated above her. The cover was a colorful picture of a tan colored pegasus mare flying toward a cat-like creature that stood on top of a ziggurat surrounded by other actual felines. All of them snarling viciously at the oncoming Daring Doo.
It was her favorite Daring Doo story in her entire library. One she'd read multiple times over the years and each time was a fun romp through the jungle dodging angry natives, death traps, poisonous bugs and of course, the aforementioned cats. Having met the real life Daring Doo gave her further insight to the adventure, made clear the parts that were real and the parts that were heavily embellished or edited. It made the read even more fun, like a treasure hunt.
Right now, however, it wasn't doing anything more than hovering above her. She wanted to open it. She really did. But she knew if she did that, she'd be allowing herself to be sucked into the story, distracted by the narrative. She'd be hiding. Giving up--or giving into temptation to ignore her problems.
Primarily the problem that was sitting across the table from her. The problem that was going on and on--and on and on and on--about the upcoming meeting with Princess Celestia. About how the Princess was personally coming to Ponyville to speak to them both. The problem that was outright gushing about how much of an honor it was, how amazing it was that such an opportunity had arisen. A problem that just had to show the Princess her new mane-cut and tell the Princess how much she'd changed and blah blah blah...
A problem named Starlight Glimmer.
Twilight turned her Daring Doo book over, her eyes scanning the synopsis without actually reading it. The desire to tune out Starlight's fangirling completely was strong, but she resisted it. Princess Celestia would be disappointed in her if she arrived to find Twilight ignoring the mare she'd turned into a new friend.
It's not like I don't tune out Pinkie Pie or the other girls from time to time. There's precedent. I mean...it's just so annoying! Twilight tilted the book, peeking over it at Starlight. The mare was still talking to herself, her nose in yet another book about Princess Celestia's legendary exploits. The more the filly read, the more enamored she became, the more Starlight...hero worshipped.
Listen to her. Thinking Princess Celestia is coming here just to talk to her. Pfft. Twilight tilted the book back to hide her eyes rolling. The Princess is really coming here to see me. She's coming here to discuss Princess stuff with the other Princess here. Namely, me! Talking to you is just convenient...a checkbox to tick off her itinerary.
Twilight smirked, her mind running over the other items on Celestia's to-do list. After the little meet and greet came dinner. Check. Dessert of chocolate dipped strawberries on the western veranda while they watched the sunset together. Check. A quiet gathering of just the two of them in the library with the newest books she'd acquired. Check. Passionate make-out session on top of those stacks of books. Check. Lovemaking that made them both walk funny in the morning. Double check!
Twilight sighed, her smirk going soft and mushy at the idea of finishing off that particular item with an all night snuggle session in the Princess' warm embrace. She could hardly wait until Celestia arrived. Which shouldn't be too much longer. Surely she could resist opening Daring Doo's fifth book and silencing Starlight's inane prattle. Just a little longer.
Daring Doo creeped through the wet, steaming jungle. Her hoofsteps as light as a feather as she navigated the underbrush toward the foot of the huge stone ziggurat. She lifted a huge fan leaf up, tipping warm rain water off of it and onto her safari hat. The ancient temple loomed just ahead of her. On the side shaded from the sun's early morning rays, narrow steps lead up from the base to the summit, and at every dozenth or so step, sat an immense panther or lean jaguar.
Daring grit her teeth in frustration. She couldn't fly in with her damaged wing, and going up the steps was a one way ticket to some hungry predator's stomach. She knew she was going to have to find a different way in. A way that would likely be filled with traps, spiders, snakes and mummies.
Twilight grinned, mouthing Daring's dialogue. "Why did it have to be mummies?"
"Because the tribes of ponies that lived in that jungle valley followed a funeral practice of mummification for generations. Possibly due to the advanced decomposition rate in rain forests like that."
Twilight blinked, her mind skipping a beat at the unexpected insertion, which caused her magic to falter for a moment and she dropped the book onto her face. She sat up, polite giggling coming from the other side of the table. Twilight gaped, her cheeks flushing at the look Princess Celestia was shooting her.
"I'm sorry, Twilight." Celestia grinned behind her hoof. "But I couldn't resist. I know how engrossed you get in those stories."
"I...but...why..." Twilight rubbed her eyes. "How long have you been here?"
"Not very long, actually. I was just finishing up a pleasant conversation with Starlight here. I'm very proud of you for helping her start down the path of friendship and harmony." The Princess turned and looked down at the pony sitting on the floor in front of her. "And please do forgive her, Starlight. I'm sure Twilight wasn't ignoring you on purpose. She is just very focused when it comes to books."
Starlight nodded, but she shot Twilight a look that said she was skeptical about that explanation. "If you say so, Princess. I really was enjoying the opportunity to speak to you...alone. It's such an honor to be in your presence!" She smiled brightly up at Celestia and leaned a little closer.
Twilight scowled, squinting at Starlight's back. Don't think I missed that little pause, or the inflection, OR that little lift you gave your tail when she said your name, Starlight. She stood up and lifted the book off the floor where it had settled. Twilight dismissed it with a flash of teleportation magic. She didn't need to use teleportation to put it away, but the flash had the effect she wanted though. She painted a happy smile of her face when Starlight looked her way.
"Yes, it is an honor to talk to the Princess directly. She's a very busy pony, obviously. You know that of course, don't you, Starlight? Of course you do! Don't be silly! It's great! Everything...is...great..." Twilight's eye twitched.
"Wha?" Starlight raised an eyebrow. "I don't know--"
"Sure you do!" Twilight trotted around the table, her smile firmly locked on her muzzle. The Princess is busy busy busy! Busy ponies have things to do. Busy Princess things. To do. She has a Princess to do."
"Wait..."
"She has Princess things to do, Starlight!" Twilight's eye twitched again when the unicorn leaned away from her and closer to Celestia. "Can't take up her time, now can you? We. Can we. That's what I meant."
"Perhaps," Celestia intoned calmly, stepping in between Starlight and Twilight, "it is time Starlight joined with your other friends, Twilight? I seem to recall they were all meeting at Sugarcube Corner for sweets and dinner?"
"Yes!" Twilight and Starlight said in unison, the unicorn of the two jumping to her hooves.
"Then you had better get a move on." Celestia smiled and winked at Starlight. "Pinkie Pie has a peculiar talent at making sweets she bakes vanish."
"Ah! You're right, I should get going." Starlight bowed to Celestia gracefully, then shot Twilight another look before she turned and galloped out the door.
Once they were alone, Twilight sighed exaggeratedly. "Sheesh! I like Starlight, but I thought she'd never leave. She's been going on and on about meeting you in pony all day. Reading books about you. Talking endlessly about the amazing Princess Celestia. As if I don't already know how amazing you are? Can you believe...why are you smiling at me like that?"
She tilted her head up at Celestia grin and her silent shakes of laughter. "What's gotten into you?"
"Oh, I don't know. Heheh...Twilight, doesn't Starlight remind you of somepony?"
Twilight frowned, her mind turned that over. "No. Not anypony I can think of."
"Not even yourself?" Celestia chuckled and put her wing on Twilight's shoulder.
"Me?" Twilight scoffed. "That's silly. I was never like that! I mean...I mean...oh goddess."
Twilight blanched. "Was I really that bad?"
Celestia nodded sagely, lowering her head to nip playfully at Twilight's ears. "Yes. You were that bad. But don't worry about it, my love. There is still plenty of time for Starlight to start looking at you that way."
"Hey!"
"I'm teasing!" Celestia nickered softly. "Now...is that garlic bread I smell?"
Twilight blushed, holding her ears back and nodded. She sighed, her own wing reaching up to lay across Celestia's flank. Oh yeah...the checklist...how can I resist? |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Resists - corvipony - March 26, 2016 | Anoter new participant in the Lightning Round, but still not a new participant to Twilestia, welcome corvipony!
Twilight sat in her study one stormy night. Listening to the rain hit the roof of the old treehouse library, the rain always made her thoughts wander and most times she found herself thinking about Her... Celestia. She knew her well, and had this little fantasy that one day they were meant to be but Twilight knew her better.
She knew her too well to keep her heart on her sleeve so she vowed to resist her fantasies, her hopes and her dreams. Sometimes though she swore Celestia would look at her like she knew she was the mare of Twilight's dreams. But she was likely just hoping too hard that it was meant to be
With a sigh Twilight took a long sip of the tea she had at her desk and closed the book she had been staring at for the last hour without really reading it, lost in her own head. She looked at her teapot and realized it was the one Celestia had gotten her for her birthday a year past and gently ran a hoof over the smooth clay and remembered that day. Over the years the Princess had shared many cups of tea her protege and they both shared that love of the leaf.
She wondered should she give it one try? Or should just resist? She also wondered if it was better to have loved and lost than not tried love at all? She stood from the oaken stool and paced her study trying to think and decide what was the best course of action on this matter. She thought about it a long long time but the truth remained, she couldn't believe she could be so blind. She imagined it, one look at the scene she imagined was all it took, first time she laid her eyes on Celestia it was all her dreams came true and she knew she never wanted to let her go, and she was the only one for her. Celestia never let her down before so why not take the chance? She paced the floor more as the rain fell and she noticed something wet on her face. She was crying at the thought of being able to hold Celestia and never letting her go but... She realized that she would have to at some point, for she was just a mortal unicorn and the alicorn had ruled for over 1000 years, so even though she couldn't stop the rain and couldn't stop herself from loving her. She could stop her herself from hurting her love by leaving her alone when she passed on, so with tears streaming down her face she vowed to resist her own heart. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Resists - ultra1437 - March 26, 2016 | !!Minor spoilers ahead for the Season 6 opener!!
Yet another returning author, Ultra1437 brings us yet another tale in his efforts to participate in the most LR of any of us.
It had been a long day. Finally back in her own castle, Twilight wanted nothing more than to relax. After grabbing a bottle of wine and one of her favorite novels, she practically flopped down onto her favorite cushion, intent on doing just that. Her weary body eased into a laying position as she opened the book to the bookmarked page.
A small pop sounded in the room as the cork unsealed the bottle, the liquid's smell wafting up to her nose quickly. Fate had deigned to intervene for the day, it seemed, as somepony knocked on her door.
"Ugh, I just want to relax..." she groaned as she set the bottle down, closed the book, and put far more effort than it felt like she should have to stand back up.
The day's stress catching up to her left her temper short. As she reached the door she launched into the start of a rant, "I swear, if this is some kind of-"
As she opened it and saw who'd knocked, the words died on her lips and her ears pinned back. 'Oh, horseapples.'
"Some kind of what, Twilight?" The voice belonged to her previous mentor-turned-kind-of-equal, Princess Celestia. The large mare stood, looking alert and smiling faintly, yet still equally as tired as Twilight herself. The small smile on Celestia's face seemed to brighten Twilight's mood a little.
"Nothing... It's just been a long day, Princess." Twilight stepped aside, allowing Celestia entrance. The door swung shut softly, behind the older princess.
As it clicked, a bottle floated out from behind Celestia into Twilight's view. "Twilight, I had hoped we could relax together this evening." Twilight fixed her former-mentor with a questioning glance, noting that Celestia had chosen a particularly strong rum, not a wine like she'd picked herself. "It's not often an alicorn is born, nor is it often that a foal that powerful nearly destroys an entire capital city."
Twilight nodded, before floating a second cushion out for Celestia. "Yes, I was hoping to relax tonight, too," she said, plopping down on her own cushion, and setting the second down next to her own.
"Well, why not do it together?" Celestia's voice wasn't commanding, nor did it have it's usual temper, it was almost... pleading. She fixed her eyes on Twilight's, also it seemed they were asking, not commanding, or stating. Celestia really wanted to relax with her, but only if Twilight was really okay with it.
"That sounds wonderful, Prin-Celestia." Twilight shook her head softly as Celestia laid down on the offered cushion. "Sorry, I keep forgetting you want me to drop the title." She brought up her own bottle and took a small sip of the fruity wine, not bothering with a glass, much to Celestia's surprise. "I can't say I would ever turn down the chance to spend time with you." Twilight closed her eyes, and nodded as if to emphasise the statement.
That piqued Celestia's attention. "Oh? You want to spend time with an old mare like me?"
"I would." Twilight sipped from her wine again before a realization hit her. "Where's Luna? You two seem to be attached at the flank it seems."
Celestia's eyes widened at the comment. Before she could answer, Twilight grinned widely and laughed. The tension in the room seemed to break at the joke, and Celestia smiled and joined in.
After a few moments, they calmed down and Celestia spoke, "Sometimes, I can see how one might come to that conclusion. To answer your question, she's back in Canterlot, overseeing the night." Celestia drank from her own bottle, the smell much stronger and pungent, overwhelming Twilight's wine.
Twilight nodded again, the bags under her eyes showing just a little more. "Good. I hope she's well after today..."
The two spent most of an hour in silence, occasionally drinking from their bottles, each just enjoying the other's mere presence.
As the alcohol started to affect her, Twilight's thoughts turned from introspective to comparing herself to Celestia. The perfect princess who really wasn't, but strived to do the best she could. Just like herself. Celestia occasionally looked out the window toward Canterlot, as if expecting the mountainside city to fall down because she wasn't there.
"You know, after today, I know how you feel sometimes." Both ponies were surprised at the words. Twilight was more surprised the words were her own.
"Know how I feel? I'm sorry, Twilight, I don't quite know what you mean." Celestia's eyes met Twilight's, a concerned look on Celestia's face.
"Today, I couldn't fix the problem myself." She held up a forehoof as Celestia's mouth opened. "I know I was more than powerful enough to solve the problem through brute force, but I couldn't use that much power without hurting or possibly killing somepony." She took another swig of wine before continuing, "You control the sun, and the moon occasionally, but for all the strength you can bring to bear, it comes at the cost of possibly hurting your subjects if you use enough of it."
Celestia thought of the major events in the last decade, Nightmare Moon, Discord twice, Chrysalis, Tirek, even the storm earlier today. She shuddered as she thought of Nightmare Moon, she couldn't exorcise the spirit from her sister without possibly vaporising her. Her ears pinned back as she thought of Discord, who could bend reality to his will at any moment. A shiver ran down her spine, her blood feeling cold as she remembered Chrysalis threatened her in Canterlot, where she couldn't use much of her power without threatening the city's stability or population. A spike of rage grew in her breast as she thought of Tirek, a monster who was the only one she could truly face, but their plan demanded she give her power to Twilight instead of fighting the centaur, to keep it from his hands. Like with Canterlot, she could have banished the storm with the sun's power and warmth, but it would have had much more dire consequences, like flooding the area on the ecosystem, than trying to delay the storm for Twilight and her friends with her sister.
Twilight watched Celestia seem to shrink, the larger mare slouching as she seemed to pull in on herself, curling up slightly.
Celestia tried to choose her words carefully. "I... Yes. There have been far too many days I failed to protect my little ponies. Each time it happened, they insulted and slandered myself for weeks." Celestia blinked a few times. Why was the room suddenly so blurry. "They were right." She sniffled once. "I couldn't protect them, but what they didn't know was if I did what they wanted, Canterlot wouldn't be standing. Nor would the Everfree." She took a swig from her rum, the alcohol's burn helping steel her resolve. "My sister likely wouldn't be alive. Discord would likely be ruling Equestria, or Tirek if he'd gotten free." The tears started flowing freely. "I only want what's best for them, but I've failed multiple times now. Maybe I should step down and let you and Luna lead. That's what the majority of the naysayers want anyways."
A wing fell over Celestia's back. She looked to see Twilight had moved over and was doing her best to comfort the much larger mare. "Shh. Don't say that. I had just a taste of what you've likely felt for years." She nuzzled under Celestia's chin comfortingly. "I'm here for you. No matter what you need." She looked Celestia in the eyes, going as far as using a hoof to force Celestia to turn her head. "Day or night. I don't care if you have to wake me up, or if I'm in the middle of something. If you need to talk, vent, or whatever else, I'm here for you."
Celestia's eyes widened as Twilight nuzzled back up against her. "I... Thank you, Twilight." A hoof found its way around Twilight's withers, squeezing her into a hug. "I offer the same promise. If you need me, I will be there."
Twilight let herself be hugged. "For you? It's never a problem, Celestia." She brought their drinks up, floating Celestia's to her. "How about a toast?"
"To what?" Celestia asked softly.
"Shared misery?" Both ponies laughed softly.
Twilight felt more than saw Celestia's nod. "Alright." She clinked her bottle against Twilight's. "To shared misery." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Resists - MegatronsPen - March 27, 2016 | Again with old Twilestia hands trying their first Lightning Round, welcome MegatronsPen
She speaks but Celestia merely nods.
It's hard for her to understand why but there is always a certain limit. A limit she cannot control nor can she fully understand.
When it comes to the workings of the world as a whole there is nothing but clarity. There is nothing but the truth.
A truth she cannot touch, nor can she take.
There is always a moment in her life when she wants to take what she wants and yet in this instance there is nothing.
There is nothing.
Celestia used her magic to lift the teacup to her lips and sip, while Twilight continued on in her incessant rambling.
Eyes flicked to the younger lips and so did they lift to the elder eyes above. The sparkling things above were but an annoying; yet welcomed direction for her attention.
"I mean, don't find it somewhat amazing that-"
Not as amazing you.
A clenched heart caused Celestia to incline a hoof to her chest, and for her to regard a concerned Twilight.
"Is something wrong? Are you okay?"
"Yes." Celestia smiled.
"Are you sure? You look... Princess..."
"Are you not a Princess yourself?" Celestia remarked.
"Well, yes--"
With a nod. "Then it is fine."
"O-okay... well..." Twilight exhaled a sigh. "The thing is--"
"Can I tell you something, Twilight?"
"S-sure!" Twilight approached, concern etched on her features. "What's wrong?"
"Everything." Celestia muttered. |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Resists - Twelve Song - March 27, 2016 | Another new face to the Lightning Round and just getting started with Twilestia, here's an entry from Twelve Song!
This situation was completely new to Twilight. The candle flame flickered, the light for more than aesthetic in the dim light of the restaurant. She took in a deep breath, tasting the aroma from the food in front of her. The wine held aloft in the magenta glow of her magic was not helping to calm her in the foreign territory, either.
Dates. She could do dates. Go out with a pony and do something you both enjoy or try something new. The date itself wasn't a problem. Nor was it the pony across from her. Twilight and Celestia had been in a relationship for nine months, two weeks, and five days, after all. She had learned to relax fully around her date.
It was, more than anything, the stares. Sure, ponies had starred when she had been the Princess' personal student, and then when she had graduated to princesshood herself, but those had all died down. The two had been able to keep news of their more intimate relationship kept to their
inner circle for nine months and two weeks, until a picture of a rather chaste kiss had made it to the press.
Now all eyes in the restaurant were on them. They had been to this restaurant before, just the two of them, on a date very similar to this. It had been very pleasant, with Celestia teasing Twilight, causing her to blush in the way only she could, and they had returned to Celestia's chambers after.
Now, though, every move they made, every small flicker of their magic, was taken in by prying eyes. With a sigh, Celestia's fork softly clattered against the plate in front of her. "Twilight?"
Twilight looked up, realizing she had been lost in her thoughts when she saw Celestia's empty wine cup. "Hmm?" She shifted in her seat, shuffling her wings.
Celestia smiled. "You're uncomfortable. What's say we loosen you up some?"
It took Twilight longer than she would have liked to understand what exactly Celestia meant, and by that time, she had already leaned midway over the table.
"Everyone's watching. Imagine the press in the morning." Twilight could hear her heart pounding in her ears just thinking about it, and her breath starting coming in shorter and shorter gasps.
Celestia must have seen the panic in the tightness of her eyes or the lay of her ears, because she backed up, just a smidge. "Let the press be the press. If we are to be together, then Equestria should be used to us being a couple." Her ears flicked forward and she took a breath. "It was going to happen eventually. We should give them the show they're looking for. Look at me, love."
After another quick breath, she did. Looking at Celestia calmed her in ways the breathing hadn't. The flowing mane, the purple eyes, the face that she had loved since before she really understood what love was. Another breath, this one slow and steadying.
"It's okay. We can just leave, if you would like." Celestia's smile told of other things she would like to say, her posture of what leaving was sure to lead to, her eyes twinkling with untold anticipation, and suddenly, Twilight didn't care as much about the ponies around them. It didn't help that Celestia had taken that moment to lightly rub her hoof, either. A brief moment of silence let Twilight deliberate.
Unconsciously fluffing her wings, Twilight grinned. "You know, exhibitionism is something I've never understood. Maybe it's one of those things you have to have hooves on experience with?"
She glanced around the restaurant, realizing they now had the attention of over half the patrons and a few of the waitstaff, and had yet to do anything. Her heart started racing again, but she pushed the panic down. She could do this. Just this once. It wasn't like the opportunity presented itself everyday.
"What do we do?"
Celestia grinned. "Just follow my lead." |
The Sun and Stars: Lightning Round | Resists - Foals Errand - March 28, 2016 | Yet another familiar face, welcome back Foals Errand!
Twilight frowned, as she tapped her hoof along with the music that was playing. The Grand Galloping Gala. Twilight now knew why it was so boring. Oh well, I got to help plan it this year, so I was able to fix some things and well... She watched several of her friends on the dance floor, the majority of the nobles having been scared off earlier in the night by either Discord or his date. The after party was shaping up to be a lot of fun, though!
Celestia stood next to Twilight, attempting to catch her eye, but every time she managed to, Celestia would incline her head toward the dance floor, and Twilight would look away. Celestia huffed a bit, but continued to watch over the other dancers until Discord came over.
"My Lady Celestia." Discord bowed, which didn't even appear to be mocking before offering his paw to her. "Would you care to dance?"
Celestia looked over to where Twilight was staring at the floor and closed her eyes before turning to Discord and smiled. "I'd love to." With that said, she allowed Discord to lead her onto the dance floor and wrapped her fore hooves around his shoulders before standing up on her hind legs as he led her in a close but very fast dance.
Don't look Twilight, don't... Twilight looked up as she heard Celestia's laugh over the music. Her eyes contracted as she saw Discord and Celestia both laughing their close dance an example of something Twilight knew she could never do. Not even for Celestia. Without even noticing, Twilight took a step out onto the dance floor, her wings trembling as she looked up at Discord and Celestia until she was noticed.
Celestia beamed before dropping onto all four hooves and held her right forehoof out toward Twilight, who hesitated, causing Celestia to finally grab Twilight and pull her out onto the dance floor. Slowly, Twilight began moving her hooves back and forth staring at the floor until Celestia lifted her chin.
"Twilight, what are you doing?" Celestia smiled as she slowly moved her hooves in the same manner
"D-dancing?" Twilight weakly replied as Celestia grinned down at her smaller lover.
"Well, then don't look back down. Just keep your eyes on me." Celestia began moving her shoulders along with the music tossing her head and wiggling her rump.
Twilight stared wide eyed at her while mimicking exactly what she was doing. "You're holding back... I know you are."
Celestia added a few spins, spreading her wings and catching Twilight in her forearms. As she danced around her, the few moves Twilight had been mimicking from Celestia combining with Celestia's new dance to form a dance which had the other ponies stop and simply watch. "Twilight, I love you, dance with me?"
Twilight looked into Celestia's eyes and nodded grinning as they put on a show. I'll always dance with you, Tia. |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | pre | "So what? They know you for who you were, not for who you are. Everyone will come around, Starlight. After all, I forgave you, though you almost got me done."
Starlight timidly smiled.
"Thank you, Spike."
She moved to accentuate her words with a friendly hug but meeting his hard gaze stopped. However, Spike seemed to appreciate her attempt and his expression softened.
"If you really want to thank me, do what I told you." He pointed at the sink. "Start with washing your face. You look horrible, it is not what Twilight needs to see when she comes down for breakfast."
After slowly creeping across the library for long minutes, the blinding ray of the sun finally reached a figure sleeping in a sitting position at the table. The golden wave warmly caressed her cheek, swiftly traced the lips drooling on the book-pillow. Like an ethereal comb, the luminescent claws sneaked into a dishevelled mane and then at last reached for the swollen eyes, harmlessly piercing the skin with their blinding radiance.
Twilight squinted and mumbled in her disturbed sleep, trying to shy away from the sun's unblinking gaze; it proved futile, making her realize how uncomfortable she was. Surrendering to her fate she opened her eyes and instantly closed them with a hiss as a single blink was enough for the fire to be poured into them in full.
Intelligibly grumbling under her breath, Twilight forced herself to tear her head from her improvised pillow to discover a parchment covered in smudged scribbles clinging to her cheek.
She picked it off with her magic, stared at the text trying to decipher at least some of its contents and failed completely. Then the gaze of her red and shadowed eyes moved to the other notes chaotically covering the table. Although they were more or less intact, the words and letters blurred in Twilight's eyes; combined with a throbbing headache, it made them completely incomprehensible.
The worst thing was, Twilight couldn't recall what instigated her to start working on any project in the middle of the night. She kept recalling memory after memory until it was as if she pulled a thread of a bag only for its contents to spill into her face to reveal themselves bricks.
All the events of the previous day instantly became fresh in her mind. The emotions brought along were stale, yet still quite unpleasant, readily adding to the aching of her exhausted body and splitting headache.
Unfortunately, in her years of studying magic Twilight never managed to find a spell to cure her predicament. However, there was a potion of sorts which could help her to alleviate the hardships of a new day and she luckily would be able to find a steaming cup of that magical dark liquid in the kitchen.
It took more than just a few moments at the kitchen's sink for Starlight to make herself at least somewhat presentable. Some magic became involved to deal with mane and coat which looked exactly like she slept at some bench in the park.
Spike, despite suspiciously observing her haphazard attempts to hide the aftermath of the obviously unusual night, said nothing. As soon as Starlight stepped away from the sink he used it to wash his dishes and dry them.
By the time she finally was done with her appearance, the plate and cup were returned to the table, though not empty--a breakfast was awaiting her. The sight of glistening with melted butter pancakes and the steam coming off a cup full of pitch-black coffee was what made her hurry up.
Starlight threw herself on her breakfast and began to hungrily devour it, barely chewing and keeping burning her mouth while Spike watched her in indecision what to feel: pride for his cooking appreciated or awkwardness for the display.
Anyhow, both his hesitation and Starlight's gusto were gone when their company was joined by none other by the Princess of Friendship herself. Spike shot Starlight, who froze mid-bite, a cautious glance, though kept silent. He didn't have the chance anyway, as it was Twilight who broke the tension she wasn't aware of.
"Morning, Starlight, Spike," she croaked, not paying attention to anything but Starlight's cup. I took her some time to register it wasn't empty and then she added, "Ugh, Spike, can you make the coffee stronger than usual, my head is splitting in a half."
"Sure, but maybe you shouldn't have stayed up all night, instead."
"I didn't stay up all night." She then grabbed a pancake from the counter with her magic and promptly stuffed it into her mouth.
Only now she realized she was starving. The tea she had at Canterlot was of the best quality in Equestria, yet that didn't make it a good substitute for a meal, sadly.
Vigorously chewing the pancake she continued to justify her unplanned all-nighter, "And I was doing research."
"What were you studying?" Spike asked her, feeding more and more spoons of coffee to the machine.
With a flick of his claw, the crystal inside of it came to life and soon the kitchen was filled with the aroma of roasted coffee beans and the gurgle of boiling water.
A bite of food was something Twilight desperately needed, however, it refused to do any favours to her memory, so she had no choice but to quietly say in shame, "I... I don't remember."
Upon hearing her words Spike guffawed.
"Stop laughing!" Twilight barked and immediately regretted it, clutching her head in her hooves. In a much softer voice, she added, "I made notes, I just haven't checked them yet."
Another pancake was levitated into the air, then froze midway to Twilight, who frowned and shook her head. It changed its course and soon landed on an empty plate to soon be joined by its brethren when Twilight generously took the rest of the stack. Her dubious look travelled from the now empty plate to the one she took for herself and just filled. She continued to stare, then rolled her eyes and went to the table, inadvertently taking a place opposite to Starlight, not noticing how tense she was.
Since her teacher appeared in the doorway, Starlight lost any appetite and could only stare at the table, her insides churning from acute anxiety. Only after Twilight was half-way through her breakfast did she gather enough courage to speak.
"You..." Starlight gulped. "S-spike told me you wanted to speak to me."
"Umm," Twilight hummed in confusion. Then she remembered why she needed to talk with Starlight and froze, staring into nothing. "Yes," she continued awkwardly and slowly.
Right this moment, learning from Starlight she was unhappy to stay at the castle was the last thing she wanted to discuss. She didn't ever want to hear she was a bad host, or even worse--mentor.
However, with Starlight raising that issue, it had to be addressed, so she finally asked, hesitantly moving her pancakes to the side, "Does anypony give you trouble?"
"No," Starlight's answer was instant. Unnoticed by Twilight, Spike poked her under the ribs with his claw. Rubbing her violated side with the hoof she quietly said, still avoiding eye contact, "After everything I've done, who can blame them..."
Spike slapped his forehead.
Twilight couldn't help but let out a sigh, longingly looking at her growing cold breakfast.
"Starlight, stop," Twilight said wearily. "Your past is behind you, you should learn from it, but not dwell." She tried to meet her student's eyes, but Starlight kept dejectedly looking with the ears pressed to her skull at the half of the pancake at her plate as her life depended on it.
Suppressing another sigh, Twilight called, "Starlight. Look at me."
Blue eyes didn't meet the purple ones, as the seconds passed in strained silence. Twilight had to suppress another sigh coming, deciding instead to continue her speech:
"Whatever you have done... tried to do... can't be undone, that is true," -Starlight jerked as if Spike poked her again- "There is another truth--I can see you not only capable of change but striving to. For me, you will never be a lost mare who has done some bad things, but a wonderful mare I look forward to knowing more about."
Starlight looked at Twilight with wide eyes, but her mentor was too distracted with her thoughts to notice and meet the bewildered gaze she was being given. However, when Twilight finally looked at Starlight, the latter turned her head to the table once again. Twilight took at as a sign of her words not being placating enough, so she went on:
"If anypony in particular harasses you, please report this to me--I'm always on your side, no matter what. Other than that... I am afraid you will have to give them time. The ponies in Ponyville can be suspicious at first, but as they get to know you better, you will be friends with the entire town in no time."
More out of the desire to show Twilight there is nothing to worry about, rather than out of pride or anything else, Starlight spoke in a small voice, "I spoke with Mr. Cake yesterday. He seems to be a very nice stallion and I think he liked me as well."
"See? I'm sure you will become an example of friendship sooner than you realize." Twilight smiled in encouragement.
Her expression held up for only a few moments until a monstrous yawn contorted her features. Although she managed to cover it with her wing, a blush settled on her cheeks.
"Maybe you're right, Spike--I can't neglect my sleep schedule anymore like that. I am a princess, after all."
"You shouldn't have been doing that when you weren't a princess either," he shot to her as he was gathering the plates from the table.
"I am going to try and make sense of what I was researching last night," Twilight said, picking with magic her cup and plate. "So, if you need me for anything, I'll be in the library."
Spike chuckled at Twilight's predicament again. "As if she hangs around anywhere else."
The remark fell on deaf ears, as Twilight was already gone and Starlight was too deep in her rumination. |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Interlude #1 | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
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This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
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Interlude #1
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"Good morning, dear sister. I hope you thoroughly enjoyed your dream and rested well."
"Good morning, Lulu. Yes, thank you very much." Celestia beamed at her from her end of the table. Her smile faltered a bit as a blush crept to her cheeks and in a lower voice she added, "Though I implore you to warn me in advance the next time--those were one of the finest bed sheets and cleaning them will definitely not be an easy task for the maids."
As if the grin had to go somewhere else, it materialized on Luna's muzzle with a pronounced mischievous quality. "Telling you what is to come, who is to come, would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it? As for your precious silken lily whites--that is maids' job; neither it is their first nor the last time to take upon such a delicate task."
"I expected more appreciation towards the quality bedding from somepony who values sleep above all, but it worries me not as much as that you should be showing a bit more respect to the castle's personnel." Celestia's frown deepened, the toast she was buttering landed on a plate and she squinted at her sister, demanding, "And what was it about not being 'the first time'?"
The midnight demigoddess finally sat at the table, the chair screeching against the marble, and took a purposely long time studying its wide variety of contents, her expression bored and offended.
"Where my appreciation is going to be lacking for sure is your insinuations about my sleeping schedule, Tia." Her eyes, circled with excessive darkness, lit up when she discovered something worth her attention; the plate full of fresh fruits rose above in the air. "Interestingly, I can answer everything else with one sentence. I do show the utmost respect for our royal household--the meritorious Lunar Guards have the honour of proving themselves further as they keep me company for a day."
The toast fell from Celestia's golden grasp; buttered side down, obviously.
"Luna!"
"What?" Instead of shrugging, Luna waved a banana in the pale blue of her magic and kept wagging it, as she continued, meeting her sister's stern gaze with a smirk and a coked eyebrow. "If I recall it was you who re-established them and auditioned each of the first guards personally--I can clearly see what your intent was and the qualities of theirs you definitely favoured the most."
"Keep the fruits of your perverted imagination to yourself; and, please, I'm trying to have breakfast here."
Celestia returned her attention to the ruined toast--a little trick of heating the tip of the knife made part of her breakfast irrecoverable in addition to staining another piece of cloth. Her sister continuing the onslaught of indecency wasn't helping.
"You only refuse to speak of that in fear your Solar Guards would get jealous."
To their credit, the stallions and mares standing guard at the doors reacted to the entire exchange as statues would. Still, Celestia shot them a glance.
"Enough, Luna."
A dark look was the initial response to the reprimand; it went unnoticed, all attention diverted to the flopped piece of bread.
"As you wish, sister." Seeing her still fretting over the lost meal with a heartbroken expression, the night's mistress picked a mango with her magic and muttered, "Prude."
For while they ate in silence; mostly Luna, with Celestia wrecked by a violated habit. As soon as she found a new option for her breakfast, the conversation continued with nothing hinting on the things discussed before.
"I presume all was fine after my earlier departure."
"I wouldn't have let it be any other way, worry not." Despite her words coming as nothing but calm, she shot the alabaster alicorn an annoyed glance. "'Twas a very quiet evening, something an eventful day like it preceded, deserved." She bit into a pineapple and her eyes widened; hurriedly swallowing, she added, "Oh, one thing, though. Your student paid a sudden visit, it went... poorly?"
"What do you mean?"
"She left me in haste and anger, the source of which I fail to guess--I kept recalling our conversation throughout the night of mine and couldn't see which of my words brought grief upon her. She even left her books behind."
Luna pointed with her wing to the corner, where a pair of saddlebags forlornly waited for their master to reclaim them.
A concerned frown settled on Celestia's face.
"What did you talk about?"
"I mentioned her student, the fair mare Starlight Glimmer, and how they seem to spend a lot of time together." Her breakfast forgotten, Luna tapped her chin, returning to the riddle claiming her the last night. "She got very distraught and promptly left on short notice."
An exasperated groan echoed through the private dining hall.
"Lulu, you're such a doofus."
"Pardon me?"
"You are ironically blind." Luna shot her sister a glare, but she pressed on. "Think, Lulu, think. She would never leave her books behind unless it is something serious."
It took her a full minute, forehead creased in thought, before Luna's brows went up to accommodate the growing wide eyes.
"Oh. Oh."
Celestia echoed, shaking her head, "Oh, indeed."
"What shall we do, sister?"
"I have one idea." |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Act 2 – Part 1 | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
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This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
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Act 2
Part 1
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A distinctive soft sound marked the moment Twilight fell into the gentle embrace of her bed cover, muzzle first. A muffled groan followed her landing like an echo.
There were so many things to be frustrated about the last two days, piling onto each other to the point she couldn't decide which of them was the worst. At least now it was over and the losses could be finally taken account of, stinging wounds--licked.
By the time Twilight returned from Trixie's show, everypony had left her castle, even though she hurried back as fast as she could. Obviously, Cranky, Ditzy and Vinyl bothered her not too much; they weren't likely to even care. After all, they left with bellies full of food worthy of royal taste buds. Princess Celestia, on the other hoof... even the cake remained untouched.
Her former mentor must have gone to great lengths to free half a day. Although nothing pointed at that, Twilight was absolutely sure Luna stood behind it; the goal of Celestia's visit couldn't be a coincidence--checking on Starlight's success in learning the ways of friendship. In any case, it was a complete failure.
So now two of five princesses must be having doubts about what their colleague was doing with her life and taxpayers' money. Out of two alicorns left one being an infant helped none.
Twilight rolled on her back and shot the ceiling a baleful glare.
Why did that mare have to return to Ponyville this week out of all times?
Almost too late Twilight was able to catch herself--her fuming about Trixie's road tour happening in the least felicitous moment had nothing to do with the showmare herself. She still was a huge jerk, but she did nothing wrong, well, not really. No matter how convenient and pleasant the opposite would be, the only mare Twilight could blame for ruining the day was none other than herself.
When all comes to all, she had let her jealousy stand in a way of Starlight's happiness.
An unpleasant revelation crossed her mind--Luna accused her of playing babysitter with Starlight, where in truth Twilight was nothing but a prison warden to her student.
A pillow was unceremoniously grabbed by magic to deafen another frustrated scream. Caught up in her self-indulgence, Twilight realized she was observed only when her eyes met the ones intently looking at her--Owlowiscious'.
"Don't judge me." She shot him a glare and turned away, the pillow tightly clutched to her heaving chest.
Owlowiscious continued to silently judge Twilight, the unblinking gaze boring into her back. She felt a sudden urge to hurl something at her pet, instantly followed by a sharp pang of shame.
That couldn't keep going on forever--the longer she remained mad, the higher the chance she would snap at somepony or someone. Spike had already fallen victim to her anger weeks ago and something like was bound to happen again judging by the signs.
If Twilight had learned anything, it was sometimes she had to ask for help, lest her thoughts would continue to bore the rut in her mind.
With a heavy heart--and heavy hooves--Twilight rolled out of the warm bed, trotting to the open door, letting the cool breeze dug its bold tendrils under her mane and feathers--something unwelcome yet needed.
As she presented herself to the moon and stars, her breath became mixed with the spirit of approaching winter, quickly dissipating in the near darkness. Though still months away from fully embracing the world into its hoary blankets, the coldest of the seasons was heralding its advent already.
The serenity didn't last long as the wind carried the sounds of the party and the scent of burned powder. Momentarily, the dusk died in a brilliant polychromatic flash of a thunderous firework, followed by exuberant cries.
Fun and wild the celebration was, with its attendants numerous as ever, there were bound to be those who gave it a wide berth. One of such cool-headed ponies was exactly who the Princess of Friendship was looking for.
Taking a deep breath, she launched herself into the chilly night air.
The pegasus magic in Twilight's wings fought back gravity for a few long heartbeats and when the battle was lost, she aimed her fall towards the Carousel Boutique.
The closer ground was growing to Twilight, the less stalwart her resolve became.
While she had a lot on her mind, a sudden realization dawned on her--she had no idea about what in particular the conversation with Rarity would be about. Not to mention she just remembered none of her friends had very high opinions about Starlight. Although the seamstress had shown no clear indication neither of hostility, nor approval, it could only be her reserved, ladylike manners.
By the time Twilight's hoof softly tapped the ornate door, the last ounce of her determination evaporated away and regret followed by a burning desire to return home began to creep into her mind.
The silence lasted not long enough for Twilight's indecision to bore fruits. The door opened with a trademark silver chime and Rarity met her, widely beaming.
"Twilight! What an unexpected visit!"
Latching on to her words to turn the situation around, Twilight awkwardly mumbled, preparing to leave, "Oh, sorry Rarity, I didn't know you were busy..."
"Nonsense." Rarity dismissed her words with a wave of the alabaster hoof. "Darling, I am never busy enough to turn down a friend in need." Then, leaving Twilight not much choice, she unceremoniously tugged on her with magic. "Now, stop letting cold into my studio and do come in already!"
As suspected, Twilight had caught Rarity in the middle of work--spools of fabric were dragged out of their home on the shelves and chaotically strewn all around the studio, accompanied by rough sketches and various tools.
Rarity instantly rushed to her 'artistic mess', trying to make it look somewhat presentable. Twilight awkwardly stood and watched, trying to find words and miserably failing. It lasted for a full minute until the seamstress was the first to break the silence, no later than she finally realized the futility of her ministrations.
"Ahem, sorry about that." She turned to Twilight and politely coughed in her hoof, sheepishly smiling. "So, what brings you into my boutique?" Her eyes lit up. "Do you want a new dress? Your student came by just a day ago."
Twilight's face twitched at the mention of Starlight, yet Rarity seemed to not notice. She let out a deep sigh--if only it was that simple. In fact, she could just ask her to make a dress and head out, but it felt petty to pile more work on her friend just because she couldn't build up the courage to speak.
"Not exactly." Twilight gulped. She was met with a somewhat disappointed look and promptly apologized, "Sorry, Rarity."
"It is alright," -she let out a sigh on her own- "though I hope Starlight returns to my boutique one day, she has quite a distinguished stature for a unicorn. I presume being an active part of a growing, eh, 'community' gave her a lot of opportunities to exercise..." She then turned away from Twilight, distracted by a spool of ribbon falling to the floor, riotously rolling across it, and kept talking, "Forgive me, dear, I am rambling. What was it?"
"I wanted to talk..." Twilight's words trailed off as the newfound resolve appeared to be quite short-lived, albeit for a reason different from any of the prior. Following Rarity's commentary, on its own volition, her mind started to conjure the images of defined, but not excessive, muscles of lithe limbs and body, rolling under a shining pale fuschia coat...
Her thoughts came to a complete halt when she realized what she was thinking about.
Rarity turned back only to witness a red face.
"Talk about wha-" She gasped in surprise, her muzzle forming a mischievous grin not a moment later, and gushed, "Twilight! Is it what I think it is? Please, do tell all the details immediately!"
What? No!
Twilight tried to come with some kind of response to explain herself, but any attempts died on her lips, turning into incomprehensible sounds, her mind overwhelmed by the sheer ridicule and irony of the situation. Ultimately, it decided to go into a state of panic. Her body instinctively jerked away, eyes looking for a way to escape the unpleasant situation.
Seeing her friend's vivid reaction, Rarity culled her enthusiasm.
"I'm sorry!" she yelled, then reassured Twilight in a soothing tone, "I won't be pressing you into talking."
It took Twilight a few seconds to still herself and offer an excuse of her own, "It is alright, Rarity. I just had a few rough days."
She let out a sigh, deep and long, as if proving her words. Hastily, she added, "And it is not what it's about." She almost wished the opposite was true--a romance seemed more appealing than her current predicament.
However, the initially amusing thought was followed by a new wave of panic.
A relationship with her student?
Twilight couldn't imagine a worse disaster--she was already treading on thin ice. Her face, red as a beetroot, became deathly pale under the standing on its ends mottled lavender fur.
As an expression of horror began to settle on Twilight's face, a mien of comprehension overtook Rarity's features, and, cautiously approaching, she softly said, "I'm more than willing to lend my ear, darling."
Twilight, her head hanging low, became a prisoner of her indecision once again, searching for words, opening and closing her mouth a few times before she finally uttered:
"I gave it a lot of thought lately." The words were as quiet as a rustle of leaves on a breeze; they still rang loud in the anticipating silence of the boutique. "I don't think I'm fit for a teaching role."
Her admission was met by another overly dramatic gasp.
"What a ridiculous notion, dear! What in the world made you come to such a conclusion?" With each syllable, Rarity sounded more hysterical, yet before it reached a crescendo, her demeanour changed all of a sudden. "Where are my manners? That is not a thing to discuss in the middle of a room."
She tugged on her guest with magic again, heading for the kitchen, but this time Twilight resisted with the aim of her own--the door. She couldn't make a single step--with a cat-like dexterity Rarity circled her and very ungracefully butted her friend, pushing her forward with a nonnegotiable fervour.
"Late it may be, it's never behind time for a cup of tea."
It took mere moments for the practiced motions to result in a pair of porcelain cups appearing on the table, steaming, a plate with forlorn biscuits resting inbetwixt them. While Rarity's cup was a spot of reddish blackness amidst the pristine kitchen, Twilight's filled the air with the mellow and summerish aroma of chamomile.
The seamstress waited a full minute, waiting for their beverages to cool a bit, observing Twilight sullenly staring at her reflection, still reluctant to explain herself.
"I will ask you again, Twilight, what made you think of such a preposterous thing?"
It was Twilight's muzzle that gave away the answer, contorting into a web of wrinkles. To some degree, the admission of her inadequacy came as much as a surprise to her as it was for her host--unlike Rarity she knew it wasn't an issue itself, but merely a symptom of a bigger problem.
The frown didn't leave her features then Twilight finally lamented, "Remembering how Princess Celestia taught me, I can't help but feel myself falling far short of her." She shook her head, her brow furrowing deeper and a hint of scorn crept into her voice. "And then I get an earful from Princess Luna..."
With a white hoof rising from the table in protest, starting to interrupt even as her words trailed off by themselves. When Twilight tore her eyes from the cup at the motion in a periphery of her vision, she was met by a stern, almost angry expression.
"I have to stop you right there, darling. Setting a bar as high as the skill of a goddess with millennia to hone her ability is nothing but admirable." She let those words hang in the air, her withering look speaking the rest for itself.
"And while Princess Luna does rightfully deserve her title by many accounts," -her eyes glazed for a brief moment and a faint blush touched her cheeks- "I wouldn't take her words to heart--she is still a bit stuck in customs long gone, however genuine her intentions might be."
Despite how fair and sound Rarity's response was, it did nothing to dispel the concern having uncontested reign on Twilight's face, redoubling as she ruminated on it.
Taking a sip of herbal tea as if its taste and fragrance could alone soothe her nerves, she came up with her own retort, choosing words carefully:
"I'm not entirely sure Luna's accusations have anything to do with how outdated her experiences are." She noticed a glimpse of confusion in Rarity's eyes, a question unvoiced. A question purposefully ignored. "As for the bar..." she continued solemnly, "perhaps you're right, but even if I were to lower it, I am still failing miserably."
There was a moment of indecision before Rarity raised the objection and when it happened, the first few words were spoken in a tone not as supportive as the rest, as if it was meant to be something else.
"I thought your lessons with Starlight went splendidly. At least the Crystalling gave a definitely positive impression."
Stressful as that day was, it still counted as a bright one, reflecting on Twilight's face, only for the light to fade into gloom when the grim reality pushed away those memories.
A cup was raised for a sip, yet it never reached her lilac lips, instead landing back almost forcefully, a few drops of the brew marring the pristine tablecloth.
"She isn't happy with her stay." Noticing the mess she made, Twilight reached for a napkin, and it fell out of her magic as it faltered just like her voice, "I'm either a terrible host or just as bad a tutor." The last words she had to squeeze out of herself and they came barely a whisper, "Judging from what I am kept being told, I am sure it is the latter."
Rarity didn't answer outright, not that it was expected--her guest had withdrawn into herself, the warm cup clutched tight in her hooves as if it could serve as a bulwark against chilling thoughts.
Taking the fallen napkin in her magic, she dabbed at the spilt herbal tea, giving Twilight a long look, her lips pressed together.
"I see," she finally said.
Before approaching the subject, Rarity made full use of the pause in the conversation to nearly empty her cup, crinkling her nose as the bitter and hot beverage flowed down her throat. She also had to gather her thoughts; now when she understood what it was about, she must be especially careful with her words in dealing with a matter that delicate.
"Twilight." The mare in question perked up as she was addressed; however, it was more out of the silence suddenly broken, rather than out of recognition of her name. Clearing her throat, Rarity asked, "How do you think Starlight's doing in her study of friendship her happiness and the opinion of others not taken into account? Based only on how much she has learned and grown."
It took Twilight a few moments to redirect her mind to that inquiry. Her furrowing was the initial response--this time it was confusion to blame.
"You can't put it like that," she began pensively; then she spoke further, her voice growing more confident, even if sounding more than a bit lecturing, "Friendship isn't like any other science, if a conventional science at all, and it can't be measured; the lessons I've been learning myself were but a way to summarize experiences which are beyond any kind of evaluation. A mental state is an important part of an experience as everything else, so I can't abstract from Starlight feeling miserable."
"It is hard to disagree with you here, darling." Rarity couldn't help but smile at her success and she pressed on, "However, I should object--not every valuable experience in regards to relationships is bound to be a happy one--I am sure you can recall having such cases yourself."
Reflections of the past flashed in her purple eyes, the memories of the scrolls sent to the Sun in an emerald blaze, the small griefs sometimes being part of the price for the lessons learned, though all worth it without a trace of doubt.
"You're right." Twilight nodded sagely, then her expression hardened. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't do everything possible to cut such unpleasant experiences short--something I have yet to accomplish."
It was the moment Rarity waited for, perfectly arranged. She downed the last of her tea, the final and most biting part, matching the question she was about to ask.
"Then what do you want to achieve, Twilight?"
The Princess of Friendship tensed instantly--she was smart enough to predict where it was going, to know Rarity managed to see right through her. The seamstress in her turn smiled kindly and added softness into her next words, she meant to help, after all:
"Do you want your student to have experienced the beautiful world of friendship in full, with all its ups and downs? Or do you want her to be happy as she can be?" Rarity paused, anticipating a stronger reaction to what she was about to say and spoke with as much nonchalance she could put in her voice as she could. "Perhaps... is it an approval of others you aim for?"
Still, Twilight reacted as if she was slapped, trying to subdue both the grimace and the jerking of her body, not quite succeeding. She opened her mouth to answer, or more accurately, to object the accusation before all, but Rarity didn't let her.
"There is no need to answer right now, darling."
Forgetting her manners, she almost sprawled across the table to reach her friend's hoof. For the first time since Twilight stepped into the boutique, she let her eyes meet her host's eyes. To her surprise and relief, she saw none of the unpleasant things her imagination kept putting there. Only genuine sympathy, understanding, deeper than she had herself, and an almost impossible to catch glimpse of sorrow.
"There's no rush. The answer is more important to you than to me," Rarity added, squeezing Twilight's hoof slightly. "Having it would solve everything for you."
Before returning home, Twilight decided to make a couple of laps above Ponyville.
It was a desire born not from the accident taking place not long ago--she didn't aim to improve her skill of flying at night. Nor it was curiosity--she gave a wide berth to the clearing where the impromptu party was taking place. The reason for her seemingly pointless soaring over the mostly asleep rural town was simple--she was wearing herself down.
It was something she had been doing for the last two weeks; perhaps a bit too drastic, yet still an effective measure against something she had no power of--her mind paying a visit to Princess Luna's domain. Technically, there was supposed to be absolute confidence implied in such matters, but Twilight neither was looking forward to testing that nor being visited by Luna at all, even if it wasn't a nightmare.
When Twilight's hooves finally touched the crystal tiles of the castle's balcony, she was ready to fall asleep right there. She forced herself not only to go into her room but past the bed--being exhausted still wasn't a reason to forego basic hygiene. Something caught her eye--a few objects that weren't there before.
At the hoofboard of her bed, a pair of familiar saddlebags were slumped; surprising as their appearance was, it didn't bother Twilight as much compared to another thing left behind by the sunset.
Atop the wrinkled covers a scroll lay, the highest quality parchment, the wax of the same grade bearing an indentation in the form of the sun with its rays reaching out.
A part of Twilight's mind implored her to ignore it until the morning; the responsible, or, perhaps, the fearful fraction of her mind willed magic to grasp the letter and unfurl it.
It was written in immaculate font belonging to somepony who had had centuries to practice. The text didn't have a single hint of its writer being dissatisfied with her visit, yet Twilight's heart clenched.
Her hospitality was about to be repaid by Princess Celestia tomorrow evening.
After hours of rambunctious laughter and flamboyant spectacle, the night was finally able to regain its rule over Ponyville, albeit not in full. The last islands of light were scattered across the quaint town, echoing the joy of the performance, gradually winking out one by one. Nevertheless, one such spot stood strong.
The defiance wasn't the only difference it had from its brethren--in the trembling light of a single lantern two mares had very little fun.
Though a considerable fleet of seemingly endless supplies and equipment lazily circled Starlight, her mind was elsewhere. Her mind kept returning to the events of the day, lingering equally on both happy and bitter moments. Even now she revelled in the monotonous labour of packing (made trivial by her magic)--it was in the company of a friend. However, soon enough the giddiness abdicated its throne to the sharp sense of betrayal, the mistrust stinging on a wound refusing to close.
It took Starlight a considerable effort to show not a single sign of knowing the story between Trixie and Twilight. When they first met in the spa, she utterly failed to recognize the 'evil' mare from Mr. Cake's stories--it clicked in her head only much, much later. Although she wasn't told all the details, she knew enough to see the actual motive behind Twilight's actions and words.
It should be worse, to hear that so soon after the memorable night and the morning following it. Starlight couldn't help but believe it was just a fluke, a mistake born out of stress and worry. Yet, with each repetition, her conviction faltered a bit. Before her thoughts fully succumbed to despair, she forced her gaze to focus on the objects in her arcane grasp and noticed something worrying.
"Trixie, can I ask a question?"
The initial response she received was a non-committal grunt; unlike Starlight, the showmare had to put considerable effort into packing up her things. After shoving a particularly stubborn piece of her magician's materiel into a bloated sack, she deigned her newfound friend with an actual response, "Sure."
"Where did you get all those fireworks?" More than half of the levitating swarm orbiting Starlight consisted of those; and that not taking into account the amount turned into a bluish haze obscuring the stars. "That's a lot of them"
"I make them myself," came a grudge reply; it was impossible to say if Trixie was trying to avoid that topic or was just being Trixie.
Starlight warily eyed the explosive equivalent of a siege crew's ordnance payload. "Do I want to know where you got that much powder?"
Even curter than before, with an ever-present hint of pride, Trixie rasped, "A true magician never reveals their secrets."
Caught in a sensation of awe and slight dread of looking and holding enough firepower to wipe a settlement the size of Our Town, Starlight had failed to notice Trixie struggling to haul the bag nearly of the same size she was.
She readily took it in her magic and, to Trixie's visible chagrin, without much effort lifted it into the wagon.
It took Trixie some time to regain her breath, before she finally explained, "A friend in the Dragon Lands."
The answer was still too enigmatic for Starlight's taste, all things considered. However, she doubted it would be possible to get a more clear one; not without angering the showmare.
With the bag crammed into the surprisingly accommodating confines of Trixie's home-slash-stage on wheels, the only thing left to fit into it were the ones in Starlight's magic aura. She proceeded to wordlessly pass them, one by one, and the work of wrapping up went on.
The near-silence of the night was still too oppressive and eager to make Starlight's doubts a debilitating chorus in her head, so she hurried to resurrect the conversation.
"I suppose you've made a lot of friends during your tours."
Instead of replying to her outright, Trixie dove into the depths of her wagon with a bundle of fireworks both in her magic and mouth. Then she returned, her eyes a bit unfocused, seeing lands very distant. Again, Starlight had a hard time gauging her reaction--she also couldn't write off Trixie just being tired; they both were quite exhausted by the long day. Whatever dictated the magician's coldness, she didn't refuse to respond, "More like business partners. The creatures who would make returning to those places worthwhile."
"Do you have somepony like that in Ponyville?"
Though the intonation of her words didn't change much, a warm smile graced Trixie's muzzle. "I do have a friend here now."
Their eyes met and Starlight couldn't help but return the smile.
It wasn't quite the same as winning the trust of Twilight's friends or the rest of Ponyville residents, but meeting Trixie was one of the best things happened to Starlight in years.
Warm as the exchange had become, it was of little help against the nocturnal chill, reminding Starlight why she asked her question in the first place.
"Somepony else, so you can stay at their place?"
"I am fine staying here in my wagon," Trixie grumbled, a note of discontent more prominent in her voice than before, becoming clear when she added, "As long as her Highness doesn't mind."
Oblivious to the change in her demeanour, Starlight pressed on, "I can talk to Twilight, there are a lot of free rooms in the castle."
"Thanks, but no," Trixie cut off hard, then added, denying any more offers, "You?"
Starlight blinked a few times in confusion. "Me?"
"Do you see anypony else?" Starlight nearly looked around, yet caught herself in time. Still, it didn't go unnoticed by Trixie, who rolled her eyes and had to clarify, "Where are you staying?"
"Ah." Starlight sheepishly smiled. "At Twilight's place."
The silence was her answer, accompanied by a long look, one eyebrow raised in an ambiguous gesture. She waited for it to be broken, and as Trixie turned back to the innards of her wagon eager to spill out and seconds began to stretch painfully, the unease settled in Starlight stomach. When it became unbearable, the question came out of her mouth by itself, cutting the night's calm with desperate intensity:
"Is something wrong with that?"
Trixie glanced at her, bearing the same expression, and disappeared inside her wagon with the last of the fireworks. She returned moments later, two steaming tin mugs accompanying her, along with a thermos balanced on her withers. She sat down on a box, the only left outside, and levitated one of the mugs above the folding ladder leading into her home, inviting Starlight.
After they both settled, Trixie wrapping her cape tight around her and Starlight. Hiding in the doorway from cold, the former finally said:
"Not at all," she sipped the hot chocolate. "She obviously cares about you a lot, you know."
Despite the cold striking to her marrow, Starlight refused to touch her beverage.
"You make it sound like a bad thing." Her tone bordered on hysterical.
She knew Trixie was a mare able to hold a grudge; her rivalry with Twilight was a perfect example. The question was how long it took the infamous magician to get her revenge on Starlight for basically abandoning her earlier this evening.
Trixie let out a long and exasperated sigh; not until then did Starlight notice their breaths coming out as thin clouds of vapour. She took a generous mouthful from her mug.
"You're hearing it wrong, Starlight." Again, there was the edge to her voice hiding her emotion by the veil of seemingly endless discontent, yet mixed with something uncharacteristic to it this time. "Twilight might be doing it ass-backwards, but the way I see it, she treats you better than everypony else."
Starlight began to visibly relax, however, her state of mind refused to change at the last moment and she squinted at Trixie.
"How do you know that? I thought you never got along."
The magician huffed indignantly and barked, "I don't need a lot of time to get the gist of a pony, even if I don't like her."
Somehow, the trademark acerbity managed to finally persuade Starlight there was no ill intent. She wondered what the magician meant all along, and a sudden curious idea struck her. There must be something more than a single story of strife behind Trixie's words--she was a traveller with a unique approach to those with whom her paths crossed.
"What do you think of me?"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks you should pay less attention to what others might be thinking of you and instead pay attention to how they are actually acting towards you."
Starlight immediately started to reflect on her conversation with Trixie, her forehead creasing. Unseen to her, the showmare rolled her eyes, barely suppressing a groan.
"Twilight was so adamant on protecting you from me, I began to prepare for a vacation on the Moon," she commented with a wry chuckle.
Starlight looked at Trixie like she grew a pair of wings. "Twilight doesn't send ponies to the Moon. Where did you even get that idea?"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie also thinks you should work on your sense of humour," she deadpanned.
"Maybe there's just something wrong with yours," Straight shot back, an expression of disapproval refusing to leave her muzzle. To prove her point she added, "Perhaps Twilight was right about you after all."
The magician cast a single tired glance at her. She downed the dregs in her mug and put a hat on, grumbling from under its brim, her face completely hidden in the shadow:
"In a sense, it is hard to blame her, after all the Great and Powerful Trixie is a mare to behold. However, hard feelings or not, it would have been a very not great and powerful move to take you from her."
Following the example, Starlight finished her chocolate as well. Only for a very short moment, she fancied the idea of joining Trixie's tours. Fun it might sound, she already refused to leave the castle once; and she had a more serious reason. "I would have stayed with her in any case, no offence."
For the second time this evening, Trixie gave her a long strange look, violet eyes glimmering from under the hat.
"What?"
"Nothing."
As soon as Starlight heard that, her jaws unhinged in a massive and prolonged yawn, so she missed the way Trixie shook her head in bewilderment.
The coldness of the air inhaled made Starlight cough, which in turn made her realize how much effort it took her to move limbs as she tried to cover her mouth. "I should return to the castle, it is quite late. Are you going to be here tomorrow?"
"Yes, but I'm leaving at the dawn" Trixie fidgeted under the cover of her cape, her hat's tip bobbling dismally. "The winter is coming and it was never good for the Great and Powerful Trixie's tours." Yet a wide smile graced her lips then she added, "Though, now, when I have a reason to return here, it will happen sooner than later." |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Act 2 – Part 2 | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
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This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
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Act 2
Part 2
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Twilight took a deep breath and pushed open the door to Celestia's private chambers.
She was momentarily disoriented as the spacious room appeared to be on fire. The last rays of the sun, about to be hidden beyond the horizon, flooded it with the reddish-pink, setting everything ablaze, including the lone tall figure at the balcony.
The minutes passed in silence and Twilight stood enchanted, watching the goddess move the celestial body across the firmament with a practised and measured care; the divine sight never failed to tug the strings of her heart.
The soothing shadows rushed into the room as soon as the golden aura around Celestia's horn flickered out; the ivory alicorn turning to greet her guest with a smile still bearing the warmth of the now tucked away sun.
Twilight struggled to return in genuinely.
Seeing her initial greeting wasn't enough, Celestia spoke, just as warmly, "Good evening, Twilight."
It was answered in a way neither expected, nor necessary--with a reserved, yet firm reverent bow and in a matching tone, "Princess Celestia."
The sun goddess took it stoically, politely refusing to acknowledge the gesture and motioned with her wing to the delicate table, where a tea set glistened in anticipation.
"Please, make yourself comfortable."
The two mares took seats opposite one another, following a long-established order of things. Excruciating moments of awkward silence followed, with Twilight fidgeting restlessly on her cushion, though it was as comfortable as they went. Her gaze kept jumping between various and numerous objects in the room until it ultimately stopped on the spot it had been avoiding in the first place--Celestia's bottomless magenta eyes calmly observing her unease.
It was like a dam had broken, so fervently Twilight gushed, "Princess, I am so sorry-"
She was interrupted, stopped not as much by the volume--it didn't change at all--nor by the content, but by the barely perceptible warning note when Celestia said, "Twilight."
Knowing well that calling her former student by name wouldn't keep her calm forever, she continued, "While my visit didn't go quite as planned, I enjoyed it nonetheless. The magic show your student helped to put up was nothing but splendid."
The perfect mask of serenity didn't crack as Twilight spoke with even more panic after the attempted reassurance, "But... But I didn't see you there!" She clutched her ears in hooves, pulling at them in desperation. "I'm so sorry, if I knew, I would have made sure you got the best seat and-"
She wasn't allowed to go on her tirade--the mare opposite her knew very well that it had no end. Seeing no amount of placating words would help--Twilight's ability to turn them around was absolute--Celestia went with another tactic.
"Worry not, I wished not to disturb the flow of the performance, so I was present under a disguise."
It proved effective, maybe even too much. Twilight froze, staring at her former mentor in shock, her jaw slowly unhinging by itself as she tried to comprehend the unimaginable.
Out of both the intent to cement her success and pure mischief, Celestia commented with a wink, "I can be quite discrete."
Behind her a lamp, suspiciously out of style with everything else, quietly giggled; the supposedly impossible event was either purposely ignored or missed altogether, depending on the perspective--host or visitor.
The latter had gone completely silent, staring dejectedly at her hooves. The worst hadn't come to be, yet the emotions behind the refused admission of guilt kept her mind captive. Each passing second without a single word spoken weighed heavily on her and made it even harder to break the spell.
Although one-sided, the awkwardness in the air was nearly palpable; Celestia hesitated to end it--a wrong word could undo her work, leaving her little chance to have a meaningful conversation with her guest.
So, her golden aura enveloped the teapot, the liquid inside simmering a little, before levitating it above the table to pour greenish tea into two cups. Though not lacking grace, her movements were deliberate and leisurely to give them both a rightful opportunity to think.
Only when the teapot returned from its flight onto polished wood with a soft clink and the exotic aroma began to rise from both ends of the table in wisps, she attempted to re-ignite the conversation.
"This tea is a gift from the minotaur ambassador." Celestia took a sip of the steaming beverage, thus inviting Twilight to do the same. After savouring it for a while, a bitter comment left her mouth on its own volition, "I wish his manners matched its taste--refined and intricate."
"Thank you for sharing," Twilight said even before her lips touched the porcelain and added a mere moment later. "I like it a lot."
Celestia suppressed a sigh--she wouldn't have received a different answer no matter what. Yet she played along, "In that case, I will pack the rest of it with you." Before any objection could be uttered, she added, "So you can share with your student. You do have tea together, don't you?"
Twilight jolted a bit--the question took her by a surprise. An unpleasant one. Just yesterday she lamented about failing to recreate her wonderful studentship; having tea with Celestia was a very memorable and important part of it. A dark wave of shame washed over her in a suffocating tide.
"We often have meals together," she squeezed out of herself a lame excuse, blushing.
With the eyes glued to the contents of her cup, Twilight failed to see the faint smile gracing the immaculate alabaster features. Sloshing the soggy leaves in her cup, Celestia pressed on:
"In the castle, I presume?"
An image of an alternative visited Twilight's mind--her and Starlight at a restaurant, their faces lit by a single candle... It was so vivid she couldn't imagine anything else implied by the harmless curiosity.
Her blush deepened and the response leaving her lips was no longer a forced whisper, but an exclamation of fake nonchalance accompanied by a peal of nervous laughter, "Where else?"
Twilight tried to hide her embarrassment by taking a generous swig from her cup, which backfired spectacularly when her non-answer was followed by a non-question.
"You must be spending a lot of time together."
By the skin of her teeth, Twilight avoided spraying the contents of her mouth at the goddess's face--it cost her getting some inside her lungs. After a fit of violent coughing, when she was finally able to speak without choking, she nearly screamed, "No!" To be hastily rectified, "Um, only as much as necessary. Necessary for studying friendship, that is."
Celestia patiently waited until Twilight wiped her muzzle--whatever tea didn't go the wrong way had tried to escape via the nose.
"Any..." she smirked, "further plans?"
"What!?"
It was an actual scream this time, echoing the terror of a chilling realisation--none of it was Twilight's imagination, Celestia knew it the entire time, every question straight to the point. It could be written off as Rarity's excessive romanticism the first time, but if even a pony who was as pure as she can be and quite remote from the entire endeavour started to get such ideas... it was the exact scenario she dreaded more than anything else.
It called for definitive measures.
Twilight's mind already began to conjure the plan as she tried to amend the situation right here and now.
"Ah... I... I want her to spend more time away from me." Hearing the way her words came out, she corrected herself, "I mean, more time in Ponyville, outside the castle, making friends. As you can see, she already made one!"
"That sounds like a lovely idea," Celestia commenced somewhat dryly, her apparent disappointment lost on her slightly unhinged guest.
Twilight beamed. "I'm glad you approve, Princess."
Suppressing another very deep sigh, the sun goddess lifted the teapot in the air.
"More tea?" she lifelessly asked.
"Yes, please."
The same wind gently caressing the wilting meadow around Starlight forcefully tugged at the kite. She readjusted the thread digging into her fetlocks and carefully rotated the spool, letting the foreign to the sky object soar higher into the endless blue.
The tall grasses around her rustled ceaselessly, murmuring their farewell, adding to the sorrowfully beautiful chorus of autumn. Were she to pay it any attention, she would realize it wasn't the only soft breeze sending ripples across the sea of tarnished gold.
So it came to Starlight as a complete surprise when the midgrass parted to reveal a yellow pegasus so close, they almost bumped into each other. The spool fell out of her hooves, rolling across the damp earth, unwinding and binding Starlight's hooves in taut coils, the kite bobbling in displeasure.
While she tried to untangle herself, Fluttershy regained her senses.
"My goodness, I am so sorry!"
When the battle with the thread was finally over in Starlight favour, she started to hastily reel it on. "No, Fluttershy, it is my fault, I should have known you work with animals here."
"It is no worry, we were just passing by. The little critters at the veterinary clinic needed to get a breath of fresh air, so I took them out for a stroll." As in proof to her words, a variety of cautious animals showed themselves, appearing from behind the demure mare. For a moment they retreated when a shadow of the descending kite passed over them. Fluttershy seemed to follow them, as she muttered, "If I knew you occupied this meadow already, we wouldn't have disturbed you. Actually, we should be leaving."
"No, no, there is no need, you don't bother me in the slightest," Starlight hurried to reassure her. Ignoring them both, Fluttershy's motley company spread across the little clearing Starlight had trampled down, studying it and its creator with heartwarming curiosity. She couldn't help but smile. "If anything, I enjoy the company of your animals." After a pause lasting too long, she added, "And yours."
The critters exploring the meadow together with a chilly breeze were the only sounds to be heard as two mares stared at one another as they suddenly found themselves in each other's company.
As the last of the animals left Starlight's presence, she shifted uncomfortably.
"That is very kind of you helping the clinic."
"Thank you."
Silence took the reign again, heavily weighing on Starlight's mind. She tried to come up with another topic to no avail--each sounded lamer in her head than the previous. To her, it felt like many minutes passed before Fluttershy of all ponies saved the situation.
"I didn't know you like kites, Starlight." The pegasus motioned with her head at the object in question.
She stared at her kite like she saw it for the first time.
"Ah, well, it's a hobby I picked up a long time ago." The answer came as a stammer and was followed by a nearly deafening silence. Realizing if she didn't continue, the conversation would die for good this time, Starlight said the first thing coming to her mind, "Truth be told, I often dreamed of being a pegasus and I still do from time to time. The open skies always felt like they were calling to me."
All the time Starlight spoke, her eyes were still glued to the kite, recalling childhood fantasies. When she finished and dared to look at Fluttershy, she was met with an expression hard to decipher. Not a moment later her gaze fell back to the ground as shame overtook her like a fire. "Sorry, that probably was very insensitive of me."
"Not at all." There was nothing but warmth in Fluttershy's voice; as Starlight peeked at her she saw a smile matching that tone. "I don't spend all the time close to the ground--it's more my instincts than my whim when I feel an urge to fly amongst the clouds with birds." She peered over the grass, longingly looking at the rolling field set aflame by the soft glow of the setting sun. "If it was up to me, I would be an earth pony."
"Why not a unicorn? You could use your magic to help animals."
Fluttershy didn't answer outright, though she acknowledged the question with a flick of her ear. It seemed like tearing eyes from the melancholic weald was taking her more effort than she could muster.
However, she finally managed to do it, only for as long as it took her to say, "I'm not sure, but it somehow feels right." Then she returned to soaking up the last warm rays of the sun along with golden blades.
Starlight tried to follow her gaze, yet, on their own, her eyes wandered upwards, to the azure sky peppered with pink clouds and she couldn't help but imagine herself soaring through them.
They unknowingly shared the same daydream for a while, and Starlight almost missed when Fluttershy asked, "I heard Princess Celestia visited Twilight yesterday. How did that go?"
The serenity faded away, replaced by the worries Starlight tried to leave behind.
"I wasn't there, so I'm not sure." A sigh escaped her lips. "Not sure it went well--it was about me, after all. I know how it must sound, but I have no regrets--I made a great friend." She almost added, "and powerful"--she had to admit, it had a nice ring.
"Trixie, isn't it?"
The question was purely symbolic, so Starlight simply nodded with the pegasus mirroring her motion.
Then she commented in a slightly concerned tone, "There must have been some resistance from Twilight, I imagine."
Starlight gave her a long look.
The details of Trixie's previous visits to Ponyville still evaded her. One thing was clear--it left a lasting negative impression on Twilight and she wasn't a mare to hold a grudge for long. With how close she was with her friends it wasn't hard to guess they must have a shared opinion on the wandering magician.
"Wouldn't you agree with her?"
For a very brief moment, an expression alien to Fluttershy's face appeared there--a frown. It was gone without a trace when she spoke, "Trixie is not a bad mare at heart. She is trying and it would be horribly wrong to refuse her the second chance."
Starlight's mouth moved on its own with a bitter comment.
"Twilight nearly did that."
"The way I see it, she just got a bit carried away by the desire to protect you." Her kind expression was joined by a bashful smile. "She reminds me of Discord so much at the moments like this--he would do the same for me."
Discord was another prominent figure from Twilight's past--and present--Starlight knew about by word of mouth. There was no vagueness about him.
"Not a very flattering comparison." A sudden realization caught up with her. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"It's alright, Discord is trying as well--it will take time for ponies to accept him." At first, Fluttershy appeared unfazed; her smile faltered when she finished, "Some never will. If only they could see how sweet and caring he can be."
To Starlight's dismay, there wasn't anything she could contribute to the conversation, not unless she would go by assumptions about Discord--and she didn't want to try Fluttershy's patience, however limitless it might appear.
Thankfully, the usually shy pegasus was inclined to continue herself:
"Our situations are so alike, don't you think?" Seeing Starlight tilting her head in confusion, she tried to clarify. "In a good way, of course."
"How do you mean?"
"Twilight cares about you as much as Discord is crazy about me." Fluttershy's face was again graced by the sheepish smile from before. "And both you and he have something beautiful in yourselves ponies should see instead of the past mistakes."
Her eyes moved over the fields once more, unfocused, seeing something not quite there. She was oblivious to Starlight staring at her intently, trying to find an explanation in the dreamy expression.
Until she realized the expression itself was the answer.
It instantly made sense and made things nonsensical--why else would Discord act around Fluttershy as he did? Before Starlight could comprehend the entire concept the second wave of understanding hit her.
Fluttershy compared Twilight to Discord, even if she seemed to be heedless to the full reality of her situation.
Again, it made everything fit together and it also made things so complicated. The final sum of the first conclusions still seemed positive--Starlight wasn't a trophy, nor unofficially a prisoner under probation. It was like a weight lifted from her shoulders, only for another to take its place there.
As much to herself as to Fluttershy, she finally replied, "I never thought of it that way... It does sound good."
At first, it seemed her words fell on deaf ears, then the pegasus reacted with a sudden panic. The setting sun, painting the pastoral landscape in soft pink hues was the source of her distress.
"I'm terribly sorry, Starlight, but I'm afraid I have to return the animals to the clinic and then head home. Discord wanted to have a tea party after the errand he is running and I still haven't prepared."
Starlight didn't want to part ways with the demure pegasus. Or maybe that was just anxious reluctance to face her teacher. Sadly, she couldn't stay in the meadow forever, figuring how to approach this novel experience.
Steps echoed through crystal-paned halls as Starlight headed back to her room, the kite slung across her back like a folded sail. For once the glistening brilliance of the labyrinthian passages didn't press from all sides with its unavoidable reflections; the mirror-like surfaces this time around cast back the light in her heart rather than bottomless despair.
Her canter slowed and her upbeat mood soured instantly as soon as she noticed a very particular door ajar--to the throne room. Though somehow she knew it wasn't an emergency, the same feeling was telling her there wouldn't be anything to be happy about; that part of the castle never brought good memories.
Her fears proved correct when she hesitantly pushed open the heavy door and discovered Twilight sitting at the table, looking despondently at the transparent landscape atop the polished crystal.
Not tearing her eyes from the ghostly image, the princess greeted her visitor in a hollow voice, "Starlight."
Her ears drooped.
"Was it that bad?"
Twilight spoke, her tone the same emotionless drone, "Last night I told you about giving you the freedom to make your own decisions." She paused, making Starlight's heart skip a beat. "I'm not rescinding my decision, quite the contrary. I want you to spend more time outside the castle."
Then came another pause, long and ominous.
"You can still stay here for the night and have meals, though I am not going to share them with you."
Starlight's head spun--she couldn't understand what she was hearing at first; it made no sense.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked in a weak voice, taking a step forward, staring at Twilight's mask of a face.
"No." The indigo bangs shook slowly, following the motion of Twilight's head; her eyes continued to flicker across the spectral map, studying it with too great an interest. "It would help you study friendship."
One more step towards the table, demanding attention--to be refused again. The confusing denial of her teacher was reflected as profound frustration in Starlight's demand for an answer, "What does refusing to eat with me have to do with friendship?"
"It would motivate you to seek company and thus meet other ponies." Twilight tried to sound enthusiastic, only for it to come out as a mechanical recital of some kind of a pamphlet.
The response was nearly spat out; she cringed at both the tone and the meaning.
"Maybe I should also seek company for the night?"
For the first time throughout the conversation, there was emotion in Twilight's voice--she just couldn't help it.
"That is unnecessary."
Starlight continued the glacial advance, but her teacher stubbornly refused to acknowledge it as a serious confrontation, choosing to stare at the ethereal map like her life depended on it. However, Starlight could swear at some point Twilight tried to slide her throne back, to be reminded of it being part of the floor; she shrank into the cold crystal instead.
"You're kicking me out of the castle." Starlight had to pause and rein in her emotions, so her next words wouldn't be a yell. "How am I supposed to survive?"
"No, I'm not," it came as an accusation. "You're always welcome here."
"What went wrong? I thought we were doing great."
Unlike before, Twilight didn't reply instantly and when she did, it was in a very quiet voice, almost reluctant, "Ponies are getting the wrong idea."
"The wrong idea of what?" Starlight demanded, mere steps away from the table separating them like a bottomless chasm.
The long and heavy silence was her answer.
She glowered at Twilight, wanting nothing more than to circle--or even climb over--the damned slab of crystal, grasp her in her hooves and look into those elusive deep violet eyes; to scream at her--anything--so the things would return to normal how they were less than a day ago. What could have changed over that time?
Starlight's head snapped up.
"What did Celestia say to you?"
Twilight flinched and her gaze shifted to glance at Starlight in annoyance, yet never reached her.
"Princess Celestia."
"She doesn't approve," Starlight hissed through gritted teeth.
With a sudden emotion, Twilight retorted indignantly, "Approve of what?" She visibly tensed, clenching her jaws so hard that Starlight thought she would hear teeth crack. Although her eyes were hidden behind her hanging down mane, it wasn't hard to imagine her glaring at the map.
Starlight's anger abated and she let out a sigh--with the respect Twilight had for her former mentor, it was futile to force her to defy whatever opinion Celestia had. She refused to give up, however.
"You are a Princess yourself, you have as much freedom to make your decisions as you give me."
The spell from before gone, Twilight deadpanned, "I don't know what you're talking about."
Starlight was so close to the table now, the lucent image was reflecting in her eyes and the moisture framing them. Yet the mare opposite to her seemed to withdraw further into the shadow of the throne.
She still couldn't understand what was happening and no amount of questions would help it.
There was an answer to it all, here, in plain sight.
"Twilight, can you look me in the eyes?"
She raised her head... and turned it to the side.
"Spike is cooking supper, you should have it if you're hungry. I will wait."
"You can have it. I'm eating somewhere else."
Twilight bit her lip and spoke, her voice finally her own.
"Starlight..."
The room was already empty and silent, safe for the sound of tears falling on the crystal panes. |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Act 2 – Part 3 | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
=================================
This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
=================================
Act 2
Part 3
=================================
"Rarity?" Twilight's call echoed through the emptiness of Carousel Boutique. "Rarity!"
Deeply disappointed, she almost prepared to leave the atelier, when a curly mane appeared from around the corner, followed by a scrutinizing gaze from emerald eyes.
"Oh, hello, Twilight." Upon recognizing the guest--intruder, really--the filly fully revealed herself, and her expression changed to that of curiosity. "She isn't home, I'm afraid."
"Hi, Sweetie." Twilight tried her best at producing a genuine smile, without much success. "Do you know where she went?"
The little unicorn took her time coming up with a reply, scrunching her muzzle in concentration, "I think she mentioned something about meeting Fluttershy, but I'm not sure." Her eyes went wide. "Is it an emergency? Are we being attacked!?"
"Goodness, no."
There was a sharp sense of dejà vu when Twilight momentarily wished it was the case. An emergency would be better than... this.
"Would you mind staying for tea then?" Rarity's sister broke her out of the reverie; as no immediate answer followed, she pouted, staring Twilight directly into her soul with the utmost pleading eyes ready to shed tears.
A fierce internal battle lasted for a bit, and ultimately Twilight was able to look away.
"Sorry, Sweetie Belle, but I'm not in the mood now."
Partially true, aided by an unsaid observation--the last two times Twilight accepted such an offer, she ended up having unpleasant revelations. Having one more right now was the last thing she needed.
"You don't mind if I wait for Rarity here?"
Not waiting for confirmation, Twilight sat heavily on the floor, pressing her back against a shelf housing fabrics rolls. A sigh escaped her lips--as much as an exhale forced by the collision as the expression of her frustration.
She wasn't angry with Rarity; that mare had no obligation to always be in reach. It was Starlight's conviction that bothered her the most of all things--she simply didn't understand how precarious the entire situation was; being a princess didn't make it easy, there was little freedom to afford.
Twilight had done what had to be done.
Except, her eyes still burned with recent tears--she could only hope Sweetie Belle wouldn't notice.
"Something happened, didn't it?"
The question took Twilight by surprise--she didn't expect the filly to stay--so she missed its meaning.
"Hmm?"
"You look worried and very sad."
"Ah, well..." What was the harm in talking about it with a little filly? Twilight had already rejected her invitation, ignoring her genuine care was uncalled for. "I said some things I shouldn't have said."
"Why would you do that?"
"I thought I was doing the right thing."
Twilight hoped the conversation would awkwardly die there, however, she underestimated Sweetie Belle.
"If it wasn't the right thing, then what was?"
If Twilight knew, she wouldn't be here.
"I don't know."
Sweetie Belle didn't get the hint, she even giggled as she said, "Strange to hear that from a princess."
"Princesses don't know everything," she snapped and instantly felt a pang of regret when the filly hung her head, ears drooping.
Before Twilight could say anything, she muttered, "Sorry."
Then there was awkward silence Twilight wanted not so long ago, yet she wasn't happy to bear it. Fortunately for her, the filly recovered quickly.
"It's just... you wouldn't become a Princess if you didn't know what to do, right?"
Twilight would have argued with that statement a lot. Instead, she agreed, "No." Sweetie Belle gave her an expectant look and she had to explain herself, "But this time I am really at a loss of what my next step should be. And whether there should be a step at all..."
"How did you solve your problems before?"
Twilight didn't have to think long for the answer, "I always had my friends with me."
"From what Rarity told me, that's not true. Like when Discord did his... thing... on them. What did you do back then?"
This time, it took her a few moments.
"I... I followed my heart."
"And what does your heart tell you now?"
Twilight froze, then abruptly stood up, heading for the exit.
"I made a terrible mistake."
The message was clear--whatever was happening in Twilight's head, despite her reassurances of the opposite, Starlight was no longer welcome in the Castle of Friendship. So, she despondently dragged her hooves as she wandered Ponyville.
The problem was that while her stay in the castle was terminated, she doubted it allowed her to leave its premises as well. Elsewise, she would join Trixie the next time the magician happened to visit, or even follow her in hopes of catching up with the tour.
With the sun set, any chance to find a place to stay, having not a single bit in her possession, save for the heavy baggage of her past, was approaching zero, if it wasn't there already. A tear rolled down her cheek, then another, following fresh trails. It wasn't the prospect of a freezing night spent outside or the gnawing hunger preparing to settle in that was breaking her heart.
It wouldn't be the first time.
All the struggle, the hope building up, the mirage of success--and she came to the place where she started her adult life. She wouldn't follow it further again, nopony would give her a third chance. So where did that leave her? Was the life of a homeless outcast all she would ever have?
The sobs she tried to conceal choked her--the young moon would hide her tears, but not the sniffling. However, her effort proved inefficient, when a very concerned pony appeared from the darkness, barring the way.
"Starlight!" Rarity rushed to her and she cringed away. "Starlight, what happened?"
"Nothing. I should be going."
She tried to walk around the alabaster unicorn but wasn't allowed to.
"It's about Twilight, isn't it?"
Starlight turned in the opposite direction only to be followed with a surprising speed. She glowered at Rarity stubbornly taking a stand and meeting her baleful gaze unflinchingly. In that very moment, Starlight's stomach decided to embarrass her with a loud reminder of its prolonged emptiness.
Before she could even blush, Rarity hooked her under hoof and dragged her across the street.
"That settles it. I'll treat you with a meal and you tell me what it is about."
A plate with a casserole steamed in front of Starlight, making her mouth water. Yet she hesitated to touch it, for there was a price she didn't want to pay--she wouldn't go away with her stomach full without sharing the source of her grief.
As if to remind her about the unspoken deal, Rarity quietly, but in an impatient tone, asked, "So, what happened?"
"I don't know."
"That is not very helpful, darling."
Starlight was able to tear her gaze away from the plate and was met with a scowl.
"I actually don't know." Her indignation was short-lived--she continued in a hollow voice, "Everything seemed to be alright. Then after returning from Canterlot she practically forbade me from staying at the castle unless I can't help it."
"She what!?" Rarity's yell caused a few heads to turn in their direction.
"I am just as confused. I thought she..." Starlight's eyes fell back on the meal--it no longer looked appetizing. "Never mind."
"Darling," Rarity spoke very softly, almost whispering, "she came by me yesterday. I know."
Starlight stared at her, wide-eyed.
"D-did she confess it to you?"
"No."
Starlight visibly deflated, tears welling in her eyes, and Rarity hurried to explain:
"Unfortunately, Twilight never was a subtle pony." She rubbed her chin, almost purposely oblivious to Starlight's face lighting up. Finally, she smiled. "Well, I guess it proved fortunate for once." The grin faltered a bit, though, when she added, "On the other hoof I am not sure I like being tangled up in all this."
Starlight's expression fell as well, becoming as dark as it had been moments before, if not worse. Her eyes returned to lifelessly studying the casserole.
"I am not sure there's anything left to be tangled in," she muttered.
"Hmm, I wouldn't give up so quickly." Rarity paused, squinting at Starlight with what almost seemed like menace. "Unless you want to. Do you?"
"I... don't know." She flinched as the seamstress shot her a very disappointed glance. "I don't know what to think, what to do. It's all too confusing."
Rarity's expression relaxed, becoming almost tired, and she let out a sigh.
"You should start with finishing your meal before it goes cold."
"Thank you, Rarity."
She dug into her plate with gusto--Rarity certainly knew what she was ordering. Feeling like more gratitude was in order, she swallowed another mouthful and added, "I know you are all about generosity, but I still didn't expect you to do that for me."
Rarity's eyebrows went up. "Why wouldn't I, darling?"
"Because of the things I did." The food suddenly tasted like ashes in her mouth and she had to force herself to continue. "I suspect it is a big part why Twilight is acting like that."
"Starlight..." she almost groaned.
She went on, food forgotten, fork fallen from her magical grasp, "I still don't know for sure if she tried to keep Trixie and me apart because it would be a bad influence on me and I would relapse, or because she was protective... or jealous."
Rarity put her hoof on Starlight's and she stopped rambling.
"The problem is that I don't think even Twilight knows." A mirthless smile appeared on her muzzle. "You two are a perfect mess."
Starlight looked at her with pleading eyes.
"Could you help me, please?"
Another sigh, no less tired, escaped Rarity's lips. "No more than I helped Twilight, which is exactly as much help as should be given. Take your time to reflect on yourself."
With her head tilted Starlight awaited for continuation; when it didn't come, she uttered, unable to hide the lack of enthusiasm in her voice, "Thank you, Rarity."
The seamstress watched as she returned to her meal, regarding the distraught mare with a thoughtful look for a while. Although the casserole no longer was eaten as fast, she still waited patiently until it remained no more. Then she finally commented:
"I know it's not what you expected, but I'm afraid involving myself any further in your problems will make it even worse. However, I might have something else to offer."
Starlight's head shot up from the plate she was busy poking with the fork, hopeful expression instantly overtaking her features.
"I doubt it would be wise for you to confront Twilight so soon."
Rarity's words reflected with impatience of Starlight's muzzle before their meaning caught up with her.
"I... don't want to see her right now," she muttered despondently.
"So, why don't you stay at Carousel Boutique for a while? I could always use the assistance of a skilful unicorn." |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Interlude #2 | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
=================================
This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
=================================
Interlude #2
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The deafening silence that had taken reign after Twilight's departure was suddenly disturbed by a rare and menacing sound for Equestrian land--a sharp practised snap of fingers.
With it, their owner seemingly materialized from thin air. An attentive observer would see the instant improvement amongst a number of assorted keepsakes on one of the shelves as their harmony was re-established. With another snap, a midnight blue crystalline decanter vanished from another shelf. Simultaneously a midnight blue unicorn fell to the floor with an undignified shriek.
Through some inequine dexterity, Luna managed to avoid becoming a heap of feathers and tangled limbs. A moment later, flexing her stiff legs, she spat, "I must note thou maketh one ugly lamp, Discord."
"Perhaps the next time I should turn you into a chamber pot."
Knowing well the futility of engaging into a verbal fight with the Lord of Chaos, Luna didn't deign him with an answer other than a glare, turning her attention instead to the other occupant of the room.
"Sister! I couldn't help but watch in awe how magnificently you have dealt with the matters of heart belonging to your dearest former student."
Discord readily joined the gloating, wrapping himself around the snow-white barrel a few times. "Why, yes, Celestia, I never took you for such a smooth talker. Your tongue was so good, poor Twinkle Sprinkle nearly had a stroke."
The sun goddess effortlessly shook herself out of mismatched coils with a roll of the eyes and proceeded to remove the tea set without a word.
"That was in poor taste, Discord, even for you," Luna threw over her shoulder as she joined cleaning up the table. "Tia, you are awfully silent."
Celestia let out a deep sigh she held on for the entire evening.
"What can I say? And what could I have said?"
Luna gave it some thought, then pressed her lips together. "Perhaps nothing would have achieved a different result," she finally uttered dejectedly, with a sigh of her own. "I hope you understand now why I had just as little success myself."
Celestia elbowed her sister, snarking, "You completely missed all the clues, Lulu."
"Nay." She shook her head. "It's just Twilight's psyche is exceedingly volatile when it comes to romance."
From the point where he was floating under the ceiling, picking his teeth with Celestia's phoenix quill, Discord boringly mused, "I wonder how it reflects on her libido."
Luna threw at him a ball of crumpled dirty napkins, and the draconequus deftly dodged the improvised projectile. "Mayhaps you should maketh an actual contribution to our conversation instead of inappropriate jokes."
"If I did, then who would be making your sister uncomfortable?"
"I have no idea what you are implying, Discord," Celestia snapped in an instant, then yanked him down to the ground level to take back her quill. He teleported a pace away, leaving behind the violated writing utensil. "Anyway, your suggestions?"
The quill in her grasp turned into ashes only to reappear in Discord's possession with a burst of flames. Bearing a purposely nonchalant expression he returned to using it as a toothpick. For a few moments, both mares simply glowered at him, waiting until he would grow bored with his small victory.
It took him a few unhurried circles around the room.
"Leave them as is."
Celestia shook her head, "I am afraid that might end poorly."
"Have some faith in our Purple Smart."
Discord grabbed a parchment and ink from the table when he floated above it. After a few seconds of furious scratching he presented his masterpiece for all to witness--a crude caricature of an alicorn in glasses with a grotesquely large head and a unicorn by her side sporting a bushy moustache with a pipe sticking from underneath it. They were surrounded by a cloud of symbolic hearts, both supposedly wearing wedding dresses--it was hard to say with how purposely bad Discord's skill was.
"Miss Communism isn't a fool either," he continued ignoring the glares. "They are two grown-up mares, after all."
Luna barked at Discord in impatience, "All you need to do is to snap your fingers a couple of times and it would save them a lot of heartache and us--headache."
"What is love without some heartache? There is no other chaos as beautiful as two ponies trying to figure each other out when we can't figure out even ourselves."
He flashed the two goddesses an uncharacteristically reserved smile and with a snap of his fingers vanished. |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Act 3 – Part 1 | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
=================================
Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
=================================
This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
=================================
Act 3
Part 1
=================================
Heavy snowfall on such a day meant the songs would be louder, the embraces warmer.
Only a comforter hugged Twilight as she stared out of the window, only the especially loud fragments of celebration flicked her ears. Her somber eyes followed the large snowflakes lazily drifting through the frigid air, in truth barely registering them for what they were.
Despite the castle walls impenetrable to cold, she wrapped the comforter tighter, for her mind was outside, searching for Starlight in a cold not unlike right now.
Twilight scoured the darkness-flooded town inch by inch, the beats of her aching heart counting the excruciating moments into agonizing hours; the beats of her burning wings--a rhythm to a song of pain and exhaustion.
The search, however futile it proved to be in the end, could have reached its conclusion sooner if only she had been accompanied by at least the moon. It wasn't the shame deterring her from asking help, but the sharp sense of justice--it was her fault and there was no one other than her to pay for it.
When she ultimately not quite landed but fell from the paling sky, her eyes searched for the light of stars and could find none--gone without a trace. No tears rolled down her cheeks to dew the withered grass; the cruel wind, her unwilling follower that night, stole any she had long ago.
Like that Rarity found her--neither a corpse nor living being sprawled on rigid earth: a fallen angel. She approached Twilight without a sound, bloodshot purple eyes meeting sapphire making air around feel warm. Then her expression softened, albeit, not completely.
Rarity's quiet voice was barely above a whisper, it rang through the still morning, nevertheless, "She's staying at my place."
All life left Twilight's limbs, and she spent long seconds simply breathing, her eyes closed, leaking newfound moisture.
"Please, tell her I take my words back."
A measured nod was her only answer.
In a sudden flare of anger, Twilight shrugged away the woollen blanket--the memory stayed like a thorn lodged deep. Uneven steps carried her to the doors and she hurried to wipe the frown from her muzzle, perk her ears up--she was a princess.
She didn't truly know why the frown was there; even if the holiday wasn't enough, there was at least one more reason to smile.
Today would be the first time Starlight returned to the castle.
It was easy for Starlight to make a decision to finally pay a visit to the Castle of Friendship; not because of her scant yet still valuable possessions. Over time the umbrage had faded away, replaced by fear that ultimately ceded to longing.
The castle greeted her with a robust celebration, the usually dark and silent halls filled to the brim with glow and laughter. Although the holiday spirit failed to claim her heart, she no longer stalked the crystal-paned passages, the destination clear in her mind--the library.
Yet when she saw the wide and false smile trying to overshadow eyes full of pain, a coursed gaze evading hers the last moment... she couldn't help but turn away; only the overly polite plea stopped her from leaving.
Twilight's voice as sweet as ever, every hint of woe gone from it as she became gradually immersed into the story she almost sang. And it was ignored. Although Starlight's eyes intently studied the face of the mare before her, it wasn't where her attention belonged either.
Her teacher still wore a mask and the glimpses of enigma beneath disturbed Starlight beyond measure--she suffered. Was it because she was absent for so long, or because she'd returned? Should she stay or leave?
By the time the story was finished, it wasn't hard for her to not look back when she walked out of the castle, the riddles she asked of herself unanswered.
Starlight raised her eyes to the overcast sky as if it could know; it replied by peppering her dismayed visage with snow.
All of sudden the swollen grey clouds were replaced by a polychromatic mane and a pair of magenta eyes.
"Yo." Rainbow Dash sounded more annoyed than concerned. "What are you doing alone in this cold?"
A trademark drawl joined her, "Heya, Starlight."
Looking around, she saw nopony else, yet the present company still unnerved her--what would those two be doing here instead of joining the big party at Twilight's place? Nor she couldn't decide if Applejack glared at her or it was merely a shadow cast by the wide brim on the famous hat. Something told Starlight giving any answer but honest would be a bad idea.
"I guess saying now I'm out for a walk would be lame." She let out a half-hearted laugh.
The pegasus hovering in the air, her expression increasingly impatient, instantly grumbled, "Everything you say is lame."
"Rainbow!" Applejack tried to catch the young Wonderbolt by the tail, but she lived up to her name. Undiscouraged, she smirked, "Don't mind her, she just landed on her noggin' too many times."
"Hey!"
Ignoring her friend, Applejack continued, "If ya not heading anywhere important, why dontcha come with us?"
Starlight eyed them cautiously. "And you are going to...?"
"Sweet Apple Acres. Gonna have an adult Hearth's Warming," Rainbow readily and enthusiastically supplemented.
"Adult," Starlight deadpanned.
"Ya know," Applejack chuckled, "with something stronger than eggnog, and a nice laugh about things we don't discuss with fillies and colts around."
"More like with something strongest in the town, and listening to Granny Smith's tales about her love life from when she was young..."
"That was one time!" With an indignant growl, AJ again tried to bring the pegasus from the sky, and as the deep snow rendered her attempt futile, she returned to Starlight. "So, you coming?"
With an almost deafening crash, Rainbow dashed into the barn wall and it shuddered ominously. She half-bounced back, half-slid into the pile of hay at the floor, disappearing from the sight.
It didn't seem anypony bothered to even blink.
Starlight nudged Applejack with her elbow, distracting her from a conversation with Bon Bon. "Is she going to be okay?"
"Yep, will be back in 'bout half 'n hour." She eyed the haystack as it snored. "Maybe." Turning back to the beige mare, she found her already walking away, Lyra by her side. She shrugged and took a hearty sip from her mug. "Them pegasi horrible drinkers, I'm tellin' ya."
Starlight waited, expecting Applejack to either leave her or for somepony to take the empty seat. However, it remained unoccupied and AJ seemed to be content with her silent company. More time had passed, this time Starlight took it for herself, mustering the courage to risk the fragile peace.
"Thank you, Applejack."
"No need, Starlight," Aj replied with a guffaw, completely missing the quiet and serious tone. "It's a holiday, everything's on the house--family tradition." As to prove her words, she moved a bowl with dried apples closer to her guest. A cyan magic aura took a few slices, depositing them near a mug with cider, to be equally untouched.
"I mean, for inviting me. I really didn't expect you of all ponies, no offence."
Starlight expected anything but not a snort as an answer; it was promptly followed by equally dismissing words, "Stop being silly. Just coz Rainbow blacked out, yain't hafta do her job."
Still, it was like a heavy weight was lifted from the unicorn's shoulders. A tentative smile began to creep on her face, but its visit was cancelled abruptly--after taking a swig from her tankard, Applejack added:
"Don't get me wrong, I still don't like you."
An incredulous, almost terrified look took reign over Starlight's features.
Oblivious to the shocked expression or simply choosing to ignore it, AJ continued in a measured tone, "I never used to like Rarity either, although it's her who asked me to look out for ya." Remembering something, Applejack paused, tapping her chin. "Actually, it's Fluttershy who brought the idea first--and she ain't a perfect mare, neither. Thing is, I ain't got to like you to treat you like a friend you are, sugar cube."
"I... thanks."
Though the satisfaction of winning Applejack's trust was a bit spoiled by a brutal truth, it was a victory nonetheless; Starlight wasn't sure if it was what bothered her or the emotional rollercoaster was to blame.
AJ, who kept eyeing her, finally decided to comment on her perturbation, "You still look like you bit an apple and there's a half of a worm." With a stern frown, she hastily added, "Ain't gonna happen with our apples. Ever."
Suddenly remembering the reason why she ended up there in the first place, Starlight shifted in her seat uncomfortably. Given no other choice but to tell the truth, she was hesitant to explain herself. "When I was at the castle, Twilight read me a story, and I think she tried to tell me something with it-"
She wasn't let to finish her worry.
"Listen, I've heard some of it in passing, and I ain't coming near whatever is happening between you two, sorry."
"It's... not about that." Starlight glanced warily at Applejack, waiting to be caught on being not entirely honest, but she was too busy refilling her mug, or just didn't care. "You know the story about Snowfall Frost, right?"
"Sure as Celestia's day, sugar cube." A wide and warm smile accompanied her words. "Granny used to read it to me and Big Mac all the time."
"She tried to hint to Snowfall and I being not that different."
AJ's forehead creased in thought as she processed the information and ultimately chose to remain a frown, deeper than it was initially and showing clear glimpses of anger.
"Starlight, you're a smart pony, I reckon." Applejack glowered at her. "Then why do you talk like a fool? Sometimes a book's just a book." A conspiratorial smirk graced her lips. "Don't tell her that, though." Then her expression regained its hard quality, albeit to a less extent. "She just wanted to share a good story, that's all."
For a full minute, relative silence ruled over the table, Starlight's visage contorting, unable to decide on something concrete.
"But what if she is right?"
Applejack rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Banging her hoof on the table, she turned away from it and shouted into the barn, "Hey, Carrot Top!"
A fiery-orange head perked up. "Yeah?"
Pointing her hoof at Starlight in an exaggerated fashion, AJ yelled, "Do you know this mare?"
"Rarity's apprentice or somethin'." Carrot Top, her gaze unfocused, shrugged, then returned to her drink.
Pressing her lips together and muttering curses under her breath, Applejack searched the party for somepony more communicative; her eyes stopped on a laughing fuschia mare.
"Cheerilee?"
"Huh?" The local teacher smiled dumbly, trying to understand what was wanted of her; then AJ pointed once more in the direction of her companion, Cheerilee's smile widened. "Ah, Starlight Glimmer, she helped me at school one or two times!"
The conversation caught the attention of most barn occupants and at the mention of Starlight's name by Cheerilee curious glances turned into nods of approval.
"See? I can ask anypony who lives in Ponyville and most of them would be happy to drink a mug or two of cider with you! Speaking of which..." Applejack topped up Starlight's drink, then raised her own in a toast. "For friendship!"
Instead of echoing her words, Starlight thought for a moment before her mug joined AJ's in the air.
"For acceptance!"
The urge to pick up the book with magic and throw it out of the window into the snow to never be seen again was overwhelming. Yet Twilight kept herself still, staring at the offending piece of literature like she expected it to catch on fire due to the power of her sheer will.
Whatever her heart told, Twilight considered herself a reasonable mare at the end, so she knew it wasn't the Hearth's Warming Tale to blame for Starlight's abrupt departure. Her expression softened and eyes drifted to the now empty space as she longed for it to become occupied again, at least for the rest of this evening.
"Twily!"
Her head shot up, ears perked in a direction of the voice she expected to hear the least today. Finding its source, she demanded of the stallion confidently striding across the library, "What are you doing here?"
Shining Armor struck an overly dramatic pose of a grave offence.
"Is this how you greet your brother?"
Not a moment later, Cadance, who somehow managed to hide behind her husband all the time, joined him, "And you sister-in-law!"
Their smiles didn't falter even a little bit when Twilight's muzzle not only failed to mirror their merriment but scrunched with a matching frown creasing her forehead.
"I'm very glad to see you, but you should have warned me you are coming, so I could have prepared."
Cadence chuckled, "That is exactly why we didn't do it."
Shining supplemented her with a wide smile, "The Crystal Ponies celebrate the Hearth's Warming differently, so Cadie decided to pay a blitz visit to her aunties and me--to stop by here on our way back home."
Twilight stared at her unexpected, yet still welcomed guests, trying to figure what to do with them and not quite finding the answer. Seconds added up into minutes and the awkwardness descended on the three ponies in the library like a heavy blanket, quickly becoming suffocating.
"I am not surprised to see you with a book, but shouldn't you join your friends downstairs? Let's go!"
Despite the day starting to cede to the night, the celebration at the Castle of Friendship wasn't coming close to its conclusion, becoming merrier and merrier as ponies kept joining the party.
Twilight was torn between joining it herself and continuing to supervise the pageant in the case any of her preparations failed to prove sufficient. Yet as the crowd fell apart into small groups, feasting on the food and drinks, finding activity to immerse themselves into--be it something provided by the host or simple enjoyment of their present company--nothing seemed to be out of order. Everypony but the Princess of Friendship was perfectly content.
More out of restlessness than the aim to alleviate that, she ultimately decided to leave her post above the clamour. By sheer chance, when Twilight stepped from the crystalline steps, she found herself looking at something somehow missed--a competition of sorts.
The only participants seemed to be none other than the rulers of the Crystal Empire, who to the exuberation of the crowd gorged on the fruit cake in attempts to finish it as fast as they could. With horrified expression Twilight watched as the Princess of Love, completely forgone her magic, shoving the hooffulls of the crumbling bakery in her mouths, smearing the filling across her muzzle, not just matching her husband in a display of uncouth manners, but overshadowing the sheer barbarism as she lowered her lips to the plate, devouring its contents akin to a wild animal.
Yet, neither Cadance nor Shining Armor seemed to be bothered by their appearance at all; their antics were either ignored by the gathered around them for the sake of the race or met with genuine approval, expressed with hearty laughter.
Finally, with a victorious whoop, Cadence shot her hooves in the air, a triumphant grin plastered on her face, almost hidden under the remainder of the cake.
"I win!"
Just a second later, Shining Armor tore his muzzle away from the empty plate and unlike his wife, scowled.
"You cheated!" Pointing an accusing hoof at her he added, "At least half of your cake is still on your face."
The alicorn smugly remarked with a smirk. "What are you going to do about it, huh?" It instantly went away, her eyes widening when Shining lunged, his horn ablaze.
Cadence dodged the attack with a titter of amusement, leaving her husband sprawled where she was a moment ago. He recovered quickly and began to chase his wife, trying to catch her from the air. After about a minute of the laughter coming as much as from them as from the surrounding ponies, he managed to make her a forced landing in his hooves; the peace between them was sealed with a modest kiss.
The entire scene started as something incomprehensible--the figures of power acting like that amidst the populace, uncaring about their reputation... Yet Twilight couldn't help but smile herself, looking at how happy her family was. It was when she met her brother's eyes.
"We demand a rematch!" somepony yelled from the crowd.
The appeal was met with wide approval and Shining Armor laughed, "I guess we are up for round two, eh?"
"I'll just beat you at it again!"
"Maybe, but you will have to compete against a real pro this time, somepony taught by the best." Shining waved his hoof in a welcoming gesture.
Smiling sheepishly, Twilight approached him.
Blinking in confusion, Starlight stared at the crystal panning every surface around her. It wasn't the question of where to head next, though. After the months-long absence, she had begun to lose her grasp on the labyrinthian layout. The cider, it seemed, had more influence on her than she cared to admit.
Trying to remember the path to her room, she turned around and was met not as much as a pony, but a silhouette half-hidden in the island of darkness, where the enchanted gem lanterns didn't quite reach. Even in her not entirely lucid state, it took her a mere moment to recognize Twilight--there weren't many alicorns around, anyway.
Starlight's thoughts became as clear as the crystals around and promptly winked out, leaving behind the emptiness of indecision. For what felt like an eternity, she peered into the shadows, waiting for them to move, but the mare on the opposite end of the corridor mirrored her stillness; Twilight was a statue cast in hesitance herself.
Hearts beat fastest as there was a movement--Twilight took a tentative tiny step forward, her features becoming pronounced when she got closer to the light, albeit still too concealed to read her expression; yet Starlight saw a glimmer of the eyes looking at her intently from the dark.
Something faltered inside her, and before she could give it a proper thought, her hooves carried her a step back. Twilight froze, then moved back herself--a frantic movement.
Strong and indistinguishable emotions flooded Starlight's mind--she wanted nothing more than to cross the spot of light and embrace Twilight in her hooves; however, that desire was making her limbs shake, not move. Somehow she knew that the same battle raged on the other side of the spotlight's indomitable ravine.
Starlight's thoughts finally found clarity--not the answer she wanted right now, nor was it correct--the only she had.
Sharply turning around, she ran out of the castle. |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Act 3 – Part 2 | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
=================================
This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
=================================
Act 3
Part 2
=================================
A sharp stone flew from under Starlight's hoof, causing her wince. She squinted into the distance and had to suppress a groan--the Hive seemed even further than it was minutes ago. Her tired gaze wandered across her company, both Thorax and Discord appearing just as unsatisfied with the arduous drudging across the unwelcoming waste, despite it being the home to the former. Trixie, however, seemed fine dealing with the coarse road under her hooves.
Noticing Starlight staring at her, she neared her friend and loudly whispered, nudging her with the elbow, "So, how is it?"
"How is what?"
"Glad to see you are as dense as I remember you; wisdom in stability, they say," Trixie grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "Living together with Miss-Knows-It-All."
"We aren't." Starlight's voice was quiet and dry. "I stay at Carousel Boutique."
"Wait, what happened? Don't tell me she kicked you out."
"She didn't, I left on my own."
"What!?" Trixie's yell was loud enough to bring the attention of their companions but didn't keep it for long, letting her continue, "For Celestia's sake, I've been gone for just a few months..." Pinching the bridge of her nose with the hoof, she sighed. "Okay, start from the beginning."
"There is nothing to tell."
Starlight tried to veer away from Trixie, yet found no success as she followed her with a determined expression. She then turned away and was prodded gently in the shoulder by her friend.
"C'mon, Starlight."
She hesitated, choosing how to present the sudden confrontation followed by months of dejection. Letting out a sigh on her own, she decided on the simple, "She let me know it was inappropriate."
Trixie's reaction was immediate--she blew a raspberry.
Giving her an annoyed glance, Starlight murmured, "Twilight has a point--we are a student and a teacher."
"What nonsense." Again, Trixie was fast to reply. "You're as much her student as her prisoner."
They walked in silence for a few long minutes, Starlight receiving an impatient look until she finally spoke, her tone melancholic, "It's funny, you know. I proved to everypony I'm no longer evil, yet in the end, it's her still considering me as such, even if she doesn't fully realize it herself."
"It is not funny because it is not true. The only thing your precious egghead doesn't understand--she is as dumb as a rock."
Starlight tried to glare at her, but it came out as an exhausted stare.
"Do you consider anypony other than yourself smart, Trixie?"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie chooses not to answer that question for your own sake," she replied with a trademark haughty expression but quickly dropped the act. "Anyway, Twilight loves to create problems where they don't exist." She added with a guffaw, "I don't know why I'm telling you this--you should know it for yourself, it makes me sound like I'm her marefriend and not you."
This time Starlight managed to muster a glare so severe it even conjured some politeness from the magician.
"Sorry." Trixie was swift to recover from the rare moment of embarrassment. "All that talk about you together being inappropriate and so on is just a facade."
"To hide what?"
"She's scared."
"And what should I do?" A mien of utter despair washed away the calm and defiant mask from Starlight's face. "The last time I tried to talk to her, she just ignored my words."
"What are you..." Trixie frowned, fumbling with words. "What was that pegasus' name... Shutterfly?"
"It's Fluttershy, o, the Smart and Wise Trixie."
"Do it again, and you will have to deal with your romantic escapade on your own." Despite how menacing her words sounded, she was smiling; it went unnoticed by Starlight, who stared at her hooves as she dragged them across the discoloured dirt. Trixie elbowed her and after receiving a half-hearted grin continued, "What I wanted to say before you interrupted me is that you're not Fluttershy--you have to be assertive. Talk to her again." Shaking her head with an annoyed sigh, she finished, "Seriously, you both are as good as mute."
"I told you it didn't work--and it wouldn't. If I press an issue too hard I can make things only more difficult, if not impossible to fix."
"Then figure out something. Put it in a way she can't escape."
Blinking groggily, Twilight opened her eyes and didn't recognize her surroundings--dark and damp, smelling sharply with a heavy foreign aroma. Then they shot wide open and simultaneously she tried to move, to discover she couldn't. She then funnelled arcane energies into her horn, aiming to dispel the shadows and find out what bound her--and failed miserably as magic refused to answer her call. However, the lack of success didn't prevent her from struggling in her unknown chains.
She froze when the all too familiar cackle reached her ears.
"There is no escape this time." Queen Chrysalis emerged from the darkness, flashing long fangs with her predatory grin. "I'm not making the same mistake twice."
"You've already failed--we know how to defeat you!"
The changeling queen's horn flared with sickly green light and a loud gasp of horror escaped Twilight's lips--all around her, encased into the cocoons of pale lime slime were her friends, her brother and all the alicorns in Equestria.
"You were saying?"
Twilight's gaze kept jumping between the peaceful expressions of the ponies so dear to her as they remained unconscious in the cages of hardened mucus, shifting in their artificial sleep. She almost screamed again when the light faded away, submerging them into the black.
As her mouth opened and closed, unable to find any retort, Chrysalis smiled wider. Beaming like a filly on Hearth's Warming Eve, she seemed to be almost dancing in place.
"I won!" The glee in her voice made it vibrate in the strange insect way. "Everypony you love, everything you love--I stole from you like you almost stole victory from me."
"We... we are going to stop you." Each word was quieter than the previous until it was but a whisper, "Somehow we will."
"I almost feel sorry for you." Chrysalis stepped closer to Twilight and, despite her attempts to move away, leaned so close their noses almost touched. "No, not because of your defeat--nothing makes me happier." The changeling breathed in deeply. "So full of love... and it's festering--unanswered, wasted."
Twilight considered spitting in her adversary's face, however, those words rendered her mind blank; not for long--icy cold claws of fear gripped her consciousness. For Queen Chrysalis there was no secret, no hiding from her hunger--she saw her feelings clearer than Twilight herself. Still, she tried to fight, even if weakly.
"You don't know what you are talking about."
The changeling queen smiled almost sadly, "I know the feeling better than anypony ever would." Then her expression changed into a malicious grin. "So, who is that oblivious pony? Your secret shameful crush?"
Twilight did try to spit at her, but Chrysalis moved away already, the porous chitin scraping against the stone. A few seconds later she reappeared, looming over the five smaller cocoons.
"One of your friends, perhaps?" She laughed mockingly. "Afraid it wouldn't go further than just friendship?" The light on the tip of her curved horn died. "No, not them."
Her lean form materialized above two larger phlegm prisons, surrounded by a sickly halo. Beneath her, Cadance and Shining Armor squirmed in the shadow of their sworn enemy.
"Regardless of who it is, it would be equally disturbing."
Seeing no reaction other than disgust fighting concern on the face of her captive, she moved away, casting the glow on the cocoon in the vicinity, a form of alabaster alicorn inside.
"Is it her? That would be so scandalous, so twisted." Her eyes squinted as she saw Twilight clenching her jaw--close, but not it. The light shifted to another large dark form floating obliviously in the murky viscous liquid, "Maybe her sister?"
Suddenly, tears welled in Twilight's eyes--they weren't shed for Princess Luna; it wasn't the crippling sorrow of defeat summoning them.
Starlight wasn't amongst the captured.
As a fragile smile blossomed on her face, her jailer frowned.
"I see," Chrysalis hissed, "Not here."
Twilight didn't listen to her, continuing smiling dumbly as moisture rolled down her cheeks--at least, Starlight was free and safe. The happiness was mixed with a tinge of regret of letting the important words unsaid; it grew stronger as her aching heart counted a beat after a beat, clenched by deep remorse.
Looking around through the haze of woe, Twilight couldn't help but wonder if it was it--the situation seemed terminal. In moments like this, many things appearing to matter once became worthless; others--more important than ever.
The smile faded away from Twilight's face as she realized she missed the most important one in the world. |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Act 3 – Finale | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
=================================
This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
=================================
Act 3
Finale
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They were like a comet and a star, constantly nearing one another and abruptly leaving upon coming too close to sharing space. Whenever they met, not quite seeking each other on purpose, nor failing to avoid the uneasy company, they always lingered for a long moment, mustering the courage, looking for words, and then they were like ships that passed in the night.
It didn't apply only to the ceremony--days had passed since Starlight returned to the castle, giving an awkward atmosphere of crippling indecision rule over the crystal-paned passages. The crowds of ponies ousted it out of the castle, but only in the superficial presence, as Twilight and Starlight used the masses of ponies to become lost, mingling only for the sake of it.
For most who noticed, it didn't seem on purpose--not yet; others observed the voicelessness with defeated expressions--if after all Twilight and Starlight had been through they refused to talk, there was no hope. The unspoken camaraderie settled between Trixie and Rarity as they kept exchanging sympathetic glances after witnessing another mute and vain encounter, Spike joining them on occasion then he wasn't busy delegating Twilight's duties. With subtlety made perfect by countless years, Celestia and Luna joined the despondent watch not long after the quiet arrival.
As the buzz of the gathering gained the first angry notes to it, the grand hall echoed a call followed by a no less grand speech ringing through the reverent silence with clear pride and affection.
A god, a king and a jester bowed their heads. Starlight cast her gaze down as well, yet not only out of respect--the words spoken on her behalf fell hollow on her ears, addressed to anypony but the one intended.
When an unexpected turn of events came--another cause for celebration declared--her graduation, met with thunderous stomping (and jarring applause of mismatched hands). Starlight didn't join it, nor did she even smile, for she knew--it meant a repeat of the words she heard months ago: free to stay, welcome to go.
She stepped from the podium, heading to Trixie, her expression deeply disappointed. Starlight was morally prepared to leave Ponyville with her and never turn back, yet her steps faltered midway and she glanced at the podium, where Twilight stood forlornly, unmoving. She found the magician with her eyes again and saw a mix of encouragement and admonition written all over her expression. It was clear Trixie would go as far as to send her away, were Starlight not to return.
With hooves as if made of concrete, Starlight climbed back, each step a challenge harder than the one before, pushing the limits of her resolve.
The unwinding party around them, save for a few ponies and a draconequus, was oblivious to their awkward imitation of two statues. Their hearts beat faster and faster, agonizingly slow seconds passed, and a single word was yet to be uttered.
A shimmer of magic heralded the gift being levitated to the stage and Starlight's eyes widened at the size of it if its appearance itself wasn't surprising enough. It hovered in the air before her for a long awkward moment until it began to subtly shake, forcing Starlight's aura to mingle with the purple of Twilight; at an unspoken signal, they both tugged on the wrapping.
The sudden motion made a couple of the colourful cards--the photographs, Starlight realized--fall to the floor. Exerting her arcane prowess, she picked one of them--a picture of Twilight smiling bashfully. In the corner of the eye, she saw her no longer a teacher doing the same as her magic held another fallen photo.
The pieces of paper moved through the air like through the molasses until they drew near enough for Starlight to see that the second picture depicted herself.
She searched the mirror's frame for a free place to place the photo back; finding one she levitated it there, only for her hooves to start shaking as she realized--it was the only spot left. Before she knew it, their magic mingled again, putting the depictions of the two together.
Starlight couldn't help but glance at the mare on the reflective surface--a mare she no longer recognized, for she saw her for the first time--a faithful friend of many, no longer cowering in the shadow of her past--and future. Her gaze wandered across it to see another mare, different from what she remembered as well--looking more determined than ever.
Their eyes met.
Uncharacteristically to her, Rarity cursed as she had no choice but to reach with her magic for the mirror when it was suddenly dropped. She wasn't fast enough, yet the sound of glass shattering didn't disturb the party unfolding around her; Trixie's pale aura, though not as powerful, slowed Starlight's gift fall.
Whatever their past was and how different those mares might be, they shared something common that moment, for their attention was at the stage, where two of their friends were lost in the embrace of one another. |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Epilogue | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
=================================
This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
=================================
Epilogue
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"Discord!"
"Your majesties." When the draconequus turned to greet them, Celestia and Luna were met by a broad overly muscular torso cast in spandex, a red cape flapping behind it in a magic wind. "Did you come to bask in the presence of the noblest of heroes?"
Unimpressed by his antics, Luna was the first to speak. "It's nothing but admirable that you find it in yourself to not ruin things in Equestria for once, but that's not the only reason we wanted to talk with you."
"Thank you for helping them be together," Celestia quietly finished after her sister, bowing her head just a little.
But Discord only shrugged.
"I didn't do a thing."
The princesses looked at each other, then at Discord, an utter confusion clear on their muzzles.
"I told you I wouldn't. And I didn't."
"It is unlike you to keep to the rules." Celestia squinted at him. "Even if it was you who set them."
"If I were to always break the rules, it would be just another kind of order."
While the older sister ruminated on that statement, Luna came to a vastly different conclusion. Pointing an accusing hoof at the smirking draconequus, she exclaimed:
"Then you knew it would end this way all the time!"
Discord took a sudden interest in his claws and replied with an overplayed nonchalance, "Of course I did, I am a god after all."
"I always suspected you can see the future," Celestia commented almost absentmindedly, still not quite out of her musings.
"Do you want to know what happens next?" Luna readily picked up the idea only after a momentary hesitation, taking a step closer to Discord as her eyes lit up.
Celestia tugged her back, whispering, "They say it can drive a pony crazy to know their fate. How do we know it's not one of his tricks?"
But, a pair of glasses perched on a tip of his muzzle, Discord already started prophesying, reading from a long timeworn parchment and making notes on it with a phoenix quill.
"I can see two mares, caught in the spirit of forbidden love, finally confessing their deep feelings to each other, sealing them with a no less deep kiss." The princess looked around, at the ponies around, and frowned. "Then, right where they stand, their passion fueled by a millennium-long abstinence, they start to make love to each other, an innocent draconequus caught in alicorns' sodomy-"
"Discord!" an angry yell came out in a chorus of two voices and the parchment was torn out of his claws, bursting in flames from one side and eaten by darkness from another.
"I'm done with your stupid jokes," Luna harrumphed and promptly walked away, leaving her sister to deal with the Lord of Chaos.
She tried to reclaim possession of her writing utensil; as before it became ashes in her grasp, returning to its new master in doing so.
Grimacing, the alicorn muttered with a sigh, "I suppose it was naive you would use your abilities for anything constrictive, even if you could see the future indeed."
Discord wiggled his eyebrows.
"You don't need divination to see what happens between your former student and her former student. Only for you, my dear princess, a half-price discount for a ticket."
"That's disgusting, Discord," Celestia wryly stated, regarding him with a level look. Then after glancing around to be sure nopony could hear, whispered, "How much for one?" |
We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess | Curtain Call | We Have No Mouths, and We Must Confess
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Written by: Oneimare
Preread and edited by: Typoglyphic
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This story is an overdue gift to my dear friend, who never fails to make my days bright.
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Curtain Call
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With a distinctive sound a sparkling plate found purchase amongst its brethren in the drier, Starlight's arcane grip around it fading away.
"Whew, that's the last of them, I think."
Twilight double-checked the empty sink and surrounding furniture for any stragglers only to find none. Wringing moisture out of the towel, she wryly commented, "Pinkie's party contraptions sure are amazing, but I wish she worked more on some of their finer mechanics."
"Well, at least we managed to finish the dishes pretty quick."
"All thanks to your magic." Twilight's voice was laden with unconcealed relief. "Though you didn't have to do it."
"It wouldn't be nice to leave all that work to Spike." Starlight regarded the inordinate number of plates and dining utensils quite literally towering over her. "The little guy doesn't need to find a mountain in a sink the day after his night off."
Twilight perked up, the cloth nearly falling from her grasp.
"Wait, he went to Pinkie's party?"
Starlight's eyebrow answered that before the mare spoke, "You let him go yourself."
Twilight frowned, but the rule of the thoughtful expression was short-lived. She shrugged, only slightly annoyed, "It slipped my mind, there was a lot of happening today after all."
At first, Starlight nodded approvingly, then stopped abruptly, warily glancing in Twilight's direction. "Does it mean we're alone in the castle?"
The shared realization was mirrored with just a nervous look.
"I guess?" A long pause followed Twilight's words and before the awkward silence could solidify its presence, she added, "I should help you to hang the mirror on the wall, it can be tricky doing it on your own."
"Sure."
They both were more than glad to leave the suddenly uncomfortably warm kitchen.
Two mares stood on their hind hooves, their front ones precariously clopping against the lacquered wood of the vanity table. The polish playfully scintillated with the purple and cyan sheen of unicorn magic, the reflections moving in rhythm with exasperated huffs--the mirror had mustered a formidable defence, successfully resisting any attempts to hang it.
Held by Twilight's arcane will close to the wall and nudged by Starlight in all possible directions, it stubbornly refused to find screws with its bracing, riotously sliding past them. Whenever that happened, the mares swayed, following the motion, their senses of balance pushed to their limits.
Their shoulders rubbed, silken coats touching, the fur becoming ruffled, yet neither complained. Furthermore, those close contacts sometimes happened when they had no real cause to.
Her patience tested once again, Twilight quietly growled, moving her head violently, as if it would give more power to her telekinesis. Her lips parted to reveal clenched teeth, but they failed to mutter curses as she suddenly found herself a breath away from Starlight's scowling muzzle.
The begrudged expressions were instantly melted away by the heat radiating from their cheeks; red claiming their coats its domain. There was a soft click when the tips of hooves met upon the table, the wood creaking both approvingly and warningly as the mares leaned onto it. That should have stopped them by the merit of sound alone, but the moan of furniture was ignored as the heads drew closer by a force stronger than any reason.
Nostrils twitched, ears flicked; none of that grabbed the attention of either Starlight or Twilight, lost in the eyes of each other beyond retrieve. Like two trees, the supporting soil washed away by the torrent of emotions, they kept tilting, inchmeal and inevitable.
Anxious short breaths caught in their throats as the hairs of their muzzles touched--an electrifying sensation finally able to stop the unavertable advance. Their bodies, frozen in the infinite moment, shivered in nervous anticipation of the unknown; their hearts fluttering like birds trying to get out of the cage.
Twilight's limbs insidiously quivered, and her shoulder moved almost imperceptibly, the weight shifting. Before she knew it, the soft and blazing lips of Starlight met hers. The last thing she saw before her eyelids dropped like a curtain wall, Starlight's doing the same.
That moment seemed to last for an eternity, yet felt too short, when their lungs interrupted them with a desperate demand. As slowly as they moved to be together, their lips parted, leaving the space for the panting mares to fill with hot breaths.
Unfocused eyes met and held the gaze only for as long as it took to seal the unspoken agreement and refill the air supply. Hastily, like that freedom could be taken away any moment, the mares resumed their kiss.
However, it was different now.
The nervousness coming with the novelty of such an experience was rapidly wearing off as their mouths got the hang of it. The care and uncertainty ceded to dare and curiosity.
Their soft lips pressed harder and inquisitive tongues slipped past, eager for exploration. They clashed midway to their destinations, only for those to be instantly forgotten when they engaged in neither dance nor a fight, seeking both domination and submission.
Following the rallying call of passion, their bodies moved, Starlight seeking to press herself to Twilight's heaving chest.
Twilight answered to her advance with a shrill yelp as her hooves skidded on the unreliable table's surface, ultimately finding no hoofhold as the wood ended and the void began.
With eyes wide, Starlight rushed to stop her fall, only to be blinded by the bright flash of magic coming from the tip of Twilight's horn.
When the light of the spell faded, Starlight didn't find herself lying on a floor in a tangle of aching limbs. Her hooves dug into a soft blanket, springy mattress wobbling underneath. Right between them was Twilight's face, red like a beetroot and surrounded by the halo of frazzled mane.
Starlight didn't need the mirror, abandoned on the vanity in its victory, to know her blush was no less apparent, spreading across her body in a wave of heat.
Frozen in the compromising position, the two mares stared at one another for a long minute until Twilight's ruddiness did the impossible and intensified, her speaking the moment later:
"Should we continue where we stopped?"
There was only a momentary hesitation before Starlight lowered her head, yet her lips didn't meet Twilight's right away. The half-opened mouths lingered in wait, the two mares revelling in each other's blazing breath before they slowly pressed them together.
The kiss was almost as long as the pause preceding it, leaving the participants panting for breaths. However, when the desire to continue it won over the need for air, Starlight's lips missed their mark, landing instead on the place where Twilight's jaws met her neck. Before the confusion could settle in, another soft kiss graced the lavender coat, a bit lower this time.
Realizing what Starlight's plan was, Twilight grasped her partner's shoulders moving further away with each consecutive kiss. A moan threatened to escape her mouth but caught in her throat as it wasn't only the touch of lips that came next--Starlight gently bit the sensitive skin on her neck.
Sensing Twilight's hooves clutching her like a vice, Starlight couldn't help but smile. Without pausing her assault, she glanced up, expecting to witness an expression of pleasure, eyes rolling up.
She was met by a familiar unblinking gaze.
Perched atop of the headboard, Owlowiscious emotionlessly observed the action unfolding before him, his eyes gleaming with a mysterious strange sheen from the shadows.
The mare underneath her forgotten, Starlight yelled at the audacious bird, "Shoo!"
Owlowiscious didn't even budge at the outrage, radiating smugness. His display of disrespect lasted until a pillow went flying in his direction. Missing completely, it was never supposed to bring him down but to deliver the message.
With a flap of his wings and an angry hoot, the owl moved out of pillow engagement range, shedding his feathers at Starlight following him with a glare.
Starlight's magic levitated another soft projectile in the air, yet she wasn't meant to launch it, as she was tackled by an alicorn. The sudden attack sent her sprawling onto the dishevelled blankets and she promptly found herself in Twilight's place from minutes ago. Without a moment of hesitation, she submitted.
Driven by the same fire that motivated her to reverse their roles in the first place, Twilight wasted no time, pressing her lips to Starlight's, only for that kiss to last for mere seconds. She then mirrored Starlight by smothering the fuschia coat with numerous short kisses, steadily moving with them down the neck of the squirming unicorn.
Although unrelenting in her onslaught, she stopped when her lips touched the crest of Starlight heaving chest. Their eyes met and Twilight had to fight the desire to lunge forward and lock their mouths in a long and passionate kiss.
Twilight's muzzle brushed against the velvety coat of Starlight's belly and the mare underneath her shuddered. That was accompanied by a sound Twilight expected to hear the last--a giggle.
Her confused pause prompted a response:
"It tickles!"
It took as long as a single heartbeat for Twilight's expression to dissolve into a devious smile. With that grin growing wider, she firmly pressed her mouth to Starlight's tum and exhaled. The resulting sound was drowned out by an explosion of uncontrollable laughter, triumphant Twilight quietly echoing it.
Pinned to the bed, Starlight struggled and to Twilight's surprise was quick to wrench herself from alicorn's hooves. She rolled from under her, intending to bring Twilight down and loom over the exposed mare like before. However, out of both pride and fear (for revenge; she was ticklish herself), Twilight resisted, trying to pin Starlight back.
Twilight's wings, spread wide and stiff, conveniently prevented her from ending up on her back, but at the same time made her no favours in battling against Starlight's already superior dexterity. With that, the confrontation seemed to come to an impasse, but then Twilight's hoof failed to find purchase amidst the tangled bed covers and blankets and she fell muzzle first into their soft embrace.
Not a moment later Starlight's hooves gently dug into her shoulder blades and she declared, "I'm great and powerful!"
"I knew she was a bad influence," Twilight grumbled from underneath her.
The defeated princess opened her mouth to accept her defeat and ask Starlight to move from atop of her when a wave of pleasure rolled over her back, obliterating any thoughts she had.
Starlight limbs pressed softly into the aching muscles, relieving the pressure with the affectionate yet firm touch. The hard tips slid against the contours of Twilight's wings, sending jolts down her spine, making her gasp when the bundle of nerves between her feathery appendages was carefully massaged.
With a content sigh Twilight sunk into the bed, practically melting from Starlight's care. She vocalized her unconditional surrender with occasional moans as the deft unicorn's hooves found that spot.
Starlight's magic enveloped the no longer rigid wings and the mare regarded them for a few long moments. Helping with preening was an intimate, but not exactly the most pleasing experience, nor she really knew how to do it right. So, shaking her head, she carefully lowered them to rest atop the cover.
With wings left to wait until the day Starlight was armed with proper knowledge, there wasn't a place on Twilight's upper body absolved of attention. That meant only one thing...
All her senses strained to not miss any reaction, Starlight cautiously pressed her hooves into Twilight's soft coat and slowly slid them down the ridge of her arched spine, leaving behind ruffled fur and skin twitching from the novel sensation. The developing musculature of a novice flier ceded to the supple flesh faithfully serving as a cushion for an experienced book worm.
Twilight gasped as an invisible border was crossed, making Starlight momentarily falter, but as the purple rump pressed back into her hooves a second later, she resumed the motion with a smirk.
She followed the guiding line of Twilight's back only for a little longer, then strayed, moving to explore the expanse of her croup. They stopped only then the monotonous purple fur ceded to the explosion of magenta colour belonging to the cutie mark.
To Twilight's delight, that pause didn't last for long, as the tips of Starlight's hooves traced each star on her hindquarters. However, there were only so many stars and soon she was left wondering what would come after all of them were given attention.
Starlight backed a bit, letting herself take a full view of Twilight's curves, feeling it reflect with a fire of desire burning inside her. It was that flame in her loins prompting her to lean and not just kiss the beautiful cutie mark, but nip at it.
Unsurprisingly, the sudden action caused Twilight to jolt. However, the yelp that fell from her lips promptly became a moan muffled by the blankets as she sunk further into them.
When Starlight lowered her head to Twilight's rump again, she only kissed it, a bit away from the cutie mark. Despite the action being less intense, Twilight reacted to it the same, her back arching.
The next kiss landed even further from the stars, followed by another following the inevitable path to the obvious destination. One more graced the blazing coat and Starlight paused, knowing where her mouth was about to land. The mare in front of her froze in anticipation, too, clutching the blanket.
Starlight inhaled deeply, tasting the alluring smell of Twilight's arousal and dove between Twilight's legs.
The kiss lasted only as long as it took squirming Twilight's body to twitch, the glistening pearl revealing itself to touch Starlight's lips. When she moved her head back, a strand of saliva and whatnot hung between her and Twilight. Licking the sweet taste off her lips, she returned to the pulsing with heat purple hindquarters for more.
Twilight squirmed as the hot tongue slid over her mare parts, its wetness mixing with her own moisture, dripping on the crumpled bed covers. Starlight left not a single inch uncatered, eagerly exploring each crevice and curve of the entrance into Twilight's burning depths.
The moment had come and the tip of her tongue pressed into the slick folds, ready to spread them apart, but Twilight's rump suddenly moved away.
Before confusion could settle, Starlight was all but knocked down, Twilight's lips pressing into hers. Breathless, she went limp, readily accepting the passionate retaliation.
Their mouths parted, leaving both mares to pant heavily.
Starlight lifted her head to resume the kiss but was denied it as Twilight had some other plans.
The alicorn started anew her intent on moving down the length of her partner's body, showering her with kisses. However, this time it wasn't a deliberate slow journey, but a haste one, where she nipped on the sensitive skin rather than softly brushed it with a delicate touch of her lips. Not that Starlight minded--the dim of the room was echoing with her moans.
She tensed momentarily as Twilight passed her heaving chest and loomed over her ticklish belly, but the winged form swiftly moved further.
Starlight gasped as the soft skin of her breast felt a touch of Twilight's hot lips wrapping around her hard nipples. Equally hard tongue caressed the plump flesh, tracing circles on the silky smooth surface of her teats. Her back arched when Twilight gave one of the nipples a mild pinch with her lips, followed by a few moments of gentle suckling, Starlight moaning in response.
With that done, Twilight moved further down and finally reached her destination.
Wasting no time, she licked away the dew gathered there, making Starlight shudder. She then proceeded to repay the favour dealt to her not long ago, letting her tongue wander over her partner's marehood until no place was left unvisited, save for that which lay beneath the surface.
A slick tongue circled Starlight's folds and they replied with a desperate wink, calling for more serious measures. Twilight readily accepted the invitation, effortlessly sliding inside, enveloping her mouth around the welling wetness between Starlight's legs.
Even the tiniest movement of Twilight tongue and lips was met with either a gasp or moan, Starlight making the already violated bed covers even more of a mess as she convulsed in throes of pleasure.
As her body began to grow accustomed to the overwhelming sensation, her horn flared up. Twilight paused in her assault on the junction between Starlight's thighs, her eyes going wide as she felt the tendrils of magic reach her marehood.
The hesitation faded away quickly and Twilight resumed her efforts with a renewed vigour, trying to stay focused as Starlight's arcane will now worked on her hindquarters, making them drip lust on the bed.
It was no secret Starlight was good with magic and that new application of her prowess carried the same effectiveness and talent. Twilight could feel it as her hind legs started to quiver, threatening to buckle underneath her.
Her ministrations seemed to pay off, too, as Starlight's moans grew in pitch and her winking grew more frequent. As if Twilight could leave her the last moment, she wrapped her legs around her neck.
That seemed only to make Twilight's tongue wilder, it wriggling in and out Starlight, attacking without mercy the jewel now barely hiding itself in the hot and wet folds.
Starlight clutched Twilight's horn in her hooves, burying the purple muzzle between her legs with a cry, her magic feeling her partner's marehood pulse like never before.
Twilight's legs gave out under her and she crumpled into the damp sheets.
Both mares became nothing but bundles of pleasure, twitching and moaning in each other's hold.
Eventually, the debilitating sensation faded away, leaving behind a warm afterglow.
When Twilight found strength in her legs to move again, she crawled forward until her muzzle met Starlight's and they softly kissed. Then she wrapped her hooves and wings around her and they rested in one another's embrace. |
Aliens & Rainbows | pre | "It's not what it looks like!" The wide eyed pony exclaimed before she jumped off of Blaze.
"You better start explaining NOW!"
*****
"Well, I guess that explains the spilt soup." Rainbow Dash said mild mannerly, "But that doesn't explain that."
Rainbow Dash pointed to the still flustered Fluttershy.
"What?"
Fluttershy looked over her shoulder to see her wings, still flared open. She embarrassingly closed her wings, and looked pitifully to the ground.
A few moments of awkward silence followed, between the two pegasi, as Blaze had walked out a few moments earlier to wash some of the stray soup that had found its way onto his mane.
"So, when were you going to tell me Blaze was staying here?" Rainbow Dash finally spoke up.
Are you trying to steal away Blaze from me?! She thought ferociously to herself.
"I only found out last night, Spike just dropped him off at my doorstep. He said he was going to need to stay here for a while."
A likely story!
"Besides I think it's best that he does stay here so I can make sure he's healing well, both physically and mentally. I also feel like this is the only way I can give back to him for what he did."
"Wait, wait, wait, what you're telling me is that you want to observe Blaze?" Rainbow said disregarding the last part of her statement.
"Yes..."
Rainbow Dash started to get furious.
"NO, No, no not like that!" Fluttershy said picking up on the hostility. "Major traumatic events, like the one we were in, have detrimental effects on not only the body, but the mind as well! I just want to make sure he's alright."
There was a state of uneasiness that filled the room. Fluttershy couldn't keep eye contact with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash picked up on this.
"Alright, what aren't you telling me?" She said interrogating the pink maned Pegasus.
"Well..." Fluttershy spoke even softer than before.
"Well WHAT!"
Fluttershy recoiled back at the harshness of her tone.
"Well... you see he isn't exactly himself..."
"I already knew that! He has amnesia!" Rainbow Dash shouted obviously getting frustrated.
Fluttershy recoiled back even more.
"It's not that, he doesn't have amnesia..." Fluttershy explained barely audibly.
"What aren't you telling me!?" Rainbow Dash yelled not hearing Fluttershys previous statement.
Fluttershy started to curl up into a ball, obviously unable to cope with the diatribe Rainbow Dash was giving. She started to cry softly to herself.
"TELL ME!" Rainbow Dash screamed, not realizing the volume of her voice.
"Hey!" shouted a stern voice, "What's wrong with you! Yelling at her like that!"
Rainbow Dash looked over to see Blaze trot over to Fluttershy, and whisper something into her ear. Fluttershy sniffled to herself and got up. Blaze turned over to Rainbow Dash.
"What kind of friend are you!"
Blaze's mordant words stung Rainbow Dash like wasp stings. She backed up against the wall, hurt by Blaze's harsh tone. She was distraught over the change in personality of her close friend. Tears started to well up in her eyes, and before Blaze could say anything else she stormed out of the house, and took off into the sky.
"What is wrong with her?" Blaze said turning to Fluttershy. "I thought everyone was nice here in Ponyville!"
Fluttershy wiped away the last of her tears, "You just don't realize what she's been going through lately."
"That doesn't give her the right to yell at you like that!"
"She was just trying to figure out something."
"What could be so important that she would treat her friends like crap?!"
Fluttershy was silent for a few moments.
"You..." She finally managed to say.
*****
Blaze and Fluttershy exited the Cottage. They were on their way to a 'super-secret special meeting', or at least that's how Applejack put it. The meeting, however, was located at Sugar Cube Corner, which Fluttershy found very suspicious. She shrugged it off though.
"Wait, I'm still trying to get this straight. I was her what?" Blaze said continuing their conversation from inside.
"Fiance...Or at least you were...It's more complicated than you think..."
Blaze looked at Fluttershy with incredulity and pondered the word for a moment. Fiance? Blaze had a mixture of emotions about that statement, suddenly regretting the way he treated Rainbow Dash. Great now how do I handle this?
"She just wants you back..."
Blaze remained silent for a few moments, and then stopped. Fluttershy turned around to look at Blaze. Blaze just stared back at Fluttershy.
"What do I do?" Blaze said quietly.
Fluttershy looked off into the distance. The day had been so hectic for her, an unpleasant change of pace from the usual tending of animals. She took little relief in the harmonious chirping of birds that she usually sang along with. Everything had changed since the accident.
"I don't know..." She finally managed to say. Fluttershy turned around gloomily and spoke to herself, "Nothing is going to be the same again..."
The two of them continued their semi silent walk to Sugar Cube Corner.
*****
The two pegasi finally made their way to the Confectionery. The lights were peculiarly shut off. And Fluttershy was able to make out the silhouettes of several ponies inside the building.
"Huh? That's weird, are buildings usually closed in the afternoon here in Ponyville?" Blaze asked.
Fluttershy just smiled at him realizing the true meaning behind the secret meeting.
"Blaze, can you please open the door for me?" she said with a slight giggle.
Blaze trotted up to the door still ignorant to the crowd of ponies anxiously waiting on the other side. He pushed open the door slowly, letting his eyes adjust to the light, or the lack there-of. Just as he stepped inside, followed closely by Fluttershy, a familiar pink pony sprang into the air, simultaneously turning on the lights, and screamed, "SURPRISE!!!!!"
Blaze reeled back in excitement, nearly bumping into Fluttershy.
"Bwaaah!" He yelped.
Before he could even react, the pony, seemingly, flew toward Blaze and wrapped her forelegs around him.
"I was so happy when I saw you out and about in the streets that I decided to throw you a combination surprise, welcome back, get well soon, and welcome to Ponyville party!"
"Welcome to Ponyville? Wait!" Blaze looked back at Fluttershy who was equally confused, "How did you know I'm not the Pony you think I am?"
The pony was quick to reply, "Well it's not exactly the best kept secret! Duh! Everypony in Ponyville knows what happened now!"
Blaze was a shocked at how quickly word spread in this town. He was equally surprised at how accepting and friendly everypony was in Ponyville.
"Okay silly, enough with all this standing around, LET'S PARTY!"
And with those words streamers and confetti burst into the air, and a catchy tune started to play. All of the ponies started to mingle, eager to start the party. As the crowd started to shift Blaze was able to make out the figure of a cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane. She quickly noticed him also and moved deeper into the morphing crowd. Blaze, eager to apologize about before, pursued Rainbow Dash.
Just as Blaze was able to get to Rainbow Dash, she left the main crowd and ran into another room. Blaze wasn't ready to give up chase, as he readily followed her into the room. Upon entering the room though, he found that she was nowhere to be found. Puzzled by this he turned around to exit, but heard the distinct sound of somepony crying. He quickly spun around and walked deeper into the room. With each step he took the crying became louder, until he finally found himself looking up a door, which he suspected to lead to a closet.
He opened the door only to be surprised that it had a staircase inside of it that led to the basement. Blaze, eager to find the source of dismay and Rainbow Dash, followed the pathway into the cellar. As he neared the end of the staircase he came into a dimly lit room, only illuminated by a ray of dirty light coming from a window. He was, although, able to make out the shape of a pony curled up in the center of the room. She was the source of the crying. Blaze drew nearer to the pony and tried to comfort her.
"Hey, why are you crying?" Blaze said caringly.
"You wouldn't understand..." The voice said dejectedly.
"Try me."
The pony sniffled to herself and started to speak up again, "Have you...Have you ever loved somepony, but they didn't love you back?"
"She wasn't a pony, but I know what you mean."
"Well, there's this pony that I really loved, and I mean a LOT!" she said starting to cheer up a little bit. "But this thing came up...and...well he changed, he may never be the same, but I still love him!"
The pony started to shift a little to look upon Blaze. "He's the reason I get up in the morning. He's the joy in my heart, the love in my soul! The source of my inspiration, the wonder in my world..."
She paused for a moment, and stood up.
"and I just want him to love me back, to love me again!"
She stuck out her fore legs and gave Blaze a tender hug. She started to cry uncontrollably. Blaze felt her warm tears fall upon his back. He shifted his head a little to look the pony in her eyes. Her beautiful magenta eyes sent chills throughout his body.
"I'll learn to love you again." Blaze said passionately taking Rainbow Dashinto a tender embrace.
Rainbow Dash continued to cry even more. She shifted her weight towards Blaze to draw him in closer. As they held each other for a few moments Rainbow Dash felt Blaze nuzzle her gently, causing her to fill with love. She had finally gotten him back.
"Thank you." She spoke softly.
Rainbow looked up at Blaze, for a few moments she drew closer to his face, until she found herself less than a hair away from touching his lips. She held that position for a moment, quietly admiring his gentle, but warm breath. Before she could react Blaze touched his lips to hers, passionately kissing her deeply. She eagerly returned the long awaited kiss, and held it for several minutes. Both ponies reluctantly pulled away to regain their breath. They both fell to the ground, so that they could draw closer to one another. They held each other for a few minutes without saying a word. Blaze was the first to break the silence.
"RAINBOW DASH WAKE UP!!!!" he shouted loudly.
"Huh?"
*****
Rainbow Dash wiggled awake, finding herself in a new place. She was lying face down on a cloud. The cloud itself was surprisingly moist. That's when she remembered where she was. After she flew away hastily from the confrontation with Blaze, she came to her favorite cloud perch. Still distraught over having Blaze yell at her, she cried herself into a pleasant dream state.
"RAINBOW DASH WAKE UP!!!!! WE'RE GONNA BE LATE!!!!" said a familiar southern voice.
Rainbow Dash peeked over the side of her cloud to see a familiar orange earth pony.
"Late for what Applejack?" she shouted lazily.
"The party!"
Oh right! She thought to herself, jumping down from the cloud, descending to meet Applejack.
"How long do we have?"
"The party's not fer nother hour."
"Wait, what! Then why did you wake me?!"
She just smiled back at Rainbow Dash, "You seem like you need somepony to talk to."
"What would make you think that, AJ?"
Applejack just continued to give a soft smile, and pointed up towards the sky. Rainbow Dash looked up to see that the cloud she was perched upon was dripping down precipitation.
"We aren't scheduled fer any rain today." She said looking back at Rainbow Dash, "Now seriously RD, what's wrong?"
Rainbow Dash looked back at the mare before her. She couldn't help but feel a sense of insecurity in Applejacks presence. She didn't want to show any weakness to her rival and longtime friend.
Rainbow sighed to herself, "You wouldn't understand." She quietly whispered, turning away to look back to the skies. It was a beautiful summer day, not too cloudy, not too windy, and just sunny enough, a perfect day for Rainbow Dash, as these were the best flying conditions. That and the sight itself was amazing.
Applejack took a few steps closer to her distressed friend, joining her in the quiet appreciation of the sky, "Try me..."
Dashes ears perked up. Dejà vu. She thought to herself.
Rainbow Dash was silent for a few seconds, and looked sullenly upon the ground. She didn't know quite what it was that made her open up to her friend, but she accepted the relief it brought.
"Applejack, have you ever loved someone who didn't love you back? Have you ever been cursed to spend your days with that person, knowing that they may never love you again?"
She paused for a moment to regain her composure.
"Have you ever wondered, what could've been, had the circumstances changed?"
Tears cascaded gently across Applejack's face, trickling down to drench the parched soil. Rainbow Dash looked over to see the tears of the strongest pony she'd ever met, fall to the ground ungraciously.
"Yes..." |
Aliens & Rainbows | Mysteries Unanswered | Flickers of hope, Dashes of lights.
Illuminating the stormy night.
And so with great tragedy,
Comes great memory.
Because no matter what you do,
He'll always be there for you.
*****
Rainbow Dash looked upon her old friend with understanding. Taking a moment to let the silence sink in, both of them stood still. The gloominess of the situation hadn't reflected the serene scenery. Rainbow Dash finally decided to join in her friends silent suffering, letting her own tears trickle from her magenta eyes.
"Then you know how I feel?" Rainbow Dash finally said after a few minutes of silence.
Applejack wiped away excess moisture from her soaking eyes. She turned to look upon Rainbow Dash to find that she had an equally drenched face as hers.
"All too well..."
Rainbow Dash looked upon her friend with compassion, noticing how close the two had gotten to each other.
"I just want him back Applejack, I'll always love him!"
The two ponies shared another moment of tender silence. A soft breeze tussled at their manes gently, lightening their mood.
"I don't care if he has amnesia! I'll teach him to love me back! I'll...I'll"
Applejack looked upon Rainbow Dash with confusion. Did she just say amnesia?! That's not what Spike said. She thought to herself.
"What? Why is everyone looking at me like that today?" Rainbow said remembering her altercation with Fluttershy earlier in the day.
Applejack felt uncomfortable having to tell her best friend the truth under such circumstances.
"Ya mean ya didn't know?"
"Know? Know what?"
Applejack took a moment to choose her next words carefully.
"Now Sugarcube, ya know I would never lie to ya right?"
"Of course!"
"Well, ah don't know how ta put this, but..." Applejack started to say biting her lip.
"WHAT!"
Applejack was slow to respond, showing her remorse in telling her friend the truth.
"Blaze isn't the pony you remember, and no ah don't mean he has amnesia. The old Blaze is gone, forever..." Applejack revealed this information with unintentional harshness in her tone.
Rainbow Dash backed away, unable to cope with her reality.
"W-what do you mean?" Rainbow Dash said in a shaky voice, her words tumbling from her mouth.
"As ya know after the accident Blaze and Fluttershy were in critical condition. Blaze had done everything in his power ta protect Fluttershy, but at a cost to himself."
"No! No! I don't want to hear it!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she backed away from the orange earth pony.
"But yah have ta Sugarcube, you need ta hear this!"
Applejack shot out both forelegs to prevent the delirious Pegasus from flying away, simultaneously drawing her in to an embrace.
Rainbow Dash started to cry uncontrollably, returning the comforting hug of her friend. The two ponies relived the harsh terror of that tragic night.
*****
Rainbow Dash awoke from her irregular slumber, at an irregular time; evening. She hopped out of the tree she took refuge in. Rainbow never quite understood why she slept in trees when she was able to enjoy the plushness of a fluffy cloud. Perhaps she wanted to be more down to earth, be closer to her friends.
Her friends.
The ponies who were always there for her, the ponies she had so many good memories with, the ponies who always supported her. But now, the only pony that mattered hated her and probably never wanted to see her again.
Blaze...
Words cannot describe the sacred love and bond the two share. Although their relationship was still young, it seemed as though the two had known each other since foalhood. In the few short months they had been together they grew so much, learned so much.
But now that may all be gone...
Rainbow grimaced at her reckless actions that drove Blaze away. But how was she supposed to know the value of such a seemingly useless trinket. Had she known the sentimental value Blaze held upon it she would have taken much better care of it, and not have lost it in the Everfree forest.
That crummy stone!
That stone was one of Blaze's most valued possessions, and the memento of a forgotten past. Although, Rainbow never was the one to sit idly by whilst her chances at true love dwindled away. No, she would make it up to Blaze...somehow.
Rainbow looked upon the fading cerulean sky, her daily weather duties taken care of long ago earlier in the day.
How can I make it up to Blaze? She knew that there was only one thing she could do. One and only one true way she could win back the affection of Blaze.
To find the stone, wherever it may lie in the depths of the endless Everfree.
Rainbow Dash took to the sky, stretching her wings as she let the waning evening winds carry her off into the setting sun. Rainbow contemplated an easier way of tracking the stone on her way to the Everfree. Rarity should be a prime candidate for the job, as she had a gem seeking spell. But that wasn't quite suited for Rainbow's needs, as the stone she was looking for was just a stone, nothing more. Maybe Fluttershy could enlist the help of the nearby woodland creatures, if they ever happened by the ruby rock they could bring it to her.
Yah! That'll work! Rainbow snickered at her own shrewdness. In no time I'll have that stone and everything will be back to normal.
Rainbow Dash picked up her speed, she wanted to waste no more time away from Blaze's loving embrace. She started to near Fluttershy's Cottage. But something was amiss. There, held above Fluttershy's cottage, was a dark and ominous cloud. Its sheen was black as night, but seemingly illuminated the waning light of day.
Ponyville doesn't have any storms scheduled for tonight.
Rainbow changed her direction to inspect the seemingly ubiquitous cloud. As she drew nearer and nearer to it, though, she noticed the screams of her friends. Upon further inspection of the cloud Rainbow found that it was a blazing fire set in the Everfree Forest. When she realized this she took off for the scene with great celerity.
Although, midway through her accelerated flight she saw a huge explosion manifest itself slightly above the raging forest fire. And through the fire and the flames Rainbow Dash saw him fall.
Blaze fell to the ground with a sickening thud, his seemingly lifeless body kept still. Rainbow Dash, seeing that the fire had been choked out by the explosion, sped over to the pony she still held feelings for. She landed near the scorched earth where Blaze now laid. He shuffled around in his recumbent position. Seeing this Rainbow picked up Blaze and held him in her hooves. His body resonated heat from the previous explosion, and heat dried blood was caked across his face.
"Blaze! Blaze! What happened! Are you alright?!" Rainbow exclaimed to the pony she clenched so dearly.
Blaze just gave Rainbow Dash a sincere smile, a smile she had come to love.
"I saved... The... Forest...and...Fluttershy..." Blaze was weak from the explosion. His words were intermittent and barely audible.
Rainbow Dash was greatly confused, her mind still reeling from the previous explosion, and Blaze's current condition. She surveyed her surroundings, her vision reduced to a haze through all of the smoke. Blaze tugged at Rainbow's hoof.
"Rainbow..." Blaze tried to muster up enough energy to relay his message, "I...I just wanted you...wanted you to know..."
I'm sorry...
With his words finally given Blaze let go. The smile on his face slowly faded away, and so too did the soft pounding of his heart. Rainbow Dash let out a heart wrenching squeal, as she let her tears flow. She watched as his fiery spark faded from his eyes.
Rainbow Dash was unaware of her surroundings. Through the smoke and haze a familiar unicorn galloped to her side.
"He's dead! HE'S DEAD!!!" Rainbow screamed thrashing her head violently, trying to shake the reality away from her mind. The unicorn, without thinking, knelt down and touched her horn to the lifeless corpse. Her horn gave off a bewildering glow as sparks started shooting off from it. The unicorn, however, soon lost control. Her eyes gave an ominous glow that was brighter than her horn. With a powerful bang a spark shot from her horn sending the unicorn backwards and stumbling to the ground.
There were a few eerie moments of uneasiness.
The body that was lifeless just seconds ago sprang back to life. While still unconscious, Blaze started to hack and wheeze, showing his regaining of life. Rainbow Dash, seeing this, wasted no time to carry Blaze off into the sky towards the hospital, Urgent Medical. She left an amazing Rainbow trail in her wake.
One thought raced through Rainbow's mind...
Please, be alright...
*****
There was a moment of awkward tension between the two mares.
"That spell Twi' put on Blaze changed him. He wasn't the same... He'll never be the same..." Applejack explained.
Rainbow Dash pushed away from Applejack and fell to the ground, unable to cope with reliving the trauma of that event, and the honesty of her words.
"What does it mean? Who is he then?" Rainbow Dash said to the pony looking over her.
Applejack sighed deeply to herself.
"He's still Blaze, just different. He's just got himself a new brain is all." Applejack said even confusing herself with that statement.
Rainbow just looked away with disgust. Her friend's words carried no comfort. Only pain, pain she just wanted to escape. It seemed that everything she had done, all those pleasant moments with Blaze were in vain. The pony she had come to love was gone, and she needed to come terms with that.
Or maybe not.
Maybe she still had a chance to win him over once more. To restore the love she once had, restore the life she craved for so enviously. And with that Rainbow Dash found new vigor, new reason to push forward.
I still have a chance
The cerulean pony regained her footing on all fours. She took a moment to stabilize her hysterical breathing, which she just noticed. She turned to look upon the pony which revealed to her so much.
"Applejack?"
The orange earth pony was relieved to see her dear friend regain her composure.
"Yeah Sugarcube?"
Rainbow cocked her head slightly to give herself a jocular appearance.
"I think we have a party to get to."
The earth pony just smiled at her friend. She trotted up next to her to start their journey to the 'super-secret special meeting'. Midway through their walk Rainbow wanted to break the tranquil silence.
"Hey Applejack, who were they?"
Applejack stopped in her tracks to question the meaning of Rainbow's statement, "What'dya mean?"
"You know, the pony you love...what happened between you two?"
She took a moment to think about her answer.
"We just decided to stay friends, I think it's fer the best though."
Rainbow Dash looked upon her friend intently. Applejack tried to hide her true emotions, and her true intentions. But Rainbow Dash decided not to pry, now was not the time, for if they procrastinated any longer they actually would be late for the party.
The two mares carried onward, both feeling some sense of relief.
*****
"THEY'RE COMING!! EVERPONY HIDE!!!"
Everypony in Sugar Cube Corner hunkered down, hiding behind anything that would obstruct somepony's vision from the windows. An unusually energetic pony scurried over to the wall and killed the lights. She then stealthily crept up to the side of the door, as if she were going to attack the next pony to enter.
"Everypony ready?" She asked in an excitedly hushed tone.
A series of giggles filled the room as a sign of approval. Ponies shuffled around in the room trying to get a better position. The pony near the door peaked out the window to see two familiar ponies. She gave an excited squeal as she signaled to everypony else in the room.
"Huh? That's weird, are buildings usually closed in the afternoon here in Ponyville?" One of the ponies questioned on the other side of the door.
"Blaze, can you please open the door for me?" The other voice said.
A few moments passed before the door slowly creaked open, sending streaks of light that filled the room. Just as one of the ponies from outside stepped through the door the pony near the door jumped out from her hiding place. She squealed with joy!
"SURPRISE!!!!!"
Blaze reeled back in excitement, nearly bumping into Fluttershy
"Bwaaah!" He yelped.
Before he could even react, the pony, seemingly, flew toward Blaze and wrapped her forelegs around him. A familiar conversation ensued.
These actions were observed by two ponies from within the crowd, who just barely made it to the party on time. Although, one pony seemed to be confused.
"Wait, Pinkie knew about what happened to Blaze too?" Rainbow Dash said incredulously to her orange earth pony friend. The earth pony just gave an unsure shrug.
"Word travels fast in a town as small as Ponyville." Applejack explained.
Rainbow Dash brushed off the inconsistency, that didn't matter right now. What mattered now was Blaze and winning back his affection. What better time to do this then at his own party?
"Okay silly, enough with all this standing around, LET'S PARTY!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in her usual state of energetic happiness.
Ponies around Rainbow Dash threw colorful hooffulls of streamers and confetti into the air. And a familiar tune filled the room with jovial sound. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel as though this had just happened, inside of her dreams. She shrugged it off as a mere coincidence.
"Well Sugarcube, Ah don't know bout you but I'm gonna get me some of that punch before Berry Punch hogs all of it. Catch ya later." Applejack trotted off into the already shifting crowd of ponies.
Rainbow Dash found herself alone, figuratively speaking of course. Although surrounded by other ponies she couldn't shake this overwhelming feeling of incredible loneliness. She was still looking for somepony, but she couldn't find him through all of the confusion. The mingling bunch of ponies shifted continuously. But as the crowd shifted so did Rainbow's view. That is until Rainbow found the pony she was looking for. Their eyes met for just a moment. Rainbow still wanted to win Blaze over, but first she needed to apologize for earlier, and in the crowd was not the place.
She broke away from the crowd and walked away into a nearby room, trying to escape the craziness of the ensuing party. Suddenly an overwhelming sense of Dejà vu came upon Rainbow Dash. But yet again Rainbow Dash shrugged it off as a coincidence. She walked over to the nearby window, and looked outside for no apparent reason.
"Hey Rainbow Dash?"
Rainbow Dash turned to inspect the source of the voice. The question had come from Blaze, who had pursued her into the room. Rainbow returned the unclear greeting.
"Blaze." Rainbow Dash said surprisingly colder than she wanted.
A few moments of awkward silence followed. Neither one wanted to continue the conversation. Rainbow Dash looked upon Blaze, as if trying to find out what he was thinking. Blaze started to become nervous, and it showed through the beads of sweat that were trickling down his coat.
"So...was there something you wanted to say?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Blaze was slow to reply, his gaze shifting from object to object within the room.
"Uhhh...yah...I just...I wanted to...to say..."
Before Blaze could finish his sentence he felt something press up against his lips. He shifted his eyes to see exactly what was obstructing his mouth. To his surprise it was Rainbow Dash's hoof, and Rainbow Dash was looking upon him caringly. Somehow she was able to close the distance between the two in less than a second.
"Don't...It was my fault...I'm sorry."
How'd she know what I was going to say? Blaze was confused and he showed it. But this only made Rainbow Dash giggle softly, which melted Blaze's heart.
"Let me try to make it up to you." She smiled at Blaze gently, trying not to show her true feelings. "You probably don't know how to fly. Well I just happen to be Ponyville's best flier!"
Rainbow was tooting her own horn yet again; a habit Blaze never got her to break. She started to trot out of the room. But before she excited she turned back to the confused Blaze.
"We'll start training tomorrow," She gave Blaze a soft peck on the cheek. "You're cute when you're confused."
She started to trot out of the room once more leaving the bedazzled Blaze to contemplate the meaning of her statement, and the kiss. But before Rainbow Dash fully excited the room she left Blaze one last message.
"Oh, and Blaze, you might want to get your wings checked before going back to the party." She said with a large grin on her face as she left the room.
What does she mean check my wings? Blaze thought as he looked upon his wings, which were uncontrollably flared open. When did that happen? He thought to himself not fully understanding the meaning behind the erect wings. Regardless, he managed to will himself to close his wings, an appendage he was still getting used to. Maybe I do need some training
Blaze still had a party to attend, one that was thrown in his honor. He had guests to mingle with.
Well I guess I should get to know everypony here in Ponyville...
*****
The waning light of day partially obstructed Blaze's view of the cottage. The party, it seems, went on much longer than anticipated. Chuckles of a surprisingly tipsy pony filled Blaze's ears. It also appears that somepony had spiked the punch at the party, and Fluttershy had a bit more than she could handle. To say she was drunk off her flank would be the understatement of the century.
"Hehehe, look at me I can fly!" Fluttershy said as if it were the first time she discovered this.
Blaze just gave a gentle smile to the intoxicated pony. He knew he would have to help guide her home, so he left the party at the same time as her. Fluttershy zipped around through the air, barely keeping her body above the ground. Blaze lazily kept his hooves on the ground; his judgment was not clouded by a suspicious party beverage.
Together the two Pegasi continued onward through the growing darkness of the evening. Fluttershy continued her drunken mishaps all along their journey. Occasionally stumbling over a peculiarly placed rock in the road, or smacking face first into low hanging branches. But eventually the two ponies finally made it to their destination, just before the inevitable setting of the sun. Blaze opened the door to let the overly tipsy Fluttershy in. As she went through the door, however, she stumbled over one of the stools placed in the living room, causing her to fall over. Blaze, shocked by this event, galloped over to aid the seemingly injured Fluttershy. But, much to his surprise, he found that Fluttershy was giggling uncontrollably to herself.
"Oops!" She finally managed to say.
Blaze, after observing these events play out before him, decided Fluttershy wouldn't be able to make the trivial task of climbing the stairs on her own. He, much to Fluttershy's surprise, slung her over his back. Fluttershy was too weak from her constant antics on the way home and just accepted the free ride. Although, she still wasn't incapacitated...
"Hey, hey Blaze wanna hear a secret?"
Blaze just sighed to himself, knowing that whatever the answer may be, it was going to be stupid regardless. But he decided to humor her.
"Sure..."
Fluttershy only giggled to herself as Blaze started the journey up the stairs.
"I think Rainbow Dash Likes you!"
This time Blaze giggled to himself. No kidding. He thought to himself with a smile on his face.
Blaze finally made it to Fluttershy's room. He set Fluttershy upon her bed. To his surprise though, he found that Fluttershy was already in a deep slumber. He deduced that she must've fallen asleep when he was carrying her. Blaze decided to show some care back to the pony who had given to him so much. He covered up the sleeping Pegasus with a blanket. She was quick to take the blanket into her embrace, as if it were a cuddly bunny. She continued to sleep happily as Blaze started to exit the room. But before he left the room he felt something draw him towards the window.
A mysterious force, unknown to Blaze, pulled him towards the window. As he came upon the opening he found himself looking upon a recently scorched Everfree forest. What happened next not even Blaze could explain. He opened the window and jumped out of the cottage.
Blaze started walking towards the forest, still not under control of his own body.
*****
It was already night time, the moon had long since risen, becoming the only source of light for Blaze as he still inexplicably walked through the burnt soil and brush of the Everfree. For what seemed like an hour Blaze had been wandering through the Everfree, yet somehow he knew all too well where he was, and where was going.
The forest, for the most part, was lifeless. Not even the chirp of a cricket was audible in the dead silence of the night. With each hoofstep he felt himself getting closer and closer to his destination, wherever it may be. But something glinted off in the distance, it broke Blaze's trance like state. He looked over to see what the source of the glinting was. In the direction he looked at he saw several trees overturned around what seemed to be the epicenter of an explosion. He decided to investigate further.
As he drew nearer to this epicenter he found the source of what was shining at him earlier. It was a small red stone, which was conveniently located at the origin of the epicenter. He picked up the stone with his hooves, and almost immediately he felt a surge of great power fill his body. The stone he held was surprisingly warm, as if it were radiating heat. Blaze couldn't help but shake a feeling of great importance towards the stone.
What does this mean?
As Blaze looked upon the object it started to glow brightly, blanketing the once dark landscape around him in an amazing ruby tinted light. He felt familiar voices start to speak inside of his head, but he didn't understand what they were saying, or who was saying it. The intensity of the light started to grow, expanding into the sky, giving the night a new source of light.
As the light grew more powerful, so did the voices inside of Blaze's head. The intensity of the light gave Blaze a splintering headache, accompanied by the voices Blaze started to become dazed. He dropped the stone unable to cope with the trauma it was unleashing upon him. Just as he slipped into unconsciousness he noticed a silhouette manifest itself above the stone. It uttered an undecipherable phrase.
"Si go, Nu nu alem..."
Blaze slipped off into unconsciousness yet again... |
Aliens & Rainbows | Changing Winds | Shifting Winds Change the seasons,
Of this we can't pretend,
That no matter what the reasons,
Everything must come to an end.
I am sorry to say this but this isn't really an update, rather this is me letting everyone know that I am discontinuing this story.
But please can't you see?
That in order to have a beginning,
An equilibrium must always be,
One thing is always achieved, an ending...
Even though this isn't really an ending, it is going to have to suffice. This is the end of this story. I am only updating this to let everyone know, rather than leaving them hanging for something that will never come. But hay, It was going to have to end sometime, and don't worry, I will be doing a complete rewrite of this story later on. (Remember this was my first story I've ever written!)
And so when one door closes,
Another one opens,
The contents of which may be roses,
Or rustic weapons.
Well whatever the future brings I have this to say, that no matter good or bad, I am here to stay! So please stick with me as I make new stories (remember "Splinters"? Well I am not done with universe, not by a long shot!) And as a parting note I want to say, Thank you yet again!
I have nothing else to say
There is nothing else to do,
It was always this way,
I'm sorry but, Thank You...
I now defer you to the comments section... |
Fallout Equestria: The Sound of the Wasteland | pre | ~Don't know if this was the best route...~
A scream. No, wait, two screams. For help. Guards. Oh crap...
I ran down the hall, slipping a bit and careening into the walls. I wasn't nearly as agile as I'd been before... Before what?
"Stop in the name of the Council!" A guard, dressed in the lightly armored vest of Stable 92, crouched in the hallway. I stopped. The guard looked up at me with a ghost of remembrance.
"Accousti-" I ran in the opposite direction, down the hall I had just come from. There were more guards. More appeared from behind me as I stood, gawking.
"Accoustic." A voice, one that I knew. Slightly annoying, but older...
Crescendo stepped out from behind the guards. But he was older. Taller, lean and fit, he looked ten years older than when I'd seen him last. What had happened?
~I'm getting tired of you asking that, you know.~
"Shut up! I'm not listening to you anymore!"
Crescendo looked hurt for a second before putting on an air of authority.
"Accoustic, you need to calm down. Everything will be fine. Trust me."
"I wasn't talking to you Crescendo. It was the voice. I can't make it go away. What's going on? Why do we look older? Why-"
*PEW*
A pinch on my shoulder. I turned my head to see a dart sticking out of me. A tiny trickle of some green liquid trailed down my leg.
"Wha-" My sentence was interrupted as I hit the floor. Everything was slowly going black...
"Sir... him?" Crescendo put his dart gun away as the guard walked over to me.
"Yes. Take him away. To the council chambers. It's time-"
Quest Perk added:
White Anger: An uncontrollable anger courses through you! When you lose control, your strength and endurance are raised to 10, while intelligence, charisma, and perception are lowered to 1. Get out there and destroy! |
Fallout Equestria: The Sound of the Wasteland | Chapter One: Kicked out and Kicked in. | Fallout Equestria:
The Sound Of the Wasteland
By: ZKPony
Ch. 1- Kicked out and kicked in
~~~~~
' "Where should I start? At the beginning, of course! But the beginning is too far away, and not relevant enough. It would take too long to get to the heart of the story. So.
A long time ago, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two sisters who ruled. Celestia, the older sister, was the goddess of the sun. She governed the daytime. Luna, the younger sister, was goddess of the moon. She watched over the night. But Luna grew unhappy. See, everypony loved the daytime. They worked and played and learned during the day. But at night, all the ponies slept. Luna thought it was unfair that ponies never get to see her beautiful night. This went on for a long time. One night, Luna got so tired of everypony just sleepin' through her nights that she declared that night would last forever. She wouldn't let the sun rise. Celestia pleaded with her to let the sun rise, but Luna refused. Celestia had no choice. Without the sun, the ponies couldn't grow food. Celestia banished Luna to the moon for a thousand years."
But grandpapa, that would make Celestia a big meanie! How could she do that to her own sister?!
"Now calm down and let me tell you the rest of the story...
See, it broke Celestia's heart to send Luna to the moon. Luna was just lonely, she figured. So while Luna was away, Celestia strived to make Equestria a better place. She focused on teaching her kingdom friendship, love, and tolerance for those who were different. She started trade relations with the zebras, griffons, and even dragons. Even invited some of them to stay in Equestria. She worked very hard, day and night, to make Equestria the best it could be for when Luna returned. For one thousand years she did this. She even trained an apprentice to help transition her people back to Luna.
Twilight Sparkle!
Yes, children. Twilight Sparkle. When Luna finally did come back, however, she was... changed. So long in isolation had allowed her dark side to take over.
N-nightmare Moon! She's scary.
Let me finish. Nightmare Moon had taken over Luna's heart, letting only her darkest, nastiest thoughts and feelings through. She was not a nice pony. But Twilight Sparkle was ready. She and her friends used the Elements of Harmony to free Luna, and everypony rejoiced. But not all was well..." '
~~~~~
I recognized the room I woke up in. It was the Council room, where the ruling council for Stable 92 met. I'd been in here a few times as a young colt. Never for anything serious, mostly for broken equipment, but I had seen the Council a fair few times. It was a tall room, the ceiling as high as the Atrium, with a large bench set above a lower sitting area. There weren't any ponies on my level. Five faces looked down at me from the Council Seat. Five faces that didn't match up to my memories. This wasn't the Council, unless the Council had gone through a radical change since I'd...
"Are you awake?" Three ponies sat on the Council that I recognized. Crescendo still looked older, but now he was joined by Blue Runner and Soundbyte. They looked older as well. Did time pass? How could that be?
"He's awake. No doubt still sleepy from that tranquilizer dart. Why don't we give him some more time to wake up before we-"
"No. No more putting this off. We have to get this on record, and then dispose of him. If we wait any longer-"
"Enough!" Crescendo shouted, focusing all of the Council on him. My eyes started to drift shut.
"We don't have much time. Accoustic, do you know where you are?"
"I'm... in the Council room. But what-"
"Do you know who you are? What Stable you're in?"
"Well, yeah. I'm Accoustic. Stable 92... That doesn't-"
"You are hereby sentenced to death for the following crimes: You've..." I couldn't hear what Crescendo was saying. Sentenced to death? How is that poss-
Darkness claimed me as I slumped forward.
"Wake him!" A hoof viciously tore across my face, clawing me into wakefulness. The gears in my mind immediately started turning, grinding my questions and thoughts against my consciousness, waking me up.
"What's going on?!" Crescendo sat straighter, putting on a scowl. The first I'd ever seen on him.
"We are sorry, Accoustic. You were doing so well, and then this. We have no choice. We appreciate your technical services for these past years, but it's past time for you to be put down. Your little episode yesterday proved that beyond a shadow of any doubt."
"Crescendo..." One of the Council I didn't recognize gestured with a hoof.
"He obviously isn't in any condition to stand trial. Look at him."
"He is cognizant and awake, which is more than I can say for some of you. Besides, he may lapse again. Any objections?" Crescendo turned and looked each of them in the eyes. Nopony raised a hoof or spoke up.
"Then it is decided. Guards, take him away."
A pair of hooves grabbed me by my forelegs and lifted me up, half dragging me. I didn't even know I had been on the floor...
~Are you going to just take this? I mean, sentenced to death... Pretty heavy, don't you think?~
"I still don't understand what's going on..." A grunt and jostle from one of the guards.
"Answer me!" The unicorn and earth pony just looked ahead and walked.
There was no answer. Only silence.
A deeper silence than just one devoid of noise. No, this silence was more profound. It was in the chains as they rattled against my hooves. It was in the floor as the guards stepped casually, as if they were simply bringing another drunk back to his room. But we weren't going anywhere as nice as that. The silence was in me, in my breath. It pushed the pause button on my thoughts, and stole my resolve. The silence was deafening. It was suffocating. It was smothering.
I hated silence.
~Well, looks like I was wrong about you. Not going to fight back? Just let them take you?~
" You heard Crescendo. He's sentenced me to death. What can I do?" If the guards thought my talking to no one strange, they didn't say anything about it.
~Coward. What happened to the fearless earth pony who doesn't afraid of anything?~
"You're not making any sense. I was never fearless. You've got the wrong pony." An odd anger sprung up in me before I'd even finished the sentence. It wasn't the wild, uncontrollable hate from back when I killed all those ponies, but it fought to push to my surface. It boiled in me.
~There you go! Get out there and destroy!~
My hooves found purchase on the floor and I lifted from the guards' grasp. The unicorn guard lifted his baton in a rose colored aura, but I smacked it away. A sharp hoof to his noggin sent him sprawling on the floor. Out.
His companion took the opportunity and leapt on me, I guess trying to pin me to the floor. He swung his baton as he landed on my back, but I was stronger than I thought, and held up. His baton passed over my head once before hitting me on the backswing. It hurt, but I'd felt worse. I bucked, sending him flying into the wall, where he slowly tried to lift himself back up. A well-placed kick to the head stopped that.
Then the anger left me. In a cold wash of clarity, I realized what I had done. I had attacked ponies again. Thankfully not killed them, but I had lost control again. All of the questions that had been stored in the back of my mind bubbled their way to the surface...
~Hey, no time for that. Get going! Somepony is bound to have heard-~
"Aaaaaaah! He did it again! He's a murdering psychopath! Run!" I barely caught a glimpse of a pony rounding the corner. It was so short, I couldn't even tell you what color he or she was. But I could hear the screams. I sat, dumbfounded for a second. Red alarm lights dropped from the ceiling and sirens blared from the speakers, waking me back into my thoughtful self. I needed to run. Guards were going to be coming for me, and this time, they wouldn't give me a trial.
I ran. Turning randomly, I almost tripped down the staircase, and kept running. I was a lot slower than I remembered being... And then a guard rounded a corner.
"Hey, you! Stop right there, criminal scum!" I did the only sensible thing and changed direction. He started after me with a shout. I kept running. Turning. Eventually, another guard rounded a corner, and I was trapped. I ducked into the nearest room I could and heard the door close. I glanced around for anywhere I could hide. I had run into a Sound Booth, a recording station, by the looks of it. There were two desks, both with way too many wires for me to hide under. A closet, filled with neatly organized wiring racks and mic stands and-
The speakers clicked on as red alarm lights started to flash.
"This is an emergency broadcast. Please remain calm. All ponies are to report to their rooms at once, and stay there until instructed otherwise. Stable 92 will enter emergency lockdown mode in... 5... minutes. Message repeats. This is an emergency broadcast. Please remain..."
Another voice from outside the door. A thumping against it. Shouting.
A familiar voice took over the speaker in the booth.
"Oh, Accoustic, you have been one bad little pony."
"Crescendo?! What's going on?"
~There's that stupid question again. Just stop and think sometimes.~
"Oh, don't act like you don't know. We can't have you running around, hurting and killing ponies again. The last time was an accident, or so the old Council said. But this time..."
The red alarm lights flashed brightly. More thumping on the door. It sounded like ponies were ramming against it...
"I don't know how you managed to lock that door, but we'll be in soon enough. I really wish it hadn't come to this. We were friends, once upon a time. I wanted to believe that you'd changed, but I was wrong. A lot of ponies were wrong."
*doomth doomth* That would be security...
I had to do something. I started pulling wires out from the sound-boards. Maybe there was something that could-
The red alarm lights flashed brightly. I sat at the desk, head hung and resolve faded, and realized how stupid my plan was. A way out? Really? The only way out was through that door. And through the security ponies behind it, the rest of the Stable behind them, and then what? Everypony knew it was death to go outside. The red lights flashed brightly.
'Should I fight? Oh Celestia, I don't want to fight!'
*DOOMTH DOOMTH*
The red light flashed brightly. Here I was, going to die, and never even knowing the real reason. This was like some crazy storybook nonsense. The blue light flashed weakly. 'Maybe if I give up...' The red lights flashed.... Wait. A blue light? A couple seconds later, I saw it again. Coming from under the desk. Under the... floor? There was a tile open, just enough for the blue light to get through. I wouldn't have seen it if I wasn't already looking under the desk. The emergency alarm? I went under the desk, my flank awkwardly raised, and I was able to lift up the loose tile. There was a hole just big enough for me to squeeze through. How... convenient. After I squeezed through, I closed the roof (floor?) and looked around. The door (roof?) clicked as it locked behind me. A long hallway only barely lit up by that weak blue light, and a staircase at the end of it. I heard the Sound Booth door crash in, and gunfire filled it. Shouts. The blue light flashed weakly.
"Nowhere to go but down..."
~~~~~
The Stable was a clean place. Ponies took turns, called cleaning rotation, to clean the Stable. Even then, most of the main areas had automated cleaning robots. Everything was spotless, most of the time. It was very pleasant to live in. No dirt. No grime. Nothing to get in the way of our beautiful music.
The complete opposite of where I was now. The floors and walls were piss yellow, with splotches of black. I idly wondered if it was safe to breathe down here. It looked like nopony had cleaned this place in forever, which might very well be the case. I guess secret passages weren't given the same priority as places like bathrooms, which is what this hallway smelled like. I still heard the alarms above and below me as I trotted on. No soundproofing here, whoever had built this had skipped a few steps... Water was leaking from the ceiling, too. How wasteful. The blue lights continued to flash, echoing in a strange, hypnotic rhythm down the hall. I fit it to some old beat in my head. After my little song ended, I tried to figure out where I was going. No luck. The water had formed a slight film on the floor, and I took off running. Then, with a small jump, I slid down the hall in a foalhood whimsy. A couple throws later and I was bored again. Then I saw the hallway open up. A ladder at the end. I made a mad dash, hoping that I had finally found the way out. I skidded at the end of the hallway, just in time to trip and fall flat on my face.
"Owww..." My head... I rubbed my cranium with a hoof and gently pushed myself up. There was something stained and scattered lying in front of me. It was sprawled in the same way a pony might lay... I poked it with a hoof. The bundle crackled and fell to the floor, making a distinct clattering noise.
The kind bones make. These were bones. Unmistakably pony bones.
My eyes went wide as I skittered, backing up and finding the wall. Pony bones. There were the bones of a pony down here. Somepony had died down here. I suddenly became interested in everything but the middle of the floor. The little alcove I'd found had a ladder going up, and a ladder going down. A terminal and crate in the far corner. They looked almost new, but for the grime and nastiness covering them. I edged along the wall, past the hallway, and next to the terminal. The bones remained in the middle of the floor. I stole a glance at the glowing screen.
' Terminal lockout-Timeout. System reset.' I pressed a button and the screen erupted to life with lines of code. They were... entries... Data files. Some of the titles looked to be corrupted, with random letters or number or even symbols interjected into them. I opened the one at the bottom. Line after line of gibberish flooded the screen. When it ended, I pressed the 'enter' key again. This time, only one entry showed up o the screen. I pressed the back button, but nothing happened.
~You're so good with technology, Accoustic. Well done.~
"Shut up..." I clicked on this one good entry.
'Darling,
I don't have a clue if you're ever going to get this, and I really hope you never do, but it's here anyway, just in case. I added this section to the Stable after it was inspected, so nopony knows but us, Octy. If you're reading this, then the emergency alarms have gone off. The only reason for that is... the NOISE. Look. Stable-Tec... lied to us. The Stable wasn't designed to keep us safe. It's part of some sick experiment to make us kill each other! I was rooting around in your files (sorry, I was bored!) and I found it. A sound file. The documents with it made it sound like it would create the perfect soldiers. But that's not what it does. Remember Blues? I had been playing the file in his quarters for about a week when he killed that other stallion. It's bad news, Octy . It makes ponies mad enough to kill, babe! If it's been released to the whole Stable... I want you to be safe. There's a gun and some supplies in the crate over by the wall. I have the terminal locking an escape hatch. Live, my love. V. Scratch '
The entry ended with a click, and the screen returned to the one I had just seen. Just this one entry, titled: Octavia. I heard the distinct sound of a door unlocking.
Was this for real? Everypony knew about Octavia and Vinyl Scratch. They were the first and second Overmares. The first ponies on the Council. Would that make...
I looked back over to the skeleton. Could it be?
The pony was in Stable 92 barding, much like my own, except far less clean. She, I guess it was a she, had a saddlebag and gun holster, and on her leg...
It was a Pipbuck. Pipbucks were small armlet-like computers that fit around your foreleg. They managed a huge assortment of data, and could do some pretty amazing things. Our Stable books told us that Pipbucks were common in other Stables, but in Stable 92, they were rare. Only ponies in high ranking positions or security were given them. I had never held one, much less owned one. The closest I'd gotten was that time I tried to steal one from storage, back when I was a foal. Good times.
The Pipbuck sat slightly open. Only loosely clasped to the bony leg of the pony. I carefully stepped over to it. If this was Octavia, our founding leader... Would it be a bad thing to take her stuff? I mean, she was dead. She wouldn't need it. I might. But was it sacrilege? Close enough?
I took the Pipbuck out from under the bones, and they clattered to the ground. The skull tilted, as if questioning me.
"I promise to bring this back, Octavia." I felt stupid right after saying it. Blushing, I slid the miniature computer around my leg and smirked. It looked good. Then I realized that I had it upside down, and felt immensely stupid. After righting it, I closed the clasp around my left fore-hoof.
I felt a strange sensation course through me. It was like I was being stabbed with a needle, and it traveled from my new Pipbuck through my leg, and then spread over the rest of my body. I briefly wondered if I'd made a mistake, but then my suspicion was confirmed when it reached my head. It stabbed my eyes, my brain, my tongue, my ears.
My mind went numb. My eyes shut. I prayed to Luna and Celestia to end the pain, but no sooner had I thought their names did the pain go away.
*DING*
I opened my eyes, and... saw things. Things that weren't there before. Things that were very distracting. A box in the left-bottom corner of my vision. >This shows your current health. HP BAR<
"Who's there?!" I turned around and saw the middle box at the bottom of my vision move. S turned to the left and W came into center view. >This shows direction and destination markers. COMPASS< Okay, that voice was really annoying, but at least I knew it was coming from the Pipbuck.
An empty box in the bottom-right. >This shows your currently equipped weapon and ammunition status. WPN<
A small X sat in the center of my sight, and as I wandered over the skeleton lying in the middle of the floor, a word popped up above the... compass?
'Chrysanthemum'
I assumed it was this pony's name. Not Octavia, then.
*BING* >New audio file. Check the NOTES section.<
Notes? What the heck?
The Pipbuck itself was very simple. A large screen, one large knob, one spinning knob that clicked, and three buttons. The buttons were marked: STS, INV, and DATA. I pressed the DATA button, and tabs opened up on the bottom of the screen. There, second from the right, was NOTES. The scrolling wheel knob turned once, twice, and there it was. An audio file.
*click*
~Oh Celestia, it's over! I'm trapped! I was just cleaning the floor, how was I supposed to know there was a fucking hole here?! I got locked out of the terminal, and the crate won't open either. Some kind of link with the terminal, I think! Oh Luna, I'm going to die down here! I've been screaming for days, and no one has heard me... Oh, Red... Why don't you save me? I tested the collar just like you asked, you said you'd protect me, why why why WHY WHY WH-~
*click
I ended the recording, not wanting to hear anything else that might be on it. This mare... She'd been trapped here and... what a way to go.
A glint caught my eye and I bent over her bony form. Around where her neck would have been, there was a small band. Studded on the inside with gemstones that shone faintly and clasped together with a simple catch, it sat there. I assumed it to be the collar mentioned in her final recording. Did I hear that right? She tested this? What does it do? I took it off of Chrysanthemum and tried to place it around my own neck, but it was too small. Into the saddlebags it went.
I looked through her other belongings, now that I knew it wasn't Octavia, and found a bottle with some purple liquid inside, two syringes marked 'Med-X', a small gun, and a box of ammunition. The saddlebags went over my back, and I removed the worn holster from Chrys's leg, and strapped it to my own. It was slick and loose and I decided that it wasn't going to stay there, especially if I wanted it to. I made a quick trot around the room, and as per my expectations, it slipped right off. Fixing it more across my shoulder helped a little, but I just knew that it'd be falling off eventually. I stuck the pistol in my new (-ish) holster, and looked around for a way out.
*BRIING!* *CHK*
> 1 - Healing potion added. 2 - Med-X added. 1 - 9mm Pistol added. 25 - 9mm rounds added. 1 - Unicollar added.<
After looking through the Pipbuck and finding no way to turn the noises off, I resigned myself to just suffering through it. I ambled over to the crate, my new, unfamiliar accessories making me stumble like I was drunk. The crate was empty, so I decided to check out my last two options. The ladder going up had a steady stream of water running down the rungs, and was the most rusted thing I'd ever seen. When I placed a hoof on the first rung, it seemed to melt away in an orange and black flood. There was no way I was going up. Looking over my shoulder, that left only one option...
Down.
Amazingly, the rung felt solid. Slippery as all Tartarus, but solid nonetheless. I slowly made my way down into the dark depths, the blue lights flashing every few seconds. After what felt like an eternity, I finally stood on solid ground. The blue lights ended as I beheld a new tunnel, carved from rock. It was dimly lit by a decaying wooden door at the far end of the way. Light peeked through the rotted planks, and I slowly walked towards it. Outside...
We'd always been taught that the Outside was death. Radiation so intense that we would burn as easily as a candle. Monsters looking to make a meal of anything with four hooves. No water, no food.
Death.
I stood before the decrepit wooden barrier, only seeing the light breaking through. There was no chance for me to survive if I went back. Was there one if I went forward?
I felt the breeze flowing in from Outside. It was soft, and carried no hint of death. It cooled me, slightly. Would it burn as I hit it full force?
I heard the cacophony of sounds that belong to the mouth of a cave: dripping water, moving door, tumbling wind, crooked floor. There were other noises coming from beyond the door. Carried by fast winds, from far away was shouting, gunfire, cries. Was there death beyond this door for me?
Possibly.
But what was behind me?
Silence. ...
I hate the silence.
My hoof pushed open the rickety door, which decided to collapse in on itself in a broken heap, and I cried out as I was blinded by the light surging through.
Well, at least it won't be quiet.
Special stats:
Strength: 3
Perception: 7
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 6
Intelligence: 8
Agility: 4
Luck: 8
New Perk!
Sound Tech- Years of working with sound equipment has raised your sensitivities to in-pony levels, even if you can't remember all of it! Your repair skill gets +15 on every repair attempt, and when your head is uncovered, you get +2 Perception! |
The Thief Charming | pre | "No, just that the bathtub edge isn't the best place to sit on, and it's hurting my butt!" Vinyl replied with a wince. "Well, that'll have to do for now." she turned her head to give a chaste kiss on Beatrice's lips.
The trio was about to have a serious discussion about their situation when loud banging noises startled them all.
"What's that?" Octavia asked.
"I think someone is at my door," Beatrice supposed slowly.
"BLUENOTE! I DON'T CARE THAT THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE DUMPED YOU FOR GOD KNOWS THE REASON, BUT I'LL NOT TOLERATE YOU DROWNING YOUR SORROW BY WATCHING ADULT MOVIES AT FULL VOLUME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON!" an old woman's voice shouted angrily.
"Mrs. Newman?" Octavia suggested with a mad, embarrassed blush.
"How did you guess?" Beatrice half heartedly chuckled, her cheeks also red as a fire truck. "Oh, gosh! This is so embarrassing! What am I going to say to her?" she asked pleadingly as Mrs. Newman was hammering her door.
"You? Nothing!" Vinyl assured before making a sign to the girls to stand up. "I'll go talk to her!" she added before going out of the room.
Octavia tried to go after her, but her legs gave quickly up on her.
"Wowow! You okay?" Beatrice asked as she caught Octavia before she fell on the bathtub's bottom.
"Fine, just that my legs are still a bit shaky from...Well, you know?" Octavia explained with a sheepish chuckle, her cheeks once again bright red.
"Still don't know how you held out that long," Beatrice said with an admirative tone. "I would have passed out long befor...." she interrupted herself as she realized something. "Vinyl just went to talk to my annoying neighbor, right?"
"Yes," Octavia replied with a confused frown.
"She was still naked when she left the room, right?" Beatrice asked in a fearful tone.
"I think so," Octavia replied, her tone slowly matching Beatrice's.
"MY EYES!" Mrs. Newman shouted in a pained voice. "MY EYES!"
"Yeah, that's what you get when you come bitchin' at the door despite what's written," Vinyl replied with a loud chuckle. "Next time, I'll ask the hobo to come do the job himself instead of giving me a sample for you to taste!" she added before they heard a door being slammed shut.
"Oh, dear!" the pair of musicians let out fearfully.
Beatrice dashed out of the bathtub with Octavia, before taking a bathrobe for herself and the cellist. Once they had put the robes on, they ran out of the bathroom to get to the front door as soon as possible, finding a naked Vinyl calmly drinking some orange juice from the bottle in the kitchen.
"Orange juice?" Vinyl asked, pointing at the bottle she had been drinking from.
"What did you do to my neighbor?" Beatrice asked in a panicked voice.
"I spilled a glass of hobo's urine on her face to show that your note isn't just to be rude," Vinyl explained.
"YOU WHAT?" Beatrice shouted in disbelief.
"Fake urine right?" Octavia asked with disgust.
"No, real urine," Vinyl rolled her eyes. "But, of course, fake urine! Where would I have found actual hobo's urine in Beatrice's kitchen?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow. "I mixed the end of the apple juice with some vinegar before tossing it at her when I opened the door!"
"What if she calls the police?" Beatrice asked frantically.
"I took the paper note away from the door, we'll just have to deny it," Vinyl replied with a shrug. "That's not the most important,"
"Vinyl, what could possibly be more important?" Octavia asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"That fact that I made the two of you come like hell, and that you're annoying me with the old bitchy neighbor while I'm standing naked in front of you," Vinyl replied sharply.
Octavia and Beatrice blinked at what Vinyl had just said. They slowly turned their head to one and another before turning their gazes back to Vinyl. Two bathrobes flew across the room before the blue haired woman was tackled to the ground by the combined action of a naked cellist with really long, black hair, and an also naked sousaphonist with shoulder long brown hair.
"Just so you know, the two of you tackling me to the ground hurts!" Vinyl complained with a wince.
"JUST SHUT UP, AND LET US PLEASE YOU!" the two musicians shouted in a very sultry tone, before leaning their heads on Vinyl's naked body.
Needless to say, Vinyl didn't complain about being tackled on the ground at all after that.
**********
When Octavia woke up, she realized a few things. One, it was way much later than the time she usually woke up. Two, she had surely missed the orchestra rehearsal. Three, she wasn't in her bedroom. Four, she was completely naked. Five, her breasts and her lady parts were sore from all that happened last night, but in a good way. Six, none of the five previous statements mattered to her. All that mattered was the empty spot on the bed between her and a still sleeping Beatrice: the spot where Vinyl had fallen asleep after a really long night of passionate love making a few hours before.
Octavia covered her bare chest with her side of the covers before glancing around. She found her, and Beatrice's clothes where they had left them after stripping themselves the day before, but no traces of Vinyl's. It reminded Octavia of the many dreams she had had over the years. Dreams in which she had found Vinyl again, only to wake up alone in her cold bed. She couldn't stop her tears.
Her soft sobs slowly pulled a very messy Beatrice out of her slumber.
"Octavia?" Beatrice called, rubbing her eyes open. "Octavia, why are you crying?" she asked with worry when she noticed the tears on Octavia's cheek.
"She..She left!" Octavia sobbed. "She left, and now I'm never gonna see her again!"
"Shhhh!" Beatrice pulled her distraught friend into a reassuring hug. "What are you talking about? Of course, you'll see her again!"
"How can you know?" Octavia asked desperately.
"Look, it's not the first time she's done that," Beatrice explained softly. "Every time she spent the night here, she was always gone without a note before I woke, but, she always came back!"
"Yeah, she came back for you!" Octavia shouted hysterically. "You didn't hurt her like I did in the past! You didn't abandon her when she needed you the most! It's probably what she thought to punish me! Making me think she'd forgiven me before abandoning me like I deserv..." she was interrupted by a sharp slap on her face.
"Cut that crap out, Octavia!" Beatrice said firmly. "I saw how she was with you yesterday! She would never abandon you now that she found you back. She loves you! It's so obvious that even a blind man could see it!"
"You..You really mean that?" Octavia asked pleadingly while slowly rubbing her sore cheek.
"Of course, I do!" Beatrice nodded with a soft smile. "Don't worry so much, I'm sure she..." she noticed something under Vinyl's pillow. "Hang on."
Beatrice pulled a small white paper note, recognizing the one she had taped on her door yesterday. She flipped around and saw there was message on the back. She showed it to Octavia.
Good morning, my beauties
I tried to prepare breakfast after waking, but found nothing but healthy food! (Oatmeal, Beatrice, seriously?) I simply went out to get some real breakfast material. Be back as soon as possible.
Vinyl
PS: Love you both my Cellist Princess and Sleeping Beauty
"Aww!" Octavia cooed as she read the post scriptum.
"See, nothing to worry about," Beatrice said with a smile.
"Sorry to have freaked out earlier," Octavia said sheepishly. "I had bad dreams about similar situations in the past," she explained slowly. "Well, they weren't really bad dreams... it's just that they were only dreams." she sniffed softly.
"It's okay, I understand." Beatrice nodded.
"Could you not tell her that I cried because she wasn't there when we woke up?" Octavia asked in a pleading tone.
"I wasn't going to!" Beatrice assured.
"Huh...Do you have some clothes I can borrow?" Octavia asked sheepishly. "It's not against you, but I don't feel really comfortable being naked around you without Vinyl being present," she explained with a short chuckle.
Beatrice blinked when she realized she was also naked, and that, contrary to Octavia, she wasn't really covering herself. She quickly wrapped one of the bed sheets around her silhouette with a sheepish grin.
"I see what you mean. Just a second!" Beatrice chuckled before standing up to walk to her chest of drawers. "I can get you some of my PJs, is that ok?" she asked after having open the second drawer.
"It's perfect!" Octavia nodded.
"Catch!" Beatrice tossed the two pieces of her light purple PJs to Octavia, before grabbing her light blue ones for herself. "Everything's okay?" she asked after putting her trousers on under her sheet/toga.
"The blouse is a bit too tight, but it's okay!" Octavia commented as she tried to button up the top of her blouse.
"Too tight? How Come?" Beatrice asked with a frown, turning around to face Octavia after having buttoned her own blouse up. "OH!" she let out when she saw what the problem was. "I get it now!"
"Is this one of your old PJs?" Octavia asked curiously. "That's why it's too tight?"
"Not really, it's a fairly new one." Beatrice shook her head. "It's just that I, unlike you, don't have massive tits to worry about when I pick the size of my wardrobe!" she commented with a chuckle.
"OH!" Octavia let out in realization before giving up on buttoning the top of her blouse.
"Just don't take a deep breath, you'd break the other buttons open." Beatrice joked before sitting back on the bed after Octavia had put her pants on.
"Jealous?" Octavia muttered with a small embarrassed blush.
"A little bit," Beatrice admitted. "You kinda have great boobs. No wonders Vinyl played with them a lot more than mines last night." she added in a slight sad tone.
"Thanks," Octavia said. "If it makes you feel better, she did massage your backside at lot more than mine," Octavia pointed out.
"Thanks."
A very deep, and pregnant silence settled in between the two women.
"What we just said totally weird you out as well, didn't it?" Octavia asked softly.
"Absolutely!" Beatrice nodded firmly with a wince.
"Let's never speak of it again!" Octavia suggested.
"Good idea!"
"Say, Beatrice?" Octavia called softly.
"Yeah?"
"Why did Frederick and you actually break up?" Octavia asked softly. "Vinyl mentioned it was her fault, but she also said she entered in your life after you and Frederick officially broke up. I don't get it," she explained softly.
Beatrice awkwardly rubbed her arm with a small wince. "I don't really want to talk about it, Octavia," she said in a sad tone.
"Beatrice, I'm your friend," Octavia said softly. "Probably not the best one, considering how I didn't come to see you before yesterday."
"Octavia, I don't blame you or the others for not coming after me," Beatrice shook her head. "I was kicked out of the Orchestra just before the most busy period of the year. I knew you'd be all occupied with the rehearsals and that you'd all just go straight home after that to get some rest."
"It's still no excuse!" Octavia said firmly. "You can tell me, Beatrice. I just want to help you!"
Beatrice sighed. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell someone about it," she said before taking a deep breath. "Vinyl told you yesterday she was the one who burglarized Frederick's apartment three months ago, right?" Octavia nodded. "Well, during that burglary, something happened between her and me."
"I thought you two didn't know each other at that time!"
"Let me finish," Beatrice demanded softly. "You have to know that Frederick has his morning routine. Every day, his sound system wakes him up at six o'clock with a compilation of Chopin's best melodies. When he wakes up, he pushes the covers and blankets at the end of the bed, opens his window to change the air of the room, and walks out of the room to take a shower. He does that every morning, regular as clockwork, no matter the day, no matter the weather," Beatrice licked her lips with a frown. "No matter me sleeping over, and no matter if we had sex the night before and that we went to bed stark naked!" she growled angrily.
"Huh?" Octavia tilted her head in confusion.
"On the day of the burglary, three months ago, it was still Winter," Beatrice continued. "At six o'clock there was Chopin's music, followed by him throwing the covers at the end of the bed, then he opened the window and went for his shower. As for me, I usually don't wake up at six o'clock on a Sunday. I don't usually manage to put clothes on after sex, and it takes more than Chopin's music to wake me up, especially after going to bed really late the night before."
"You don't mean that he left you sleeping without blankets and with the window open in the middle of Winter while you were still naked, do you?!" Octavia asked with shock.
"Yes, I do!" Beatrice replied before Octavia cursed at Frederick's behavior. "I woke up a bit after he left the room because of the cold winds. Then I heard Frederick walking around the bed, closing the window, and gently pulling the blankets back on me. I was still very sleepy, so I had kept my eyes closed all the time. I grabbed Frederick's neck and pulled him in a deep 'thank you' kiss before going back to sleep," she explained before half heartedly chuckle. "Imagine my surprise when Frederick found his vault open with the key he had left on his nightstand before taking his shower."
"So, you never kissed Frederick that morning," Octavia said slowly.
"No, I had made out with the one who robbed my boyfriend," Beatrice explained grimly.
"Did you tell Frederick?" Octavia asked. "That was hardly your fault!"
"I did tell him," Beatrice explained with small tears. "He shouted that I should have realized it wasn't him, that I should have stopped the thief instead of offering myself to him!" she sniffed loudly.
"What?" Octavia asked in shock. "He did not say that, did he?" Beatrice nodded that he did, before Octavia pulled her sobbing friend in a comforting hug. "The jerk!"
"Yeah, he had been pretty mean that day," Beatrice agreed softly. "He apologized after that, but I never really forgot what he said to me. Things between us got... cold, I guess." she shrugged. "He didn't make me feel desired like before the burglary. The fact that the burglar had kissed me way better than he used to didn't help at all in that." she softly chuckled. "After a month and something, he just got tired of me, and broke up with me, and Vinyl explained you the whole Orchestra thing yesterday!"
"What about Vinyl?" Octavia asked. "Why did she contact you after that?"
"Turned out Vinyl was still inside Frederick's apartment when we had our fight. She hadn't anticipated that Frederick took very short showers," Beatrice explained with a small laugh, quickly joined by Octavia. "She managed to sneak out after my big fight with Frederick," she went back to her tale. "When he went downstairs to call the cops, I had stayed in the bedroom to cry. I heard someone knocking at the window, and when I looked at it I found a small note taped to it that said: "I'm sorry!" with a sad smiley."
"When Frederick and I broke up," Beatrice continued her tale. "Don't know how, but Vinyl found out where I lived and went to apologize in person this time. I remember shouting at her! Telling her that she had ruined my life, that because of her mischief I had lost everything that mattered for me, and she simply took it on her," she whispered in a slightly admirative tone. "She didn't blink. She didn't argue. She just stayed there stoically until I calmed down."
"That's much like Vinyl to do that!" Octavia whispered with a small, nostalgic smile. "She did that a lot to calm me down whenever I got freaked out about our exams or something like that."
"After I calmed down, I looked into her eyes that day. I only saw understanding and compassion. She didn't judge me like Frederick did. She was just there for me," Beatrice explained. "Plus, there was that thing about her eyes.... Gosh, those magnificent ruby-like eyes!" she moaned while biting her lip.
"Yeah," Octavia sighed blissfully. "To think she used to hide them when we were in high school."
"Huh? Why?"
"People thought her eyes were scary and ugly," Octavia replied with a dark frown.
"WHAT?" Beatrice shouted in anger. "Her eyes are beautiful!"
"I know!" Octavia said firmly. "It took me two months to convince her of that!"
"Yeah, and it took me about four to break you out of your anti-social bubble, Tavi," Vinyl remarked playfully as she was sitting casually on the frame of the now open window.
"WAHAAA!" Octavia and Beatrice shrieked in surprise before both falling off the bed.
"How the heck did you open that window?" Octavia asked in shock as she pushed Beatrice off of her.
"I've been wondering that since her first visit!" Beatrice muttered before climbing back onto her bed.
"I brought breakfast!" Vinyl shouted happily, ignoring Octavia's question and showing a large, squared delivery box with a large, red, asian character on the side.
"Chinese delivery for breakfast?" Beatrice asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Japanese actually!" Vinyl said before stepping inside the room and closing the window behind her. "And since it's actually around two in the afternoon, it's more a lunch than breakfast!"
"Why didn't you use the front door?" Octavia asked in bewilderment.
"Stop trying, Octavia," Beatrice replied with annoyance. "She won't tell you because a good thief is like a good wizard, he never reveals his secrets!" she explained in a very good imitation of Vinyl's voice.
"Got that right!" Vinyl replied as she put her delivery box on top of the chest drawers.
"Okay, but didn't you say we would talk about that thief situation at breakfast?" Octavia asked sternly.
"I think you're right, Octavia. She did say that!" Beatrice replied in the same sternness as her cellist friend.
"No need to take that tone with me, girls," Vinyl replied softly. "You both did me really good last night, but not to the point where I'd forget my promise to you!" she explained, making her two lovers blush at her praise. "Now, why don't we enjoy our breakfast/lunch while we talk about that?" she opened the delivery box, letting the aromas of the food spread freely in the room.
The smell of food suddenly reminded the two women in PJs of how hungry they were. They walked to the furniture on top of which Vinyl had put the food, before their common lover passed them a large steaming bowl with chopsticks for each.
"Noodles soup?" Beatrice asked with curiosity at the content of her bowl.
"Miso soup with noodles, vegetables, and chopped, fried pork in it," Vinyl explained. "Much healthier than your oatmeal, Beatrice," she added with a playful chuckle.
"Healthier, I'm not sure," Octavia commented as she brought a piece of pork to her mouth. "But, it's clearly tastier than my morning oatmeal," she added with a sigh.
"You eat that too?" Vinyl asked, shocked at Octavia's breakfast habit.
"What's wrong with oatmeal?" Beatrice asked with a pout.
"Nothing at all, Beatrice," Octavia assured. "It's just that Vinyl's idea of a healthy breakfast always included nothing but waffles, pancakes and donuts!"
"Those are good!" Vinyl argued, before slurping a great length of noodles out of her bowl.
"Enough with the food talk," Beatrice said with a shake of her head. "Octavia wants to know why you do that job of yours, and I wouldn't mind knowing that as well!"
"Scratchie, what happened to you after we fell apart?" Octavia asked in a soft, but sad tone. "Why didn't you try to become a famous DJ, like you used to say you'd become in high school?"
Vinyl sighed. "I wanted to try, Tavi," she admitted slowly. "But, using the school computers to play with sounds tracks in between classes isn't really a proper qualification to start in the business. I needed a formation, equipment, and money to pay for the first two. Something that I didn't really have, and with me being kicked out of high school for cheating didn't go in my favor for scholarship appliance," she explained sadly.
"So that's why you had to start stealing?" Beatrice asked softly, while Octavia had put her bowl down to hug Vinyl tightly. "To get money to pay for your studies?"
"Nothing that fancy, Bea," Vinyl chuckled grimly. "I had to steal to simply eat something that I didn't have to search through garbage for!" she said sternly, causing her two lovers to gasp in shock. "I had to leave my orphanage when I turned eighteen, and when I did, I didn't have much more than a few clothes and the pink bow tie I had to remember you, Tavi." Octavia simply kissed her head with tearful eyes in response. "I lived on the street for a few months, pickpocketing, shoplifting, sometimes fighting with other hobos for food or a place to sleep...."
Vinyl felt Beatrice's arms wrapping around her when the brunette joined Octavia's reassuring embrace on the blue haired woman, murmuring words of reassurance with small kisses just like the cellist was doing. Vinyl put her bowl down before passing her arms around each of her lovers who simply held her tight in response, small tears appearing in her ruby colored eyes.
"What happened then?" Octavia asked in a caring tone as she and Beatrice were gently wiping Vinyl's tears away.
"I kept doing that for a few months until I made the biggest mistake of my life," Vinyl said slowly. "Stealing someone that I shouldn't have even approached." she swallowed her spit. "One day, I saw a rich couple walk out of a fancy car... The same kinda car your parents had, Tavi... The woman had a necklace with a jewel the size of my fist... I didn't think. I ran to them, bumped into the woman, snatched the necklace and ran away as fast as I could. I looked back to see a dozen of men in black suits going out of the nearby cars before running after me," she explained.
Octavia and Beatrice tightened their embrace when they felt Vinyl starting to shake nervously, but didn't interrupt her.
"I tried to escape but they cornered me into a dead end," Vinyl told with a shaking voice. "They started to beat me up. To teach me some respect they said. One pulled a large a knife out of his jacket."
Octavia and Beatrice's held their breaths.
"He said that in ancient times, they cut the hands of thieves so that they would learn how to keep them in their own pockets. He wanted to see if it'll work on me." Vinyl snorted a dark laugh. "Poor bastard was so focused on my hand he didn't see my foot coming on his balls. I grabbed the knife and put the blade on his throat and told the others to back away or I'd cut him open," she said with disgust.
"You wouldn't have done it, right?" Beatrice asked in a soft whisper. "You were just bluffing, weren't you?"
"To be completely honest, I still don't know if I would have gone for it so far or not," Vinyl replied with a sigh, before going back to her tale. "They all froze at how serious I had sounded until someone started to clap his hands slowly. The rich guy whose wife I had stolen was slowly applauding me for what I was doing," Vinyl said quietly.
"He complimented me, said that I had a lot of guts.... He told his men to back away so that he could have a chat with me," Vinyl licked her lips, feeling her throat incredibly dry. "I had kept the knife with me in case. He made an offer. I could keep the necklace to get out of the streets, but in exchange I'd have to do a few jobs for him.... Well, not really a few, when you think about it."
"How many?" Beatrice asked softly.
"Three hundreds," Vinyl replied, not paying attention to her loves' widened eyes. "I accepted his deal, and he walked away after telling me he'd contact me when I'd get situated. With the money from the necklace sale, I got myself a small studio, a bed, a fridge full of food and a fucking shower stall! True to his words, the man contacted me when I was settled in, and that's how it all started," she ended her tale.
"I'm so sorry, Scratchie," Octavia said with soft sobs. "If I had searched for you better than I did, you wouldn't have been through all that!"
"Shhhhh," Vinyl whispered softly while pecking Octavia's cheek. "I'm the only responsible for what happened to me, Tavi. I'm not particularly proud of what I did during those eight years, but it's thanks to that I met Beatrice, and that I got you back... For that, I'm glad things turned out that way," she added before softly kissing Octavia.
"How many of those jobs do you have left?" Beatrice asked softly, snuggling Vinyl's neck with tenderness.
"Just two more," Vinyl replied softly. "Then, I can turn my back on that and forget it all."
"Really?" Octavia asked softly.
"I have a deal with the man's daughter," Vinyl explained. "She's the one who took over the whole thing here after he went back to their country. After my last job, she promised to leave me alone!"
"And, you trust her word?" Beatrice asked slowly.
"She and her father are no saints, but they value their word more than their life," Vinyl assured.
"Then, in a short time you'd be free of all that?" Beatrice asked hopefully. Vinyl nodded. "We'd have to celebrate that,"
"Really now?" Vinyl replied with piqued interest. "How?"
"Me and Octavia taking you on a date!" Beatrice suggested happily. "Anywhere you want!"
"I'd like that," Vinyl smiled fondly, kissing the brunette with affection. "But, wouldn't the two of you having a date with me be bad for your respective career?"
"I don't really have a career anymore," Beatrice remarked uneasily. "But, I guess that could be bad for Octavia."
"Well, that might be weird going in a restaurant just the three of us, but people have seen famous musicians doing worse than that!" Octavia replied with a shrug. "Besides, Beatrice and I aren't really famous."
"If the restaurant is a problem, we could go in a nightclub," Vinyl suggested. "I know a few good ones."
"I guess that could work," Octavia supposed. "But, not one of your co-workers' possession. I love you, but I don't want to go in someplace run by some swindlers and thieves!"
"I kinda agree with her," Beatrice admitted with a wince.
Vinyl cocked an eyebrow at the pair. "You do realize that the only place in the world that meets that condition would the North Pole? And, you two'd probably not want to go there as well, since Santa Claus enslaves Elves!"
Octavia and Beatrice stared at Vinyl's mocking grin before slowly stepping away from her to get back to their bowls of noodles.
"You're lucky you're really good in bed, Vinyl," Octavia said matter-of-factly as she took her chopsticks.
"Indeed," Beatrice agreed with a nod.
"Speaking of which," Vinyl purred sensually before getting closer to her two lovers, and groping one of their buttcheeks in each hand. "How about we have another go after lunch?" she asked, slowly massaging her lovers' rears.
Octavia shivered so much she let her chopsticks fall on the ground while Beatrice slowly pushed her bowl away from her, biting her lip to prevent her moans.
"I'm ..done!" Octavia moaned before putting her nearly full bowl of soup on the furniture.
"Me too!" Beatrice let out in a longing sigh.
"Well, I'm not!" Vinyl let go of her lovers' butts to grab her bowl and chopsticks.
"WHAT?!" the turned on musicians bellowed in frustration. "You can't do that!"
"I can, and I will!" Vinyl smirked before taking the bowl to her lips. "You'll just have to wait until I'm finished! Why not using that time to take some strengths." she took a swig of her soup while Octavia and Beatrice growled before reluctantly taking back their respective bowl.
**********
Six weeks and a half later
"Beatrice, stop tapping the handle of the door!" Octavia snapped at her roommate's nervous tic. "It's distracting me!" she growled as she almost passed at the red light.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it!" Beatrice stammered nervously. "You and I both getting a phone call from the orchestra's administration to ask us to come to the concert hall because of an important meeting despite the fact I'm not in the orchestra anymore, and that you've been suspended kinda makes me nervous!"
"I wasn't suspended!" Octavia shouted angrily. "I'm on vacations!"
"Tavi, the conductor suspended you for two months because you skipped three days of rehearsal to catch up with Vinyl in my bed!" Beatrice remarked with a knowing smirk.
"Three perfect days of my life," Octavia commented with a bright smile. "I still think that two months was a tad excessive, and don't make it sound like you didn't get any fun time!" she added to her brunette friend. "She took care of you just as much as she took care of me!"
"Fine, Fine!" Beatrice admitted with a small chuckle. "I don't think one of us left the bedroom during those three days," she said with a nostalgic sigh.
"Remember we had to eat," Octavia reminded, patiently waiting for the light to turn green.
"It was Vinyl who answered to the delivery boys every time, you and I never set a foot out of the bedroom," Beatrice remarked before sighing heavily. "I miss her!" she added in a sad tone.
"Me too," Octavia replied sadly. "You think she's okay?" She asked in a shaken tone.
"She told us not to worry, Tavi," Beatrice said in a comforting tone.
"I know she did, but it has been more than a week already," Octavia said, tears slowly filling her amethyst eyes.
It had been nine days since Vinyl had left Beatrice and Octavia to accomplish her three-hundredth theft. She had told her two lovers that she wouldn't be contactable for a few days. Her boss wanted something big for her grand finale Vinyl had said. After a rather long and emotional goodbye with the women she loved, Vinyl went out for her last mischief.
The first days had been fine for Octavia and Beatrice, but when they still hadn't gotten any news from their blue haired thief after four days, they couldn't stop themselves from worrying about her safety. It had been even worse for Octavia, who started to have nightmares on the fifth night after Vinyl's departure.
She had dreamed of Vinyl being injured, sent to prison, or worse. Her panicked screams only stopped when Beatrice had stormed inside her guest room, which had become Octavia's room after the cellist moved in with her, to reassure Octavia. Ever since her first nightmare, Beatrice had insisted on them sharing a bed, so that she could watch over her until Vinyl came back. If not for Beatrice's support, Octavia would have probably broken down after the first nightmare.
The relationship between the two musicians was rather peculiar. Octavia and Beatrice never felt any attraction towards each other. Sure, during their fun times with Vinyl, they had made out, and felt each other's intimate parts, always after Vinyl had asked them so nicely, but other than that they had no desire toward one another.
Whenever Vinyl wasn't with them, they both would get very embarrassed by seeing each other's naked body, while they wouldn't even notice when Vinyl was with them. Without their common lover's presence, Octavia and Beatrice realized that their relationship was more close to one between best friends than one between sex friends.
When they explained that detail to Vinyl, the thief had joked that she must have been some sort of human shaped disinhibitor for female musicians with purple eyes, features that Beatrice and Octavia shared. The two musicians had joined their lover's laughter, while silently agreeing on making sure no other purple-eyed, female musician would ever come too close to their Vinyl. Just in case.
"Octavia," Beatrice called. "She will come home soon! She promised us she would," she said in a convincing tone, internally hoping she wasn't wrong in her claim. "Trust her!"
"Alright," Octavia whispered with a nod, wiping her tears away before turning her car into the parking lot of the concert hall. "We're here," she added in a slightly shaken tone, still moody from thinking about Vinyl's absence.
The pair of musicians, both wearing the orchestra's black uniform, exited the car before heading to the stage door. Octavia simply walked inside, but Beatrice froze in front of the threshold. She hadn't said it to Octavia, but the real reason she was nervous about coming here was that she'd have to face Frederick.
"Bea, it's going to be fine," Octavia assured before taking the brunette's hand to give a small squeeze. "You're not alone!"
Beatrice let out a relaxed sigh. "Thanks, Tavi," she said before following the cellist inside.
After a short walk, the two musicians arrived backstage where they meet up with the rest of the orchestra's members, all wearing their uniforms. Beatrice and Octavia's arrival went unnoticed until a white-haired lyrist's gaze fell on the cellist during her conversation with another musician.
"Octavia!" the lyrist shouted excitedly before dashing to the startled cellist. "Oh my gosh! It's been so long!" she gave Octavia a bone crushing hug.
"Good to see you too, Laura," Octavia replied in a slightly choked voice.
"Oh, sorry!" Laura said sheepishly as she let go of Octavia. "Why are you here? I thought you were on forced vacations!"
"Well, she's still a member of the orchestra, she has the right to be here," a female violinist with long, curly brown hair stated matter-of-factly. "The real thing we've got to ask is why is she here?" she added venomously, pointing her finger at Beatrice.
"Nice to see you too, Viola," Beatrice said in a cold tone.
"Oh, Beatrice! I haven't seen you! You're finally coming back in the orchestra?" Laura asked hopefully.
"Well, I don't really know," Beatrice said sheepishly. "I just got a phone call this morning telling me to come here."
"That's surprising," a man's voice commented casually.
Beatrice froze when she heard that voice. She knew who it belonged to. She and the other three women turned their heads to where it came from. A tall man with short, pale blond hair, stood with a natural pride in front of the four women, his bright green eyes locked on Beatrice. Laura cast a worried glance at Beatrice, while Viola and Octavia respectively smiled and frowned at him.
"Frederick," Beatrice said, trying her best to sound as casual as possible.
"Beatrice, it's been a while," Frederick said in a neutral tone. "How are things?"
"Pretty good since Octavia moved in," Beatrice replied slowly. "I can save some money now, and she's really decent cook," she explained briefly. "You?"
"Pretty good too," he said calmly. "Does you wearing the uniform mean you finally want to revoke your decision of leaving the orchestra?"
"If they want me back, yes," Beatrice replied softly.
"That's good," Frederick said with a nod. "I hope they do, the poor girl replacing you doesn't really match your skill."
"Thank you," Beatrice said in a quiet whisper.
"Anyway, I'm going to see with the conductor what this meeting is about," Frederick said as he was about to leave the four women.
"Can all the musicians gather around on stage, please?" the voice of the conductor shouted from his chair.
"I guess we'll find out now," Frederick said with a shrug before heading on stage with the rest of the musicians.
The four other women followed him on stage, Beatrice receiving many surprised stares when people finally noticed her presence, as well as a few angry glares. Apparently, some were still convinced that she had cheated on the star pianist. Beatrice simply ignored them, but nevertheless scooted closer to Octavia who gave a glare of her own to anyone who was looking at her roommate the wrong way.
When the whole members of the orchestra, plus Beatrice, were on stage, the conductor waved his leading wand to get the quiet. As soon as the conversations died down, he cleared his voice.
"You're all probably wondering why you're gathered here today." The entire orchestra nodded in silence. "Well, it's because something rather important happened," the conductor explained. "Our concert hall had just been sold to a new owner." his declaration was met with an explosion of conversations.
"What?" Frederick and many other musicians shouted in shock.
"Wowow! How did something like that even happen without us knowing?" Laura asked in disbelief.
"I don't know," Viola replied dumbfounded.
"Please, silence!" the conductor demanded firmly, bringing instantly the calm back. "You're gathered here to meet the new owner of our concert hall, Miss Kiku Sanagi!" he pointed at the tier in front of the stage.
The entire orchestra looked at the tribunes, finally noticing a small group of people who were sitting in first row. A japanese woman, wearing a deep black tailor suit, and having her long, dark green hair tied up in a loose bun which was held in place by a pair of silver needles, stood up and walked to take the conductor's chair.
"Thank you, Maestro," Sanagi said to the conductor with a polite bow, before turning to the whole orchestra to give them a speech about what motivated her buying of the concert hall.
The musicians listened to the Japanese's speech with attention. She said how important music was for her and her culture, and that, in her opinion, classical music was losing its magic due to incompetent managers who kept stuck in the old ways of music, when it is supposed to as alive as the people actually playing it. Her speech was welcomed by many approving nods.
"...This is why a few changes are going to happen here," Sanagi said softly. "The first one being the replacement of our actual conductor and pianist!"
"WHAT?!" Frederick and the conductor shouted in disbelief, along with many other musicians.
"When I bought this orchestra, I checked all of this year's paperwork with a very good adviser of mine," Sanagi explained. "Miss Scratch, could you please show me those papers again?" she demanded, looking back at her group of associates before a woman stood up to join her.
At the mention of the name Scratch, Octavia and Beatrice looked at the coming woman with much greater interest. They couldn't stop themselves from smiling happily when they saw their Vinyl handing a small brown folder to the Japanese woman, safe and sound.
Well, it wasn't much their Vinyl, as the one in front of everyone was wearing a very dashing, black suit with a white blouse and a thin black tie. Her two-toned blue hair had been straightened before being pulled in a small ponytail. Octavia and Beatrice bit their lips at the sight of that classier version of their lover.
"You thinkin' what I'm thinking?" Beatrice whispered to Octavia, so quietly that only the cellist could hear her.
"She's gonna keep her tie on when she gets in the bedroom tonight?" Octavia asked in a faint whisper, licking her lip for a split of a second.
"Exactly!" Beatrice nodded excitedly.
"Ha! There they are!" Sanagi said after searching through the folder Vinyl had brought her. "Let's see.... Beatrice Bluenote... You broke up with her in last February, right?" Sanagi asked, piercing the blond man with her deep green stare.
"Huh.. Yes," Frederick replied in confusion.
"On the sixteenth?" Sanagi asked with curiosity.
"Why are you asking me that?" Frederick asked back with a puzzled frown.
"Well, because her record says that she got kicked out of the orchestra on the seventeenth," Vinyl commented casually. "What a coincidence!"
"She wasn't kicked out!" Viola interjected loudly. "She left on her own because she couldn't stand being around Frederick!"
"In that case, where is her resignation letter?" Sanagi asked the violinist calmly. "Where did her period of notices go?" Viola didn't answer. "The only reason for her to leave the orchestra so suddenly and without those two elements would have been a major fault on her part, something that her record doesn't mention at all. How's that possible, Maestro?" she asked the conductor who was shaking under her inquisitory green eyes.
"You've been a friend of Horsowski's family for a long time, haven't you?" Vinyl asked the conductor in a very professional tone. "Maybe, you've done your famous pianist some favors... Like getting rid of the people he didn't want to see anymore. Hum?"
"That's a scandalous accusation!" Frederick bellowed in anger while the conductor was at loss of words.
"Well, it would be, if we couldn't find any other similar situations!" Vinyl commented before flipping through her folder. "For example, Miss Philharmonica's suspension. From what we gathered, you unsuccessfully attempted to court her right before her suspension started. Another coincidence, surely."
"Wasn't Octavia suspended because she missed a few rehearsals?" a musician asked with curiosity.
"Except that your orchestra's charter stipulates that any absence to rehearsals can only be sentenced with a suspension after a hearing of the faulty musician's explanation," Sanagi explained. "Something Miss Philharmonica apparently didn't get right to, or at least it hasn't been written in her record, which would still be a great fault on this orchestra's management's part in any case!" she commented patiently. "Miss Philharmonica?"
"Huh, yes?" Octavia replied, a bit surprised to have been called by her new boss.
"Did you go to such hearing?" the Japanese asked softly.
"No, Madam," Octavia replied with a shake of her head. "I didn't even know I had right to one until today."
"Why am I not surprised of that?" Sanagi turned her gaze to the conductor. "Anything to add, Maestro?" the conductor simply shook his head. "Then, I'll ask you kindly to get the hell out of my concert hall, NOW!" she ordered firmly, startling everyone in the room.
"O-Of course, miss," the conductor said fearfully before heading off the stage.
"That goes for you as well, mister Horzowski!" Sanagi growled in anger. "I only want professionals in my orchestra, and a bratty man who doesn't know where the limit between private life and the orchestra's stands isn't in my definition of professionalism!"
"You can't do that!" Frederick shouted in indignation. "I'm the best musician in this whole orchestra!"
"You could be Mozart himself, I wouldn't care. Now, GET OUT!" Sanagi yelled furiously, starling everyone again. "Or I'll ask someone to do it for you!"
Frederick didn't listen, and angrily turned to Beatrice. "You're happy now? That's what you wanted? You cheated on me and now you destroy my career?" he snapped at the brunette who took a fearful step back.
"Don't blame it on her, Frederick!" Octavia bellowed in fury, standing protectively in front of her roommate. "You did this to yourself!"
"You, SHUT UP!" he yelled angrily, lifting his hand high.
He was about to slap Octavia when Vinyl, who had left Sanagi's sides, suddenly grabbed his wrist and twisted it strongly, before making him twirl around. He knocked his back against a very massive, and muscular Japanese man.
"That certainly didn't help your case, Mr. Horzowski," Sanagi said in a low growl. "Hiro, take him out of my sight!" she ordered to the muscular man.
While Frederick was escorted out of the hall under the shocked and angry glares of the rest of the orchestra by Hiro, Sanagi sighed in annoyance.
"Not exactly the kind of reactions I expected of him. That's a shame a talent like his to be ruined like that," Sanagi muttered for herself. "You all can go. I'm sorry you had to see this," she said to the musicians who slowly started to empty the concert hall, chatting about what just happened.
Soon enough the only ones left on stage were Beatrice, Octavia and Vinyl. When they were sure no one from the orchestra could see them, the two musicians nearly tackled Vinyl in a strong hug.
"Hello, my beauties," Vinyl whispered with the utmost affection, nuzzling her two lovers' cheek. "Missed me?"
"You have no idea," Octavia said in a shaking tone, pecking the blue haired woman's right cheek.
"What took you so long?" Beatrice asked softly, pecking Vinyl's other cheek.
"Stealing an entire orchestra and its concert hall took me a bit more time than planned, sorry," Vinyl explained in an apologetic tone.
"What?" the musicians let out in shock.
"Vinyl," Sanagi called before joining the trio on stage. Octavia and Beatrice quickly forced themselves away from Vinyl's embrace. "Good job on that one! To be completely honest, I didn't think you could pull that off when you explained your idea to me. I'm glad you proved me wrong!" she said happily.
"Thanks," Vinyl said with a small smile. "It wasn't easy, but Patterson and his supermodel's little secret was worth digging."
Huh? Beatrice and Octavia thought in confusion at the mention of the former owner of their orchestra's concert hall.
"Well, what are you still doing here?" Sanagi asked with a cocked eyebrow. "You're no longer needed! Your job is done," she added with an imperceptible wink.
Vinyl slowly rested her left palm on her right fist before solemnly bow to the Japanese. "Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita, soshite sayōnara, Sanagi-Hime!" [Thank you so much, and goodbye, Princess Chrysalis] she said in a very reverential tone.
Sanagi softly chuckled. "Just go take care of your own princesses! Sayōnara, Sharuman Dorobō!" she added with a light bow before Vinyl took Octavia and Beatrice's hands and went for the exit.
"You can speak Japanese?" Octavia asked in disbelief when they were out of the tiers.
"When you've worked with Yakuzas for eight years, you tend to learn a few words," Vinyl explained with a shrug. "Now," she passed her arms around her two lovers' shoulders. "Didn't we agree on celebrating my freedom?" she asked in a cheerful tone.
"We did agree on that," Beatrice smiled amorously while Octavia nodded with a big smile. "What do you want to do?"
"Simply go home, and spend some quality time with the two women I love," Vinyl said with a long sigh. "It has been a really long week."
"Too long, love," Octavia whispered before she and Beatrice pecked Vinyl's cheeks.
The trio walked out of the building, Vinyl reluctantly released her hold on the two musicians in case they were still other orchestra members in the parking lot, much the three lovers' disappointment. As a matter of fact, one was still present, even if he wasn't really part of the orchestra anymore.
"Sanagi-Sama asked you to stay out of her concert hall," Hiro said calmly to a pissed off Frederick. "Please, leave."
"Believe me, I will, but I need my car keys to do so!" Frederick explained frantically. "They must have fallen out of my pockets when that blue haired bitch tossed me around, so move out of the way so that I can get them!"
"Not my problem," Hiro replied matter-of-factly. "You'll stay out."
"Listen here, you big monkey..."
"Well, Freddy's never gonna get his keys now," Vinyl commented before heading to Octavia's car, with the cellist and Beatrice in tow. "Hiro doesn't really like being insulted."
"Is he going to hurt him?" Beatrice asked, a hint of worry present in her tone.
"Don't you worry your pretty face, Sleeping Beauty," Vinyl said in a comforting voice. "Sanagi asked him to keep Freddy out of her building, and that's all Hiro's going to do. He just won't be really polite in his retorts anymore."
"Vinyl, something that Sanagi said is bothering me," Octavia said as she opened her car. "She sounded like the buying of the concert hall was your idea."
"Because it was," Vinyl said simply, resting her elbows on the car's roof. "She said that for my last job, I could choose anything as long as she could get enough in return. I did some research during the first five days I was gone, until I found out something interesting about the former owner. On the sixth day, I managed to get all what I needed from his place. Then, I discussed the buying with him in Sanagi's name. Bought the whole place for next to nothing, with a legal contract and everything. It was as if theft had been legalized!" she added with a chuckle.
"But why our orchestra?" Beatrice asked.
"Because I couldn't stand there while Frederick's stupid hurt ego was ruining your life and Tavi's," Vinyl replied softly. "I heard you both playing, you're too good to be kept away from an orchestra, even temporarily," she added while glancing at Octavia who brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes shining with happy tears.
"You mean to tell us that you convince a yakuza gang leader..." Octavia began in a shaken tone.
"...to let you steal our orchestra and its concert hall just for our sake?" Beatrice ended Octavia's question with a soft smile.
"Well, yeah." Vinyl sheepishly scratched the tip of her nose.
Next thing Vinyl knew, Beatrice had pulled her in for a very passionate kiss while Octavia walked around the car. As soon as she could, Octavia pushed her face between Vinyl and Beatrice's. Vinyl's eyes snapped wide opened when she felt another tongue joining her and Beatrice's. Octavia and Beatrice's tongues twirled around Vinyl's, mixing their spits all together under their simultaneous moaning.
Vinyl would have never thought that her lovers would agree on a public three way kiss. A private one being one of the few things Vinyl had a hard time to convince them to do. Not that she ever failed at getting it, it was just harder than the rest.
All too quickly, Beatrice and Octavia pulled their tongues away with rosy cheeks before giggling like schoolgirls at Vinyl mouthing a silent wow.
"If it weren't for the theft part you could be Prince Charming, Vinyl," Beatrice beamed.
"Too bad you're a thief," Octavia giggled playfully.
"Sanagi would agree with you two," Vinyl let out absentmindedly, passing one of her finger on her lips.
"Why?" her lovers asked in confusion, slightly growling in anger.
"When I explained her why I chose your orchestra, she kinda mocked me with a nickname," Vinyl explained quickly. "Sharuman Dorobō."
"What does it mean?"
"Well... It means Thief Charming," Vinyl translated.
Octavia and Beatrice smiled fondly at the now reformed thief with blue hair, before both leaned in to peck a half of Vinyl's lips each.
"It suits you," Beatrice and Octavia whispered affectionately after pulling their lips away from Vinyl's. "You are Our Thief Charming!"
Vinyl smiled brightly before softly nodding at the car. Octavia gave Vinyl her car key before taking her spot on the passenger seat while Beatrice sat on the back seat.
The blue haired woman walked around the car to get to the driver door. After opening the door, she glanced back at the building, her red eyes focussing on a dumbfounded Frederick who was staring at her his mouth agape.
The small smile on Hiro's face added to Frederick staring at her was more than enough for Vinyl to know that her little moment with her girlfriends had not gone completely unnoticed. Smirking, Vinyl pulled a set of car keys from her trousers. She waved them for Frederick to see, his eyes going wider than they already were.
I hope you've got change for a bus ticket, Frederick! Vinyl chuckled mentally before tossing the pianist's keys in a nearby sewer drain, hearing a faint splash of water afterwards. Well, you would have some if your wallet wasn't in my pocket right now. Hehehe!
"Vinyl, what are you doing?" Beatrice asked.
"Just enjoying my final mischief to its fullest, Sleeping Beauty," Vinyl said with a chuckle as she sat behind the steering wheel.
"What final mischief?" Octavia asked with worry.
"Nothing worth mentioning, sweetie," Vinyl replied while starting the engine.
Vinyl calmly drove out of the parking lot, glancing briefly at a blonde pianist becoming smaller in her rearview mirror while standing agape like a idiot. Vinyl turned in another street after having resisted the urge to laugh when Hiro poked Frederick to see if he was alright, only to have the pianist collapse on the sidewalk.
"You want to stop somewhere on the way home to get something to eat?" Beatrice asked Vinyl curiously five minutes after they left the parking lot.
"Or we can cook you a little something?" Octavia suggested.
"How about we just go home so that you can play a little duet for me?" Vinyl asked softly. "I kinda missed that during the last ten days."
"We can do that!" Beatrice nodded excitedly. "Cello and saxophone, Tavi?"
"That should be good. I can still play my violin if she wants to," Octavia offered in suggestion.
"I was thinking of another instrument," Vinyl specified. "One you two can play very well."
"What are you talking about?" Beatrice asked in confusion. "We don't play the same type of instrument at all."
"Yes, you do! You both can play me. Perfectly I might add!" Vinyl replied in a low, sensual purr.
Both the musicians' cheeks became bright red at Vinyl's proposal.
"Drive home, Vinyl!" Octavia ordered firmly in a sultry tone.
"And drive fast!" Beatrice added in a commanding tone, licking her lips hungrily.
"I can't," Vinyl said slowly pointing at a road sign. "The speed limit is at 35 miles per hour," she added, chuckling at the irony of her remark.
"Oh, no! You're not doing the soup bowl trick again!" Beatrice shouted angrily.
"Vinyl, you've been gone for ten days!" Octavia reminded in a growl. "Don't play with us, or Bea and I will take you right here, right now!" Beatrice nodded sternly.
"Is that so?" Vinyl slowly asked with piqued interest.
Startling her two lovers, Vinyl took a sudden, sharp turn into a dark alley, then in another two before stopping the car in an isolated dead end between two tall apartment buildings. She unhooked her seat belt before setting the driver seat in its lying position. She quickly took her suit jacket, and her blouse off, showing she wasn't wearing a bra. Vinyl undid her ponytail, letting her hair slightly taking back the shape of her usual spikes.
"Now, my Sleeping Beauty and Cellist Princess," Vinyl purred in a very hungry tone, licking her lips with her thin black tie hanging loosely between her breasts. "You said you'd take me right here, right now! I'm waiting," she invited them firmly, signaling them to come with her forefinger.
It took less than a hundredth of second for Octavia and Beatrice to get free of their seat belts before lunging at their half naked lover with aroused growls, making the car tilt so suddenly that its right tires left the ground for a second.
"You know,... you two pouncing on me like a pair of hungry lionesses on a defenseless antelope still hurts!"
"Don't worry, Scratchie," Octavia whispered sultrily between the kisses she was giving to Vinyl's neck while the right hand of her lover was expertly unbuttoning her blouse. "Unlike them to the antelope, we're not going to eat you."
"At least, not all of you," Beatrice chuckled seductively as she was pulling the zipper of Vinyl's pants down, while their owner had her hand inside the brunette's ones. "That part is too tasty for us to ignore it." she pushed her hand under the fabric of Vinyl's red panties before slowly massaging her lower lips, quickly joined by Octavia's hand.
Vinyl threw her head back at her lovers simultaneously caressing her, moaning blissfully. Octavia and Beatrice winked at each other before the both leaned in towards their thief's breast, each taking a milk-chocolate colored nipple in their mouth. Vinyl lost it when the two musicians started to suck on her nipples and caressing her sex in perfect synchronization.
The two musicians all too quickly stopped sucking on the thief's nipples. Vinyl was about to protest when two tongues started to lick her lips fervently. She immediately added her own tongue to the kiss. The trio kissed passionately while the two musicians kept their synchronized rubbing of Vinyl's nethers.
"You like our duet, Scratchie?" Octavia asked sultrily after she and Beatrice had pulled themselves away from the kiss, not interrupting their actions in Vinyl's panties.
"I love it!" Vinyl shouted in pleasure. "Oh FUCK!" she bellowed when they each introduced two fingers inside her before going back and forth. "Faster!" she added in a small whisper.
"Did you hear her, Tavi?" Beatrice asked in a playful tone, slowing her movement's speed.
"No, I don't think I did," Octavia replied casually, doing the same as her brunette roommate.
"PLEASE, FASTER!" Vinyl yelled in excitement.
"Now, I heard it," Octavia chuckled before quickening her pace instantly while Beatrice quickened hers.
"Oh, yes!" Vinyl shouted in an ecstatic tone.
"You're about to come, honey?" Beatrice asked softly.
"N..Not yet!" Vinyl replied hesitantly.
Octavia and Beatrice nodded slowly, and pulled their fingers out from inside Vinyl, much to the concerned party's disappointment, before pulling her pants and red panties down. They each grabbed one of their lover's leg and sprayed them as widely as possible. The both leaned in to gently lick her soaked lips.
If Vinyl had screamed her pleasure before, right now she was hollering it, incapable to keep her eyes open. The two tongues danced over her labia, building up so much tension inside her. Quickly enough, she felt a tongue going for her clit while the other tried to go deep inside her vagina. Her clit was assaulted by quick, but firm strokes from the tip of a tongue, making her body go on fire.
"...Girls..I'm gonn..gonna coooooOOOH!" Vinyl bellowed when her clit was firmly bitten, making her orgasm like she never had before, her vagina nearly hosing her juices out.
Vinyl let her head fall against the car's door, panting heavily with her eyes still closed to recover from her mind blowing orgasm. She slightly heard two women saying her name in a sing song voice, mentioning a show she couldn't miss. Tiredly, Vinyl stopped leaning against the door, opening her eyes slowly, before snapping them open in excitement.
Slightly at her right, sitting on the back seat, Octavia and Beatrice, who had both gotten undressed during her momentarily black out, had their naked bodies pressed against one another's, and their faces covered in Vinyl's juice. When they saw Vinyl was paying attention, they winked at their lover before starting to lick each other's face clean.
"Wow!" Vinyl let out quietly at the show Octavia and Beatrice were giving her.
"Does that excite you?" Beatrice asked as Octavia and her stopped their licking, leaving them with a large quantity of Vinyl's juices on their faces.
"A lot!" Vinyl replied in a hungry growl.
"Perfect!" Octavia beamed before sitting a bit apart from Beatrice. "Now, you can do me!"
"No, she can do me!" Beatrice protested loudly.
"No, me first!" Octavia argued.
"Why you and not me?"
"Because my breasts are sexier than yours!" Octavia growled.
"My ass is better than yours!" Beatrice growled back.
"Vinyl!" The pair shouted in unison. "Her or me, decide!"
Vinyl licked her lip before smirking. "Answer of the Thief, my princesses," she replied sultrily. "I'll just get what I want!"
"Which is?"
"Making the two of you COME. AT. THE. SAME. TIME!" Vinyl explained hungrily with primal desire shining in her eyes.
Octavia and Beatrice beamed at the enticing glint in their lover's eyes and the certitude in her voice. "We'd hoped you'd say that!" |
Truth or Dare... | pre | "No, Starlight. It is not just a sandwich." Rarity said, shuddering as she looked at Pinkie and lowered her voice a little. "Its the Sandwich of Near Death Experiences!"
Dash snickered at that...only to grimace at the remembrance of her own run in with the sandwich. It had not been at all pleasant.
"Oh, it can't be that bad." Starlight said. "It sounds fun! Pinkie Pie! Make me one of your Pinkie Pie Shocking Surprise Special Sandwiches!!"
"Okie Dokie Lokie!!" Pinkie giggled, whipping several items from her mane and bouncing over to the picnic basket for some bread(thoughtfully packed by Fluttershy).
Twilight gazed at Starlight for a moment, shaking her head sadly.
"Oh, my poor, poor naive student." She said mournfully, as if said student had just been condemned to execution.
"We shall miss you dearly, darling." Rarity said, with a sniff.
"Yeah, its been nice knowing you." Dash offered.
Starlight rolled her eyes and looked over at Pinkie, who had somehow just made the sandwich in ten seconds and put it on a plate. She gave it to Starlight, who eyed it. It looked pretty ordinary. She picked it up with her magic and took a huge bite(at which point Fluttershy covered her eyes and the others grimaced).
"This isn't so bad." Starlight said around the mouthful, chewing.
And then her eyes grew impossibly wide and she started turning greener than a purple unicorn could be thought to turn.
A mix of awful flavours had just assaulted her taste buds. A strong mint, combined with mustard, ketchup, what tasted like strawberry frosting, bannana, berry, chocolate....and a host of other things. Including pepper. Lots of spicy pepper. She dropped the sandwich and spit her half chewed mouthful out.
"GAAAAAAAAAGH!!!" She screeched, staggering back. "HOT! SWEET! YUCK! WATER! HELP!"
Twilight hastily levitated over a bottle of apple cider, and Starlight snatched it up and downed the entire contents in less than six seconds while the others shook with silent laughter...and simultaneously winced in sympathy. Starlight collapsed on the grass, gasping.
"What...was in...that...sandwich??!" She demanded.
Pinkie giggled. "Here's all I used!" She said, holding out a collection of items.
Chocolate syrup, ketchup, mustard, strawberry frosting, mixed berry jam, pepper...all kinds of stuff. But what got Starlight was the last 'ingredient' she laid eyes on.
"YOU PUT TOOTHPASTE ON A SANDWICH?! WHY IN EQUESTRIA DID YOU DO THAT?!"
"Silly filly!" Pinkie giggled. "So you could clean your teeth while you eat, duh!"
And to the absolute horror of all those watching...particularly Starlight...Pinkie Pie threw the remaining sandwich into her mouth and ate it. She frowned.
"Hmm...could use more chocolate and frosting next time!"
Starlight very nearly lost the contents of her picnic lunch. Dash looked a bit green, and the others didn't look much better.
"Ok..." Rarity said weakly. "Who goes next?"
"That'd be me. I'm actually last." Spike said.
Starlight grabbed another bottle of cider and drank some, still trying to rid herself of the horrible taste of the sandwich. She glared at the dragon.
"You will regret this, Spike." She promised, sourly.
"Hey, nopony made you pick my dare!" He retorted. "You had another option! It's your fault you chose the dare I gave you, not mine!"
Starlight only glared harder, as if she was trying to glare him into an early grave. He rolled his eyes.
"Alright, Spike. Truth or Dare?" Applejack asked.
"Dare!" Spike said, then caught the absolutely evil grin that spread across Starlight's face. He sighed.
"Ooh, I got one!" Scootaloo piped up eagerly. "Spike, I dare you to hold a gem in your teeth for ten minutes and not eat it!"
"Scoots, that's so mean!" Sweetie Belle gasped. Then she giggled. "But I second it!"
"Me too!" Apple Bloom yelled.
"You guys are terrible." Spike said flatly.
"That was pretty good, actually." Twilight said. "We all know how much you love gems, Spike. And I just happen to have packed one for you..." She grinned deviously.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Spike said indignantly. "But, um, can I see that gem?"
Twilight giggled as she pulled it from her saddlebag and levitated it above his head. It was a good sized green gem(Spike's favourite), and his mouth instantly started watering.
"Soooo yummy..." he moaned. Then he shook his head. "Anypony else?"
"Yeah, I have one." Starlight said. "Spike, I dare you...." She paused for dramatic affect.
Spike waited. And waited. And waited. After a full minute, he finally exploded.
"Ugh! Tell me already!"
Starlight grinned wickedly. "I dare you take that gem and-"
Before she could finish, Spike had nabbed the gem from Twilight's magic and was...cuddling it?
"Oh, my sweet, sweet gem!" He moaned, hugging it tightly. "So sweet, so juicy! So delicious! Oh...how I love the way the light sparkles on your crystal green surface! Oh, sweet, precious gem!"
"Well, I was going to tell him to give it to somepony else." Starlight said. "But this...this is gold."
"No, Darling, its an emerald." Rarity said. "And a very, very fine one at that. Spike has impeccable taste."
"Oh, precious gem!" Spike moaned, oblivious to the mixture of incredulous, shocked, and disgusted looks he was getting. "Sweet, tender, succulent, delicious, juicy, amazing, delectable gem!!"
"Oh for Celestia's sake, somepony snap him out of this!" Dash groaned. "This is getting really awkward!!"
"Why?" Twilight asked, grinning.
"Why?! Because he's having a Celestia-darned love affair with a gem!!! A gem, Twilight!!" Dash burst out. "Its even more disturbing and sickening than Pinkie and her short-lived love of Frank the Feather! He's your dragon, Twilight; make him stop!"
"I actually find it quite amusingly adorable." Rarity said, smiling.
"Yeah? Ah'm kinda surprised, Rarity, after your intense affection for...Tom." Applejack smirked.
Rarity glared daggers at her. "I thought we were never going to speak of that hideous, Discord induced incident ever again!" She growled.
"Forget Tom!" Dash snapped. "Focus on Spike! He's the one with the problem now! He's....Sweet Celestia! What the hay?!"
Spike had switched from moaning over his gem to tasting it. He had his eyes closed.
"Mmm...tastes like lime." He mused as he gave it another lick.
"I can't watch this!" Dash groaned, looking ill. "Twilight, please! Make. Him. Stop!!!"
Twilight giggled. "Ok, Dash. Ok."
She reached out and seperated the gem and the dragon.
"Hey!" Spike exclaimed.
"You can have back it later, Spike." Twilight giggled. "Meantime, I don't think this counted as a dare, so we need to give you another one. Without gems involved."
"How about I dare you to drink a bottle of hot sauce?" Dash said.
"Fire doesn't really bother me, Dash." Spike said. "I breathe fire, and I also have the ability to swim in boiling hot lava. Hot sauce doesn't faze me."
"Then I dare you to eat a bite of one of Pinkie's sandwiches!" Starlight said.
"Nope. Had one before."
"Well...then...I dare you to...to..." Starlight tried to think but came up empty.
"I dare ya to tell us a secret about ya nopony knows!" Applejack supplied.
"Good one!" Dash said.
Spike looked a bit ill. "Do I have to?"
"Hey, you picked Dare! You gotta do what you're told!" Dash said.
"Well...ok." Spike said. He thought. "Um...I never told anypony this one. I, um...I'm not really a dragon." He sighed mournfully. "I'm really...a reformed changeling. I replaced the real Spike ages ago."
He looked dead serious. All eyes were fastened on him, all mouths hung open in shocked silence. Dash nearly fell over and Twilight looked ready to stroke out on the spot. Spike looked around and then snickered.
"Gotcha." He collapsed in a fit of hysterical laughter.
"That...was so...mean!" Dash gasped.
"Oh, but your faces!" Spike howled.
He continued to laugh while everypony glared at him. Once he finally calmed down, he took a breath.
"No, actually, one secret that I have that only Pinkie knows, is that sometimes, I show off my muscles in a mirror and tell myself I'm looking real good." He blushed a little.
"Ok, then." Dash muttered. "Spike is officially as weird as Pinkie Pie. Sheesh."
They all sat in silence for a bit, then Twilight spoke.
"If Spike was last, do we want to quit now, or start over?"
"I say we call it quits." Dash said. "Its getting late in the day."
The others agreed and started cleaning up, laughing and talking about today's dares and truths. They had almost finished when a familiar voice rang out loud and clear.
"Just one minute!!! The Great and Powerful Trixie has been listening! I demand a chance to play!!"
Everypony turned, and there, in all her smirking, arrogant glory, stood the blue coated magician. She grinned in Starlight's direction.
"That is, may Trixie please have a turn?"
"Well, since you asked nicely..." Starlight answered, and they all settled back down for a final round of the game. |
Truth or Dare... | Bonus:The Great and Powerful Trixie | "So, Trixie." Starlight said, eyeing her friend. "Truth, or Dare?"
Trixie pondered the question only briefly before answering.
"Trixie chooses Dare!" She announced. "Any dares you want! There is no dare Trixie won't do! Providing it's not deadly or completely against the law, of course."
"Says the unicorn who enslaved an entire town and surrounded it with a magic force field all because she put on an amulet she was not supposed to have, and stole, and got possessed by dark magic." Spike muttered.
Dash snickered. Starlight glared.
"Valid point." Trixie said, nodding at Spike. "But Trixie is reformed now and no longer breaks the law. Except in teensy matters where it suits her purpose..."
"Trixie!" Starlight scolded.
"Just kidding!" Trixie said hastily. "You should know Trixie is a model citizen now!"
"Well...that's true." Twilight admitted. "Other than the usual complaints about your rather annoying behaviour, I haven't heard anything bad about you since you showed up here in Ponyville permanently."
Trixie scowled. "The Great and Powerful Trixie can't please all ponies." She said. "It's not possible. Unless, of course, she could convince Starlight to cast a spell that makes everypony like her."
"What? Trixie! No!" Starlight sputtered.
Trixie giggled. "Gotcha."
Starlight huffed. "Not funny, Trixie."
"Ok, ok, she chose Dare, so let's let her have it!" Dash interrupted, eyes gleaming.
"Hey, you make her do anything too crazy, and you answer to me!" Starlight said warningly, moving to sit down next to the magician.
Trixie grinned. "Trixie appreciates you having her back."
"Anytime, Trixie." Starlight replied, throwing a foreleg around her. "Anytime."
"Oh good grief!" Dash muttered. "Is the Sappy Disease going around today? Twilight, throw a protection spell up around me before I catch it too!"
"Oh, Dashie." Pinkie giggled. "You silly willy filly!"
"What can we dare Trixie to do?" Applejack asked, rubbing her head.
"Ooh, how about we see how many teacups she can replicate from one teacup in two minutes??" Pinkie squealed.
"Yeah, fits her perfectly." Starlight said with a smile.
"To a T-ea." Dash couldn't resist throwing out, smirking. "And I don't think that's smart. She's liable to have us all swimming in teacups. Not my cup of tea."
"Oh, haha, very funny." Trixie said, rolling her eyes. "The Great and Powerful Trixie enjoys challenges. Hmmm...how many teacups in two minutes? Alright, consider the challenge accepted! Along with whatever other dares you want. Would anypony happen to have a teacup?"
"Ooh, me! Me! I do! I do!! I carry a spare in my mane!" Pinkie squealed, producing said teacup and holding it out.
"Of course she does." Dash said flatly.
Trixie blinked. "You carry a teacup in your mane??" She said, completely befuddled.
"Yeppers!" Pinkie giggled. "And all sorts of extra party stuff, and cupcakes, and Gummy, of course! Ooh! Cupcake?"
She held one up after pulling it from her poofy mane. Trixie looked at Starlight in confusion.
"Trixie is confused. How does she...?"
"Its Pinkie Pie." Starlight said. "Her logic and reasoning defies all normal laws of logic and reasoning. Anypony who tries to figure her out eventually drives themselves crazy."
"So...how do you understand what she does?" Trixie asked.
"You don't." Starlight said. "Just let it go, Trixie. Trust me on this. Your sanity will thank you."
Trixie shrugged. "Fine. Now...behold the magic of Trixie!"
Spike started the timer and Trixie concentrated on the teacup. By the time the timer dinged, stacks of teacups sat around them, and Trixie was panting for breath. Twilight was counting.
"Forty five!" She exclaimed in astonishment.
"Wow!" Dash said. "I'm actually very impressed, Trixie."
The magician beamed triuphantly.
"Well, shall we each take another turn? Or should we let Trixie catch up and just give her a bunch of turns now?" Dash asked.
"Trixie could do a few more dares." Trixie said.
"In that case..." Dash said with a smirk.
Trixie came to regret her words as the dares started coming. Dash dared her to down a large spoonful of hot sauce, which she did...resulting in her having to down two bottles of cider faster than Applejack had downed hers.
Rarity dared her to let her give her a makeover, which she agreed to do, even though she grumbled the whole time.
Applejack dared her to tell one thing about herself that nopony knew. Trixie had to think on that briefly.
"I never had a family." She admitted. "Not really. Spent most of my growing up years in an orphanage. I started learning magic when I was twelve, and ran away three years later to have my own show."
The others noticed the lack of referring to herself in third pony.
"Wow." Starlight said. "That's really sad, Trixie."
"Well, you have family now!" Twilight announced firmly.
"I do?" The puzzled pony said.
"Eeyup! Us!" Applejack grinned. "No matter how annoyin' ya might be sometimes, we're your friends. An' we're also family."
Trixie grinned. "I'd like that." She cleared her throat. "Now, any more dares??"
Fluttershy, shockingly, dared her to spend ten minutes with a bunch of animals, just enjoying them. Trixie balked, but eventually did it. To her amazement, the animals seemed to like her, and she made several furry friends.
Twilight dared her to pull of a perfect disappearing act(something she had always had trouble with), a dare Starlight and Applejack seconded. To her own amazement, she succeeded.
Spike had to think a while, but he finally dared her to pretend to be the pony on her left for ten minutes. That pony, unfortunately, happened to be Dash, who was less than thrilled at the dare. Trixie wasn't happy either.
"Oh come on!" She said. "Why her?! Trixie doesn't even have wings!!"
"Valid point." Dash said. "You can't be me without wings. That is the very oppisite of awesome."
"Not only that, but Trixie can't possibly match her level of arrogance." Trixie said, waving a hoof.
"Actually, I was thinking you would probably out match her arrogance." Spike said, smirking.
"Hey!" Both mares exclaimed at once, glaring at him.
"I am not changing my dare." Spike said.
"Fine!" Trixie said. "The Great and Powerful Trixie shall be Rainbow Dash, and she shall be a better Rainbow Dash than Rainbow Dash is!!"
"Puh!! Impossible!" Dash scoffed, crossing her forelegs. "Nopony can be a better Rainbow Dash than me! I'm the only Rainbow Dash in Equestria!"
"Thank Celestia for that!" Twilight muttered, wondering how long Equestria would survive if there were two of them.
"Trixie shall be better!" The magician insisted.
"Yeah, right! Good luck!" Dash snorted. "Just don't forget that, unlike a certain pony, I don't refer to myself in third pony!"
"Trixie knows...I mean, I know that!" Trixie huffed.
"Ok, time starts now!" Spike said.
Trixie took a deep breath and straighted up. She looked from one to the other, then flopped on her back and produced a pair of sunglasses, which she donned.
"Ha. I am Rainbow Dash. And I...am...totally...AWESOME!" She said, waving one leg. "I'm just chillaxing in the sun, after a hard day busting clouds. Ahhhh...this is the life."
Dash stared at her with one eyebrow raised.
"Are you serious right now?" She demanded. "I don't sound like that! Although, yeah, I am totally awesome. And I do like chillaxing. But the point is, I do not go around saying that!!!"
"I am just thinking about my first time at the Wonderbolt Academy." Trixie pressed on undeterred. "I made a pretty bad first impression. Fell right into a trash can. Heh heh...taught me to pay better attention. For the most part."
"Trixie..." Dash said warningly, eyes narrowing.
"And I still remember what happened right after, too." Trixie said, her devilish grin indicating she was enjoying this and intended to make the most of it. "When I crawled out of that can...heh. I heard laughing, and my teammates were grinning. Gave me a nickname, too."
"Ah, Trixie, I wouldn't..." Starlight warned.
"A very interesting and appropriate nickname, too." Trixie said, ignoring it.
"Don't. You. Dare." Dash snarled, eyes blazing.
"Rainbow Crash." Trixie concluded, smugly.
Dash might not have minded it from her team, or even her close friends, but from anypony else, it was unacceptable. With a yell, she flung herself on the azure unicorn.
"Gah!" Trixie yelled, unprepared for the sudden attack.
The two of them grappled and wrestled and rolled, Dash trying to knock Trixie's lights out and Trixie trying to fight her off.
"Ok, ok, enough!" Twilight shouted.
Her magic encircled Dash, while Starlight's enveloped Trixie, and they pulled the two apart.
"Lemme go!" Dash shouted. "I'm gonna..."
"You're gonna nothing!" Twilight scolded, putting her down between Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. "You're going to sit and behave yourself! She was only joking with you!"
"Which you shouldn't have." Starlight said, putting Trixie down next to her.
"Eh, it was too enticing." Trixie said.
"Why, you..." Dash started to lunge for her, only to be stopped by Rarity's magic. "Hey!"
"Now, Rainbow Dash, don't make us put you in time out!" Rarity said, eyes twinkling slightly.
It was sufficient enough for Dash to stop struggling and hush up. Momentarily.
"What?!" She shrieked. "I'm not a filly!"
"Well, then, stop actin' like one." Applejack said, smirking. "Even them fillies you're sittin' next to are actin' better than you!"
Dash huffed and crossed her forelegs, scowling. Scootaloo giggled at her sister's behaviour.
"You gotta admit, she did do a pretty good job acting like you." The filly said.
"Hmph!" Dash said in reply.
"She's got five minutes left." Spike pointed out.
"Trixie forfeits." Trixie said.
"Well, then, there's a consequence." Spike said.
"Name it." Trixie's eyes narrowed.
"Uh...I didn't think that far..." Spike muttered.
"Luckily, I did." Twilight said, grinning.
"Of course you did." Trixie muttered.
"Trixie." Twilight went on, ignoring her. "Your consequence is to...apologise to Rainbow Dash for making her mad. Oh, and then do the craziest dance you can think of."
Trixie blinked. "What?"
"You heard me."
Trixie looked at Starlight, who gave a nod.
"Might as well do it, Trixie." She said.
Trixie growled. Then she looked at Dash.
"Very well. Trixie apologises." She said.
"Apology accepted." Dash said, anger suddenly gone.
Trixie got up, thought a second, and started dancing around in a goofy fashion. She threw in some moves from Twilight's earlier chicken dance for good measure. Once she collapsed in the grass, everypony applauded.
"That was pretty good!" Dash said, laughing.
"Glad you enjoyed it." Trixie deadpanned. "Trixie has had enough of this game."
"Agreed!" Twilight yawned.
"Well, then let's declare it over already!" Dash said. "And have some more cider."
The group grabbed the remaining bottles of cider and chatted merrily, laughing at the antics of Trixie and Dash as they argued goodnaturedly over who was a better Rainbow Dash. Finally, they all rose to go their seperate ways. As they said goodbye, Scootaloo waved a hoof.
"I can't wait til the next picnic!" She said. "More Truth or Dare! Yay!"
"The truth is, I don't know if we dare to do it again!" Dash supplied, and everypony groaned at the bad joke before bursting into laughter. |
Mail Troubles | pre | "No, no," I said, quickly. "Being a stallion is fine." I quickly unrolled the collar and lifted it to my neck.
"Whoa, hold on there," Discord said, holding up a paw. "What about your clothes?"
"My clothes?" I asked, not having a clue what he was going on about.
"Why yes, your clothes, your garments, your outer covers, your layers, your--" Discord said, rambling.
"Yes, my clothes," I said, interrupting. "What about them?"
"Aren't you going to take them off?" Discord asked, gesturing up and down my body. "Most of them will be ruined if you don't, and those that aren't will just slow you down."
"Um," I said, embarrassed, and then I looked around realizing I was sharing the room with a pegasus and a...whatever Discord was. Like Derpy said, we weren't even the same species. So, I nodded, got up and began to shuck my clothes, including my boxers.
"Right, here we go," I said, and I buckled the collar so that it was skin tight against my neck. Nothing happened. Nothing at all. "Um...is anything supposed to hap--", I said, just as the biggest muscle cramp I had felt in my entire life struck, doubling me over.
"James!" I could hear Derpy cry out, concern and worry colouring her voice. "Discord, do something, it isn't supposed to hurt him."
"James," Discord said quietly, touching my shoulder. "Breathe, relax. You have to accept the magic, let it flow through you and let a little chaos into your life. It hurts because you're fighting it." I grunted explosively as I curled over my belly, trying to nod my understanding. "Derpy, come here." Over the sound of the grunts that were now my breathing. I could hear the clop of her hooves.
"Stand by his face, flapping your wings every few seconds in a steady rhythm," Discord told her. She did, and every three or four seconds I could feel a cool wash of air blow past me.
"S-Sorry," I gasped out, trying to relax. I could feel the power in the collar coiling in my body from neck to nethers. A warm, crunching feeling that was trying to pull every part of me into it. The cool air going over my body every few seconds was helping but it wasn't enough.
"Feel the wind, from your friend," Discord said, rhythmically. "Derpy is your friend, you trust her and you know she is here to help you. Just breathe with her." My breath started to match the rhythm of the wing beats and I slowly felt myself beginning to unclench. "Yes, that's it. Keep going, James." Discord was right, the more I let myself flow with the air washing over me, the more my muscles unclenched and the less it hurt. I still couldn't unbend myself, but the pain was rapidly fading away and that warm feeling in my gut began to spread through my body, relaxing and easing my muscles.
"Thanks," I said, breathing easier but still laying on my side, as a new tingling sensation began to run down my spine, all the way down to my tailbone.
"My fault," Discord admitted, face sad. "You're the first non-Equestrian I've done this with. I'll get it better in the next version, I promise, but in the meantime just keep relaxing." I nodded and lay still, the tingling sensation down my back growing and spreading. I felt it spread over my front and looking down I saw what was causing the sensation.
I was growing fur all over my body. As I lay there and watched, a slow but steady tide of rich brown fur began to cover my skin. I held my arm in front of my face, watching the fur advance and I rubbed my arms together, savoring the new sensations as my brain tried to process a whole new series of nerve impulses. The fur felt surprisingly soft and sleek, like a cat's and I grinned up at Derpy who had stopped her flapping, smiling right back at me. Feeling better I began to rotate to get up, but Discord stopped me.
"Some ways to go, you have, young pony," Discord said, chuckling and pleased that I was over the crisis. "Just lay there and let things happen."
"Okay," I said, and I realized my voice was changing as well. It was softer, with a higher pitch. Still my voice, but different, and as I put my hands up to my head I felt that the fur had covered my entire face. My face and head were changing now, becoming longer and my hands touched my ears. Even my ears were changing, getting longer and moving up my head.
"Shouldn't this hurt?" I asked, and as I did I could feel my shoulders and hips begin to change. The bones shifting and rotating from their normal position on my spine, as they turned me from a biped to a quadruped.
"Yes, it should," Discord said, and I could tell he was watching the changes in my body with care, "and it did. Right up until you relaxed and trusted enough to let the magic in. As long as you let it happen, it won't hurt."
"Sounds good," I said in answer, doing my best to keep my breathing steady. I noted that my fingers were fusing together now, my wrists changing in shape and function. I shot a glance down my belly, noting that my neck was getting longer and letting me look further down my torso. My pride and joy was fully covered in fur now and was being enveloped in what seemed like a second skin. At least I still had that. What was going on with my legs, or I guess I should say, my rear legs, was indescribable. The joints twisting and flipping.
I am a young man, and a reasonably manly one. When I drink beer, the word "Light" is nowhere to be seen, I eat my steaks rare, and when a three year old hands me a toy phone I answer it. In spite of that, in spite of being around somepony I trusted, I will admit to being a little scared as my body flipped and changed. I took the coward's route and closed my eyes, unable to watch anymore. A second later, soft gossamer flowed over my head and long neck.
"It's okay," I heard Derpy say. "Nothing bad is happening, and we're here with you." I nodded, unable to speak. Which is when Derpy, Derpy the pony I trusted, who had probably saved my life, performed a shocking act of betrayal. With my eyes tightly shut I couldn't see her reach a wing up, and start rubbing my ears. One minute I was trying not to whimper, and the next it was like someone had dumped a bucket of warm honey over my head.
"Glrbl," I said sagely, as the incredible sensation flowed over me. It was like coming inside from a freezing cold day and getting wrapped in your favorite blanket, while sipping on a mug of hot cocoa full of marshmallows and snuggling a pair of puppies. All at the same time. All my cares, all my fears, everything, faded into insignificance from the wonderful feelings a simple ear rub was giving me. When Derpy finally stopped, my body felt at peace, the changes complete.
"Is that what if felt like when I rubbed your ears?" I asked a smiling Derpy, feeling my tail...my tail, flick back and forth of its own volition.
"Uh huh," Derpy said, giggling and stepping back from me. As she did, I rolled to a sitting position, or rather I tried to roll to a sitting position. Instead of doing a motion I'd done at least a thousand times in my life, my body instead spasmed, with limbs going in every direction and I had absolutely no control over myself.
"What the hell?" I asked, looking up as I realized that it was an effort even to keep my head steady on the floor. Derpy's face went from happy to sympathetic fast.
"You've just had every bone, muscle and nerve in your body rewritten," Discord said, chuckling a bit. "Don't be surprised if it takes your mind awhile to learn how to do everything again." I was about to answer that with a retort when a loud pounding came from my front door instead.
"MISTER ALLENS," a loud voice said, coming through the door. "This is the police, we need to talk to you about an incident earlier today." My eyes went wide and I had sudden visions of Area 51, black helicopters and FBI agents who wanted to believe.
"We've got to get out of here," I whispered, urgently. "There is no way they aren't going to take us in, just because of what we are."
"Is that so?" Discord asked, cracking his knuckles, a belligerent tone in his voice.
"They're just doing their job," I said. "You'll make things worse if you do stuff to them."
"MISTER ALLENS," the voice repeated, along with the pounding on my door. "We know you are at home. We also need to talk to you about some coins you sold earlier today as well."
"Can either of you get us out of here?" I asked, imagining men in black suits, with single letter names, closing in. "Like, now?"
"Okay, okay," Discord said, and I felt myself being lifted onto Derpy's back. "Just try to go limp Jimmy, and let Derpy handle everything."
"I hate being called Jimmy," I said, taking Discord's advice and letting myself go boneless. I could feel Derpy's wings holding me in place on her back.
"I know," Discord said, with a smirk. One of his hands, the one that looked like an eagle's claw became wreathed in blue fire, and using it, drew the outline of a door in the air. As I watched, he snapped his fingers and the outline filled in with the details of a blue panelled door with frosted windows, emblazoned with the Saint John ambulance cross and carrying a small white sign opposite. I knew that door, and if I could have, I would have face-palmed, or face-hoofed as was appropriate.
"MISTER ALLENS, IF YOU DO NOT OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW, WE'RE COMING IN!" the cop on the other side yelled.
"Time to go," I said to Discord from my spot on Derpy's back.
"Indeed it is," Discord said, opening the blue door and holding it wide for us. A mischievous smile lit his face and as Derpy and I passed through the door we could hear Discord behind us, yelling as he followed us through the door, "Gobble Gobble Ackbar!" |
Mail Troubles | Arrival | With me on her back, Derpy plunged through the fake TARDIS door and into...somewhere else. We flew forward into the Space between Spaces, the Gap in Reality, the Dimension of the Mind, What Lies Between, or any one of the hundred different attempts to name what was between here and there.
All I knew for sure was that I was being carried through a swirling kaleidoscopic mass of colour, shape and sound that confronted me every second with the billion contradictory truths of existence. So, I did what any brave and rational being would do when they had all of this shoved in their face for the first time. I threw up.
I tried to lift my head and at least project my spew outward into the interdimensional what-the-fuckery, but I hadn't been in my new body for very long so it was all I could do to make sure my mouth was open properly. Derpy, my poor brave friend, who was carrying me to her home, grimaced as she felt barely digested chinese food coat one of her haunches before dribbling overboard, or was that over-pegasus?
"Sorry," I groaned out, closing my eyes against the sensory onslaught, only to find it did no good. "Is it always like this?"
"You get used to it," Derpy said, flying along without using her wings, which were curled protectively over me. "The first time is always the worst though. You should have seen me during my first crossing. I swear, there was a trail a blind yak could follow from one passage to the next."
"God," I urped, fighting my brand new digestive system to retain what little it had left. "Please don't say 'Yak', please." Derpy tried to avoid laughing at me, I could tell, but she couldn't prevent a few suspicious giggles from sneaking past her muzzle.
Right about then, Discord floated up beside us. The bastard was perfectly at home floating through the chaos of WTF space, in fact, he was doing a leisurely backstroke as he drew close. All I can say is that it was a damned good thing my transformation into a little pony hadn't given me laser eyes, because otherwise Discord would have been a barbecued boss, with extra crispy bits.
"How you doing Ji...James?" Discord asked, taking a bit of mercy on me as he saw how I was feeling. "That's quite the shade of green you have going there. Especially for a brown furred pony."
"Not so good, boss," I said, burping again as a nearby black hole tried to explain auto mechanics to a quantum banana.
"It's hardest the first time," Discord assured me, repeating Derpy's advice before waving a paw and cleaning her side. "How well can you control your neck?"
"Just a bit," I said. It hurt my pride a bit to admit my inability to control so basic a thing, but it's always best to be honest with one's boss.
"Okay, I've got something for you to try," Discord said, and he took a moment to wrap something wide and soft around me to secure me to Derpy's back. Derpy looked back and nodded her thanks to Discord as she uncurled her wings from me.
"Pushing my gut against Derpy's back is helping a bit," I said gratefully, as a foul smelling burp emerged from my muzzle to try to make a liar out of me.
"James, hold it in if you can, please," Derpy begged me, concern for her coat in her voice. "We still have a ways to go before we make it to Equestria."
"Okay, James," Discord said, his voice intent. "I want you to look at the back of Derpy's neck." I raised an eyebrow in disbelief, which was a good sign, and I raised and lowered it a few more times just to make sure I could. Another muscle group doing what I wanted them to, at this rate I'd be able to walk to the store sometime around Christmas. Which made me wonder for a second if ponies even had a Christmas.
"Why do you want me to stare at Derpy's neck?" I questioned. Then to divert myself a bit more, I added, "I mean, it's a nice neck and I could watch it for hours, but why?" Derpy coloured, distracting me from the swirling mass around us, as I had hoped.
"Her neck is moving around relative to you and you don't really have to move your head to see it," Discord explained. "Oh, and just so you know, the office has a very liberal policy about employees dating one another."
"DISCORD!" Derpy yelped, completely embarrassed now as she picked up a little speed to pull away from the jigsawed creature, and I realized that something about the past conversations had hurt her and she didn't consider them as the light distracting banter either I, or Discord had intended.
"Hey, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," I told Derpy, meaning it fully. "I was trying to distract myself, and flirting with an attractive mare seemed to be a good way to do it."
"You don't have to try to make me feel good, James," Derpy said, and this time I could hear the sadness in her voice. "I know how ugly my eyes make me."
A sudden anger rose in me, as I imagined the possible events in her life that could have triggered her comment. People had been mean to my friend. Derpy was a wonderful person, brave and caring, she had risked her life to protect mine and I was filled with the resolve to find those responsible for causing my friend pain, and give them a heaping portion of payback.
"Derpy, we haven't known each other long, so you can take what I say as a fairly unbiased opinion," I began, as Derpy kept her eyes on our route. I could tell she was listening to me by how her ears both swiveled back to lock onto my voice like twin radar dishes. "You are a fine, lovely mare. I'm just starting out as a pony, but even I can tell you have a physical beauty that is small only when compared to your inner beauty. Not only are you attractive but you have a good heart to go with it."
"You mean that?" Derpy said in question, a mix of surprise and hope in her voice.
"Yes, I really do," I said, and I swear her smile lit up WTF space for miles around us. "But I have a more important question for you."
"What's that?" she asked, her smile dimming a few levels while she dodged what looked like a clock assembling itself inside out. I shuddered a bit and concentrated on the blond mane in front of me.
"What do I look like, as a pony?" I inquired, and I could see her ears, which had been flattening, perk right back up again. I made a mental note to keep a careful watch on pony ears as they were obviously great indicators of what a pony's mood was.
"Well..." Derpy said, her voice trailing off and I was seized with a sudden fear that maybe I looked absolutely awful as a pony. "I'm going off of memory here because I have to keep an eye on where we are going, but..." I felt my own ears trying to focus on what Derpy was about to say. "I would say that you look...um...good?" she finished.
"How good?" I asked, not because I'm ever self-conscious or anything. It was just that end note in her voice had me a bit worried.
"Well," Derpy began, again. "You have a strong neck, a good head and face, along with classic earth pony legs ending with nice black hooves. You might need to get those shod, by the way. Your barrel is nice. Not too wide, or too thin. Ribs seem to be in the right spots and number and your ah...um...." She trailed off.
"My what? My tail, my nose, what?" I demanded, eager to know if I had any aesthetic flaws built into me.
"Your...package," she said, and I saw her blush again.
"My what?" I said, trying not to squeak out the word, as I divined what she referred to, and the ancient fear of all males assailed the tower of my self-confidence with battering rams.
"Your stallionhood," Derpy said, using an obvious euphemism. "I only saw it for a few seconds, but to me it looked a little on the..." My heart seized. "Big side of things." My breath came out in a whoosh. That was a problem I could live with. Then, Derpy went into a broad, sweeping turn and I felt myself sliding a bit with her motion. I tried to clamp down with my legs to hold on better but my brain fired all the wrong nerves and all I did was flail around on her back, making the slide even worse.
"Um," I said, in a squeak that had nothing at all to do with fear as I began to slide off of Derpy's back. "A little help?" By the time she had turned to look at me I was already lying against Derpy's side. The only thing that was keeping me attached to the pegasus was whatever Discord had wrapped around us to help keep me in place.
"Oh no!" Derpy cried out and she aborted her turn, rolling to her side and trying to lever me back to a proper spot on her with her wings. I don't know much about trans-dimensional travel, but I knew this couldn't be good. Between my misfiring muscles, Derpy's struggling and our mutual aerobatics, I somehow wound up on Derpy's underside hanging from the broad band of material like it was a cargo sling.
"Need any help, you two?" Discord inquired, oozing up alongside us. "Because you're both way off course now and it's going to take forever to double back to the Gate for Equestria. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Derpy said, a little annoyance in her voice as she began what I assumed was a very gentle turn back toward our exit.
"Well, I do have more of those sheets. So I could just tie James in place where he is right now," Discord said, smiling with a pranksters grin. "Whaddya say there, Jimmy? Derpy could really put on some speed if you were all safe and secure." I considered his words for a moment or two. Subtle, Discord was not, and I was sure he was up to something. Then again, it was a safe bet he didn't intend any harm. Embarrassment sure, but everything Discord had said or done so far had either been to help me or prepare me for my job.
"Go ahead Boss," I said, looking him in the eye to subtly remind him of his responsibilities. "If it helps out Derpy, I can take it." There was a blurring of motion, and I felt soft pressure against my back and then against my belly. When it was all done I realized I had been spun around and wrapped tight against Derpy belly to belly, like I was a baby in a sling against their mother.
"Discord!" Derpy said in complaint. "What the heck did you do?" Derpy wiggled a bit as she glared and tried to settle my mass against her.
"What?' Discord asked, all innocence. "James is safe and secure now, and you can put on all the speed you like. We can be back in Equestria in five minutes."
"Don't worry about it, Derpy," I said, putting as much reassurance in the words as I could. "It is a little embarrassing, but let's be honest, when it comes to moving I'm about as capable as a newborn right now."
"If you're sure, James," Derpy said, smiling down at me. I smiled back up at her and went limp, letting the bands hold me in place, keeping my treacherous muscles from working me free. Seeing my smile and hearing my words, Derpy began to use her wings for flying instead of trying to hold on to me and went into a tight turn, pumping her wings as she did so.
We began to put on real speed in the turn and it was obvious Derpy had been holding back before in an attempt to keep me safe. With my safety no longer at stake, she was free to act like the creature of air and sky that she was, and for a minute I simply enjoyed the feel of wind rushing past us. Derpy leveled out from her turn, inertia slid our bellies across each other and I began to feel a familiar tingling heaviness come from my lower regions as they were rubbed.
I closed my eyes and tucked my head against my chest, trying to mentally block out the sensations of soft fur rubbing across me, and I realized that my position had also put my nose into the soft fluff at Derpy's chest. The vanilla smell of her exertions was growing in my nose and I began to panic a tiny bit as I realized that while my conscious nervous system might still be pretty screwed up, my autonomic and semi-autonomic systems were working just fine.
"Doing okay there, Jimmy?" Discord inquired again, flying up beside me. The git had a smug expression on his face and I knew in that split second that this is what he'd had in mind when he fixed Derpy and me together like this.
"Doing just fine," I said, in a voice that could have sucked moisture out of the Sahara. Payback might ride a slow horse Discord, but it was going to come for you as soon as I could arrange something suitable in an extra large cream pie. "How long until we get where we're going?"
"About another minute or so," Discord said, snapping his fingers and suddenly wearing a pair of trousers with the words "Robbie's Rocketpants" emblazoned on them in international distress orange. "I've got to zip on ahead and open the Gate. See you in a minute." Mini jet engines popped out of the sides of the pant legs and ignited, rocketing Discord forward.
As he left I realized that I had completely forgotten about my imminent embarrassment with Derpy and considering he had set the whole thing up, it was probably why he had started that conversation with me. I didn't have time to dwell on what he was up to, because true to Discord's estimate, about a minute later Derpy said, "Here we go, hang on!" Then, doing a quick barrel roll we plunged through some sort of portal and a bright light filled my vision.
"Welcome to Equestria," I heard someone say through the glare of arrival. |
Mail Troubles | Anxiety | "Welcome to Equestria," I heard a voice say, as a bright flash of light overwhelmed my vision and I closed my eyes against the brightness. Unseeing, I felt the shock of landing through the belly sling I was in, as Derpy's hooves touched solid ground and a truth of this new world came to me.
Everything about this place was too much. The light was too bright, the sounds were too loud, the smells too sharp. Even my sense of touch was hyper sensitive, the cloth of the sling being almost like a bed of nails while the softness of Derpy's chest fur was like the caress of the finest silk. I heard a tremendous growling from an animal nearby, and realized it was me, groaning.
"ARE YOU OKAY?" someone screamed in my ear, and the only coherent response I could make was a whimper, as I tried to bury my face into Derpy's chest.
"I THINK HE'S SUFFERING FROM SENSORY OVERLOAD, TWILIGHT," Discord yelled at the top of his lungs. Geez, Discord, you think?
"IS DISCORD RIGHT? IS EVERYTHING TOO LOUD AND TOO BRIGHT?" some new idiot with a megaphone blared into my ear.
"Shut UP!" I yelled out, frustrated and angry with the morons around me. In hindsight, it was easy to see how shouting my frustrations was just about the worst possible thing I could have done, but at the moment all I wanted to do was to make all the crazy loud people just...go away. Even as I shouted, it was like someone jammed a steel spike into each of my ears and I almost blacked out from the pain.
"Equestria is more than your senses are used to," a calm voice said, lowering itself down from a scream to a normal level. "I'm going to put you under for a couple of minutes until we can get some sort of filter going, okay?" I nodded, in gratitude. I had heard about "cluster headaches" before. Headaches so powerful that some people who had them tried to kill themselves, just to make the pain go away. I understood those people now, was my last thought, as a cool blackness descended over me.
After what I assumed were a few minutes later, I woke up again and things felt much better. I could only hear a dull background rumble now, and when I opened my eyes there was only a dim diffuse light shining in them. My face was reporting in that something soft was pressed against it all over, from the back of my head to the front of my...muzzle? Now that my brain wasn't being overloaded by my senses, I could think for a minute and let myself explore my environment through my sense of touch.
A hood or wrapping of some sort had been put over my head that held soft pads over my eyes, ears and nose to block off those inputs, which was a pretty good idea, as even with the pads, my senses were still dialed up to eleven, but at least things were muted enough to be survivable now. Which is right about when I realized that someone had tied my ha...front hooves together and my rear hooves to each other as well.
"Hey, what gives with the rodeo?' I asked out loud, or as out loud as I could. The hood kept my jaw from opening more than a little bit and I was forced to mumble the words. Again, it kinda made sense seeing as my last shout had come close to blowing out a good portion of my brain cells.
"You were thrashing around, flailing wildly, after we put you under," I heard a muffled voice say to me. "We had to restrain you before you hurt yourself or somepony else."
"Oh, okay," I said, relaxing as I realized I probably had been acting a little off. "You can undo me now though, I'm fine."
"Not just yet," the same pony said, "I want to try a spell to acclimate your senses to the thaumatic levels that they are experiencing and I need you to hold still while I do it." I could barely recognized the voice as female, and I tensed back up as I processed her statement and realized I was in the hands, I mean hooves, of a nerd.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I asked, trying to squirm a bit. Nerds were awesome, but they tended to have huge blind spots in their plans for important things, like vital organs.
"Of course, the theory is completely sound. Tell him Der--DERPY!" the nerd shouted, and I winced as the volume level punched through the muffler on my head, followed by a surge of adrenaline as I heard the fear and concern in the nerd's voice. "Sweet Celestia, your entire side is covered in blood. Doctor Stable, come quick! Derpy's hurt!"
That tore it, sensory overload or not, screwed up nervous system or not, there was no way I was going to lie in a comfy hospital bed while my friend needed help. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was my desperation to help a friend in need, but miracle of miracles my new body answered the call to action my brain sounded, and I surged upwards with all the power and speed I could manage. Getting all of about four inches before the bonds on my hooves snapped taut and I fell back to the bed, only to try to get up again.
"James, stay down," Derpy said to me, from somewhere nearby. "I'll be fine Twilight, it just looks worse than it is. Help James."
"He'll be fine, you're the one bleeding out on your hooves," the nerd said, and I could feel her lying over my back, trying to hold me down, as that bit of news seemed to double my strength. "Nurse Redheart, thank goodness. Help Derpy, while I deal with this pony." Between the urgency I felt to help Derpy, and the overload I was inflicting on my senses by my actions, I admit I wasn't exactly thinking right then. A burning need to get off that bed filled my thoughts, and liquid fire poured into my limbs as one of my hooves came free. I could feel another hoof beginning to slide loose when an odd sensation struck me.
Have you ever had someone pour a bucket of ice water over your head, or splashed cold water over your face? The best way to describe the feeling that hit me is that it was like that, except instead of hitting my face, the cold water splashed directly into my brain, snapping me out of my half-crazed frenzy.
"What is wrong, my little pony?" asked a cool thought from inside my own head, pulling me a bit away from outside reality.
Oh great, I thought to myself. Vulcan ponies.
"I am afraid I do not know the term," the voice said, hearing my thoughts, and I could hear hints of gentle amusement and authority. "But please, calm thyself. The reason for thy struggles does thee credit, but they are to the detriment of loyal Derpy."
"Can you help her?" I begged, into the echoing chamber of my thoughts. "Please."
"You can help her best," the cool female voice said, "by calming yourself and letting Twilight attend you. Then your friend can concentrate on her own healing and not worry about you." Something about the voice said she had been in my position and knew what she was talking about.
"Will Derpy be okay?" I asked, but allowing myself to relax and go limp, as I recognized the wisdom the voice was giving me. As I did I felt bands of pressure cross my body at intervals, tight enough that they felt like they were cutting into my body.
"As long as she lets Doctor Stable close her wound she will be fine," Cool Voice said, and things went quiet and I got the feeling of being looked at before she added. "Wait, are you in pain, my little pony?"
"Some," I admitted. "My skin is hypersensitive right now and I'm guessing that after my outburst they're strapping me down. I can't blame them for being careful, and I don't think they're actually hurting me, it just feels like it." There was another pause and a moment later all the bands of pressure fell away while Cool Voice returned.
"I've spoken to Twilight," she said, "and as long as you promise to stay in bed she will not strap you down. Will you give me your promise?"
"As long as you promise me that Derpy will be okay," I said. I was more than willing to compromise my own dignity, as long as it meant Derpy would be fine.
"Now that you are calm and not panicking, Derpy is letting herself be attended to," Cool Voice said, satisfaction in her voice. "She is in no danger. So, will you give me your promise to behave?"
"Yes, Ma'am," I said. I'm not sure why I called her "Ma'am" but it felt like the right thing to do and I felt Cool Voice leave even as the nerd gently nudged me.
"James, are you okay?" the nerd asked. "Princess Luna told me that you've promised to lie still, so I've taken the restraints off. Don't make me put them back on." To say I was surprised at the identity of Cool Voice was an understatement. I didn't know how the hierarchy went here in Equestria, but a princess had to be pretty high up on the list and I had gone and talked back to her.
"Ya, I'm fine," I told the nerd, mumbling the words past the hood. "Sorry about the freak out there, I sort of lost it. Won't happen again, I promise."
"It's okay, everypony has their moments," the nerd said to me. "I'm Twilight by the way, Twilight Sparkle."
"Pleased to meet you Twilight Sparkle," I said to her, trying and failing to coordinate my limbs again. "How's Derpy?"
"She's fine," Twilight said to me and I felt her gently arrange my limbs for me. "Doctor Stable is working on her right now next door, and he's sewing up that slice along her side. He said it looks like it started healing but she's been re-opening it when she flies."
"Goddamn it, Discord," I said, feelingly and I didn't need to have my full vision to see Twilight's look of curiosity. "He told me that she would be fine and that cut didn't need treating." To my surprise I actually heard something of a growl come from the nerdy pony.
"Discord may know a lot about how ponies feel and how their minds work," she said, huffing out a breath that I felt as a breeze against my fur, "But he still doesn't know a lot of how much damage pony bodies can take. Don't worry about Derpy though. Doctor Stable should have her stitched up pretty quick, although he might insist on keeping her here for a while to make sure she doesn't reopen it again."
"Sounds good," I said, relaxing even further as Twilight's words reassured me. "So...what happens next with me?"
"Well, while we've been talking I've cast several spells to check on the problem," Twilight said, complete confidence in her abilities in her voice. "And as the old saying goes I've got good news and I've got bad news. Which would you like first?" I chuckled a bit at that. New world, new body, same old problems.
"Good news first please," I said, letting my head loll a bit onto a provided pillow.
"Alright," Twilight said, and her voice became happy. "The good news is that your oversensitivity is actually a pretty easy fix. All I need to do is cast a spell to rebalance your inner thaumatic levels with the outside world and you should be fine almost instantly."
"That sounds great," I said, and I meant it. "It's bad enough that my body isn't really working, but not being able to see or hear normally sucks. What's the bad news?"
"Your body is the bad news, I'm afraid," Twilight said, and my stomach fell as my imagination treated me to all sorts of horrible possibilities. "Unlike your senses, there isn't a quick fix for your body. Your entire nervous system has been rewired and it's just going to have to take time for your brain to reconnect everything."
"But what about earlier?" I asked, remembering the surge of power I had felt. "Everything seemed to be working then." Twilight sighed, loudly.
"You thought Derpy was in danger," Twilight said. "So you instinctively used earth pony magic to give yourself the power and speed you thought you needed, but in doing so you burnt out the fragile connections your nerves had started to make and now you have to start over from scratch."
"Oh," I said, trying to take it in. "Um, how screwed am I?"
"Not horribly," Twilight said, and I began to feel a tingling sensation. "Give me a minute here, I'm going to try to fix your senses now."
"Anything I can do to help?" I asked as the tingling began to grow and cover my entire head.
"Just...try to hold still," Twilight said, and the feeling around my head grew stronger until it became pins and needles, pressing hard against every inch of my skull, like a needle-tipped vice was trying to squeeze the juice from my brain. The force against me grew greater and greater, until just as it became actively painful, there was a sudden snapping feeling and all the sensations just sort of fell away. I slumped in my bed and went boneless, as if a great weight had been taken off of me.
"James? James!" I heard Twilight exclaim and I felt her fiddling with the laces holding the hood onto my head. She pulled it free after a few moments and I blinked as the pads on my eyes and ears fell away and I got my first real look at this new world called "Equestria."
The first thing I noticed was a lovely purple-pink face right in front of mine, topped with a gorgeous mane of purple streaked blue. A cute little horn pushed through her mane, drawing my eyes to her expressive violet orbs and I had to fight down the urge to fix the concern on her face with a kiss. That took me by surprise for a moment as I tried to figure out why the hell I wanted to do that so badly. With Derpy I could understand it, seeing as we were friends and we had already been through a pretty intense bonding experience, but Twilight Sparkle here was a complete stranger. So, I clubbed desire over the head with a baseball bat and told it to shut the hell up as I smiled up at the concerned pony.
"Hey, I think it worked. Thanks!" I said, as much to change my thoughts as to thank the nerd, and I began to look around at my surroundings.
"Great, you just take it easy for a bit while I get Doctor Stable, or maybe Nurse Redheart if the doctor is still busy with Derpy," she said, backing away a bit, her frown turning to a satisfied smile as she did.
"Hey, it's not like I'm going anywhere right now," I said, smiling to take the bite out of the comment. Twilight smiled back and as she turned to go I noticed something on her side. My vision seemed to zoom in of its own accord and focus on a pair of furled lavender wings at the sides of the purple unicorn. As I wondered about whether that was significant or not Twilight slipped out the door, closing it behind her and leaving me by myself for the first time.
I looked around the room taking in the sights. It seemed to be a typical hospital room with spots for two beds, of which I was taking up one. Various bits of equipment were behind me, none thankfully in use and there was a single window, currently closed, showing some trees growing under a golden sun. Everything was bright and cheery, a perfect day, and it took me a minute to spot the difference between here and Earth.
Have you ever watched a really old movie? From like, even before the 1980s? Me and my dad used to watch a lot of "epic" movies together from way back then, and his favorites were all directed by Cecil Somebody and they had literally thousands of extras in them. The big thing that I always noticed was how bright the colours were in those movies, despite how old they were. I asked Dad about it once and he told me that these movies were filmed in something called "Technicolour" which made all the colours deeper and richer than they would have been in real life.
That was what Equestria was like. Everything was brighter, with deeper colour and softer edges to everything. It was quite probably someone's idea of heaven, but to me it was going to have to be home, at least for awhile, and I stared out the window to try and see more of this strange new world. As I did, my vision did that weird zoom thing again, letting me see details on leaves that were at least a good forty to fifty feet away.
I decided to try the trick out on the items in the room and got the same effect with anything I looked at. It seemed that if I wanted to I could focus my sense of sight into being essentially a pair of binoculars. As I pondered this development my ears caught a creaking noise by the door to my room, and I decided to see if my hearing could do the same trick as my eyes. To my delight, I was able to pick up on the conversation just outside my door.
"I am the attending physician here and as such my authority is supreme," a male voice said in a voice that expected to be obeyed like it had been hundreds of times before.
"But I have to get home," I heard Derpy's voice reply. "I need to see Dinky and check on my home."
"Miss Hooves," the doctor said again, in that no-nonsense voice. "Let me spell it out for you. You've lost a great deal of blood from a wound that you reopened not once, but twice, and on top of that, the cut is deep and may be infected with something from that other world. So, you have exactly two choices. One, you can stay in that bed and with luck be discharged in the next day or two, or you can fight me on this. In which case I will have the nurses fit you with restraints and keep you here for a week long mental health hold until I'm sure you are no longer a danger to yourself. Which would you prefer?"
"But I need to see my daughter," Derpy begged, and my heart went out to her as I heard the love for her child in her voice.
"I'm not heartless, Miss Hooves," the doctor said, relenting as he sensed that he was going to be getting his way. "Once you are settled in a room, I'm sure Princess Twilight would be more than happy to bring your daughter here, and as she is your daughter she can stay with you as long as she likes."
My brain locked up as a word that the doctor said echoed through the empty vault of my skull. It was obvious that my noggin had to be only good for holding up my hat, because no one but a complete and utter moron would talk back to not one, but two members of royalty the way I had. At least I knew the name of this princess and that she was at least a half ways decent person or pony. While I was pondering if this meant being sentenced to the mines of Rura Penthe or a more merciful execution, the door opened and another hospital bed was wheeled in.
"Hi James," Derpy said from the bed, looking happy to see me. She was lying on her stomach and her entire torso had been completely wrapped in gauze several times, forcing her to keep her body in a straight line. Her wings had been furled against her side and wrapped in more gauze to become part of the main dressing and as her bed was pushed up beside mine, I could see an IV line running into one of her legs delivering replacement blood for what she had lost.
"Hey Derpy," I said back, giving her a smile I didn't really feel. "How you doing?"
"Like a mummy," Derpy said, her smile becoming a bit lopsided. "It looks a lot worse than it is though, so you don't have to worry about me. We pegasi are tough. We have to be, with all the hard landings we make."
"Sure," I said, raising an eyebrow. "Every doctor wraps their patients up like that when they're being careful." Derpy gave me a shrewd look, and I gave her my best innocent look back. We held that pose for about thirty seconds before we both burst out laughing.
"Oh James," Derpy said, wiping a tear away from an eye. "If I have to be stuck here, at least it's with a good friend. I just wish--" A knock on the door interrupted her.
"Can I come in?" a male voice asked through the door, and I recognized it as Discord's.
"C'mon in, Sir," I said to my boss, trying and failing to sit up straight.
"Hi, you two," Discord said, coming in. His face was downcast and he was holding the end of his tail in front of him. Derpy and I shot a quick look at each other as we took in our employer's extreme embarrassment.
"Hi Discord," Derpy chirped in her usual happy voice. If anything, Discord got even sadder from the cheerful greeting.
"This isn't easy for me," Discord began, twisting his tail in knots, "but I need to apologize to both of you. James, I'm sorry. I didn't think that you would suffer like you have when you got here and I definitely didn't think the collar's transformation would make you so helpless."
"Don't sweat it, Sir," I said to Discord, interrupting him. "Without you, I never would have known that any of this even existed, and besides, Princess Twilight has a plan to get me back on my feet, er hooves in short order." Discord looked up at me, relief plain on his face that I was willing to forgive him so easily, but his face fell again as he saw the wrappings around Derpy's torso.
"Derpy, I'm even more sorry for what happened to you," Discord said, and he actually began to tear up. "You were hurt a lot more than I thought you were. Fluttershy got mad at me and said you could have been crippled, or even killed. I'm sorry!" He flung himself onto Derpy's bed and hugged her as hard as he dared, and I looked on in astonishment as a pair of literal waterfalls emerged from his eyes to splash to the floor.
"It's okay, Discord," Derpy said, reassuring him. "I'll be fine, and I should have told you that it was a pretty good hit that I took. Besides, I don't think Fluttershy really said I could have died, did she?"
"Well, not exactly, no," Discord said, sniffling as the waterfalls disappeared as quick as they had come, leaving the floor an inch deep in tears. "But she did say that you were hurt, and that it was my fault for making you work when you were hurt." He hugged Derpy and once again the waterfalls appeared. I figured I better do something before the water got high enough to drown us.
"You know Discord," I said, in a musing tone to change the mood. "There is something you could do to make it all up to us."
"What?" Discord demanded, shifting to clutch one of my lower legs, "What?"
"Well, Derpy really misses her daughter," I said, and Discord straightened as he began to see where I was headed. "Plus, until I get things rewired again I could really use somepony to help me do basic things. Like eat and sit up straight."
"That's a wonderful idea James!" Discord exclaimed and he snapped his fingers. There was a flash of light and the water on the floor disappeared to be replaced by an adorable little pink unicorn pony who appeared in the room.
"Momma!" the little pony shouted, clambering up onto the bed so that she could hug her mother. Discord and I just smiled as we basked in the glow of the reunion.
"Oh, I missed you so much," Derpy said, joy in her voice as she hugged the little one, who squirmed happily in her mother's grip until a misplaced hoof found the covered wound and drew a hiss of pain. "Easy there, Dinky. Momma got a bit dented."
"You gonna be okay, Momma?" Dinky asked, worry on her face.
"Of course, dear," Derpy said, ruffling her daughter's mane. "Doctor Stable is just being careful, is all. Now, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine." She pointed a hoof over at me. "Dinky, this is James. James, this is my daughter, Dinky Hooves."
"Hi Dinky," I said, cheerfully to the little one. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Little Dinky bounded off her mother's bed and onto mine, hugging my upper torso. After a moment she looked at me in puzzlement as she noticed I wasn't hugging back.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, confusion on her face. "Did I do something wrong?"
"I'd love to hug you, Dinky. But I can't right now," I said, thoroughly confusing the little filly. "In fact, that's why I asked for you to be brought here."
"Oh," Dinky said, eyes and ears perking up.
"Yah," I said, smiling at her. "See, I haven't been a pony for very long, and until Princess Twilight helps me learn how to use my new legs and stuff I'm going to need somepony to help me with things. Light things, like holding my food, showing me how to use a glass the right way...stuff like that. Think you can help me with all that?"
"Oh yes," Dinky said, happily clopping her hooves together. "I can help lots with that."
"Great," I replied, and dear God, was Derpy's kid cute when she was happy. "Now all we need to do is clear it with the doctors and maybe get you a name tag or something."
"Oh, I can do better than that," Discord said, and snapped his fingers as another flash of light appeared over Dinky. When it faded, she was wearing an adorable little filly version of a nurse's outfit with the title "Official Helper" emblazoned on it, and all three adults in the room chuckled as Dinky jumped off my bed to spin in a circle checking herself out.
"Okay then, Official Helper," I said, speaking in an authoritative voice, and Dinky jumped back up onto the foot of the bed, throwing me a mini-salute as she did. "I'm feeling kind of thirsty. Think you can get me something to drink and help me with it?"
"You bet!" |
Mail Troubles | Arousal | "That was awesome, Mr. Allens," Dinky happily chirped from my side. The cute little pony was holding up a glass with a straw in front of me. All I had done was successfully lean forward, grasp the straw with my lips and suck down the drink. Not exactly an earth shattering accomplishment, but with Dinky's cheerfulness pushing me along there was no way I wasn't going to be smiling back at her.
"Aww, thanks there, 'Official Helper.'" I said, trying to match her billion watt cheer. "But it was a team effort, after all. Thanks for holding the glass for me."
"No problem," Dinky said, wiping my still clean chin with a napkin. The first day of trying to drink had resulted in a fair bit of mess, today was much better. "Princess Twilight says that tomorrow you get to start working on getting your legs to move right."
"Good, because someone I know deserves a big hug for all the help she's been giving me," I said, looking down at Dinky, who went from a billion watt smile to a gazillion watts of pure cute.
"Awww," Dinky said, and she threw her hooves around my chest hugging me fiercely. "I'll just help you with the hugging for now. Okay?"
My limbs jerked uselessly in their restraints as I automatically tried to return the hug. My legs all had plenty of strength, but controlling them was still beyond me two days after arriving in Equestria. I'd almost beaned poor little Dinky once when she held a sandwich for me. So, for the protection of everyone...everypony working with me, my legs had all been cuffed to the bed rails. They were fastened with a simple looping hook that I could tell would be easy for me to undo, once my limbs were willing to listen to orders again.
"Thanks kid," I said, rubbing the underside of my jaw against Dinky's mane in thanks. My head, all the way down to my neck, was at least fully back under control so I could do that much at least to show my thanks for the little filly.
"You've been a very good filly today and been very helpful to Mr. Allens and your Momma," Derpy said, from the other bed. Her torso and wings were still bound in a wrapping of gauze strips holding closed the dressings over the wound she had taken from a would be mugger back home. Doctor Stable still wouldn't let her out of the bed, nor would he let her lay on it any way other than on her stomach.
If my condition was frustrating, hers had to be at least ten times worse. Derpy was a pegasus, a lithe and lovely creature of air and sky, and her enforced bedrest had to be driving her crazy with boredom. I was bored and I was what was apparently called an "earth pony," which was an odd term considering we weren't on Earth. As I was contemplating respective levels of institutionally inculcated insanity, Doctor Stable came through the door, with an orange mare trailing in his wake.
She was a tough mare, I could tell right off. Most people tended to be a little nervous in hospitals; not this mare. Her blond mane under a classic cowboy hat framed a strong face that showed strength and trust in those around her. Her blond tail matched her mane and it was the crowning glory to a pair of muscular hips that would wrap, and... What the hell was I thinking?
This was the fourth time today I'd had to mentally club myself with buckets of ice. I was just super thankful a blanket was covering my torso. The orange mare in question was giving me an odd look though.
"Hi there," I said, introducing myself. "I'm James Allens. I'd shake hands or something but..."
"Applejack!" little Dinky shouted with excitement, spinning in place on my lap and launching herself off the bed towards the newcomer. The kid got me where kids and small animals always seem to get a guy, and that part of my body exploded in pain, loudly complaining that the part of my anatomy in question was most definitely not intended as a springboard.
"Hey there, sugarcube," Applejack said, ruffling the little unicorn's mane and wincing a bit at my obvious pain. "Why don't you go get your homework, Applebloom is waitin' for ya."
"Okay, thanks," Dinky said, still with that happy excitement kids have. "See you later, Momma." Dinky grabbed up her school backpack that she had left by the door, and headed out of the room.
"You okay there, partner?" Applejack asked me, a slight frown of concern on her face.
"Miss Applejack," Doctor Stable said, asserting himself. "This is my hospital and I will be the judge of who is and who is not okay." He stepped up to me and, sliding a hoof under the blanket, started to probe for damage.
"It's okay, Doc," I said, "Just a little...Nrrg...sore." My voice changed as the doctor found Dinky's launching pad.
"Hmm," Stable said to himself. "No long term damage, slight tumescence indicating that the limbic system is functional." Applejack tried not to smile at my discomfort as she moved over to Derpy, checking out her bandages as she did so.
"As for you Ms. Hooves," Dr. Stable said, turning to his other patient. "It looks like it's a good thing you're here."
"What?" Derpy asked, looking as concerned as I suddenly felt. "What's wrong?"
"You're running a slight fever," the doctor said. "As I was afraid of, it's very possible you have an infection. I'm going to change your bandage now and have a look at the wound. Miss Applejack, if you would move please." The orange mare came around the bed to stand beside mine, and as she did a nurse came in, wheeling a tray of tools I'd seen used before to change Derpy's bandage.
"She'll be okay," I whispered to Applejack, who had a very worried look on her face. "Stable's a pretty good doc."
"Ah just hate hospitals," Applejack said, wincing and turning her face away as Doctor Stable began to cut along the length of the bandage. "Ah try not to show it."
"Got some discharge here," the doctor said. "Nurse Redheart, get some topical disinfectant ready while I get the rest of these off."
Applejack made herself watch, and I had to match her fortitude, as the two medical ponies revealed the half healed wound with swift, sure motions of their hooves, and I couldn't help but marvel at how skillfully they were able to do their jobs. The last bandage came off and Derpy tried to move her head back to see what it looked like, but Doctor Stable expertly nudged her head back so that Derpy was laid out in a straight line. As he moved, I got a clear look at the wound and it didn't look good at all.
The wound was puckered and red, with the occasional bead of yellowish pus. I didn't know a whole lot about medicine, especially pony medicine, but I knew that could not be good.
"I'm sorry Derpy," Doctor Stable said, accepting some gauze wipes with some sort of goop on them. "But this is going to be a little painful. We'll try to be as quick as we can." Derpy just nodded her head, closed her eyes and let the doctors work on her side, giving out the occasional hiss of pain as every inch of the infected wound was cleaned, disinfected and rebandaged.
"I guess I'm not getting out of here in the morning, am I, Doc?" Derpy asked.
"I'm afraid not, not until we get that infection knocked down anyway," Doctor Stable said. "Sometimes I hate being right, but we'll get you on some good medicine and hopefully you can be out of here in a few more days."
"It's okay, Doc," Derpy said, then she looked over my way and smiled. "It just means I get to help out James a bit more." I couldn't frown when that smile came my way and I answered it with one of my own. "Applejack, I hate to ask but..." Derpy began.
"Think nothing of it," Applejack said, without a seconds hesitation. "Dinky can stay with us for as long as you're laid up. She's a good little filly, pitches right in on the chores without us even having to ask her. You just work on getting better, okay?"
"Thanks, Applejack," Derpy said, sighing as Nurse Redheart came back in with an IV bag on a pole, obviously meant for her.
"Well, I better let Dinky know," Applejack said, looking nervously at the IV setup. "James, good to meet you. We'll talk again soon, and by the way, welcome to Ponyville." Applejack made herself scarce as Nurse Redheart began to probe for a vein.
"By the way, Derpy," I said to distract my room partner from the coming jab. "I thought I was in Equestria. What's this Ponyville Applejack was talking about?"
"Ponyville is in..." Derpy paused as Nurse Redheart slid the needle for the IV into her leg and deftly taped it in place. "You stinker! You distracted me!"
"Guilty as charged," I said, chuckling. "But seriously, how about a little crash course in Equestrian geography?"
"Well, it's not like we're going anywhere," Derpy said as the nurse left on silent hooves.
After dinner, Derpy filled me in on some of the rough geography of Equestria. From the way I understood it, Equestria was roughly the shape of North America, but significantly smaller. At least it seemed that way based on the travel times Derpy told me about. She also filled me in on just who I'd signed on to work for. The nurses got us ready for sleep a little after that bombshell and I drifted off wondering if I still had ownership of my soul.
A worry that was not allayed as my dreams became filled with visions of me walking through shadowy mists, and being led toward Hell by a misshapen creature who had tied a leash to my transformation collar. Every time I tried to stop, the creature would just yank me forward saying, "You signed the contract, buddy."
I was just beginning to see smoke come off my hooves from the heated ground, when a great dark shape swooped down out of the gloom, and sent the creature dragging me to my doom tumbling away, snapping my leash in the process.
"That shall be enough of you, foul phantasm," a voice I recognized said a moment later, as Princess Luna landed in front of me, her glowing horn pointing in the direction she had knocked the beast. I probably should have been paying attention to what she was saying, but I was mesmerized by the glory of her nebulous tail, as it swished back and forth in agitation. I took a step closer, noting the crescent moons on her either flank that were guiding me toward the Holy of Holies like landing lights on a runway. I moved even closer and I felt my nostrils flare as a glorious scent filled them and an electric fire seemed to fill my limbs and settle into my lower abdomen. Before I even realized what I was doing I was rearing up on pure instinct, my IQ dropping to single digits as blood drained away from my brain.
"Now th--eep!" Luna squeaked, as she felt my weight settle on her hindquarters and her hips were pulled towards mine. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a little voice was trying to make an objection to what I was doing, but it was quickly clubbed to death by long frustrated desire.
"I don't know how this turned from a nightmare to a fantasy," I heard myself growl, as I tried to line things up properly. "But I'm not passing you up. That would be rude to whatever god gave me this dream."
"You don't realize this is..." Luna began, and her horn flared a cobalt blue, wrapping me in a cocoon of energy and pulling me away just as I was about to experience nirvana.
"Hey! Hey, come back here," I demanded, pawing my front hooves in the air. "Let me--" My voice cut off as once more my brain itself felt like it had cold water dashed against it and I came to my senses.
"First off, my little pony," Luna said, and the humidity in her voice could have pulled water out of a salt flat. "I am not offended that you find me pleasing, or that you wished to mate with me."
"Oh...fuck," I said, as I came to my senses, realizing what I had been about to do. Luna's eyebrow lifted at my curse, telling me she knew exactly what the idiom meant and it made me realize exactly how ironic the word was at that moment.
"Indeed," she said, lowering me back to the ground and releasing me from her magic. I did the only sensible thing I could think of at that moment. I groveled. I mean, I tried to bone an actual goddess and remembering my mythology told me that the attempt usually did not end well for mortals.
"Look...Ma'am," I gibbered out, laying myself as flat as I could in front of her. "uh...Your Highness, Your Majesty, Eminence...um...Lunar Mistress, Night Moth--" My voice was cut off as a band of cobalt power wrapped around my muzzle, clamping it shut.
"Pony...James," Luna said, her voice kindly now. "I said I take no offense, and I do not. You are by far not the first pony to react so, when I have come upon a dreamer. I consider it something of a compliment that you were so willing to cover one so far above your station." She let go of my mouth so that I could answer her.
"Look, Princess," I said, my brain finally finding the correct title for the Royal Mare in front of me. "I'm really sorry about that. I thought this was a simple dream, a nightmare turned to fantasy. I mean, I knew you could visit my mind like you did before, but this is a dream."
"I have special purview over the Dream Realm," Luna said, drawing me to my hooves. "One of my responsibilities is to watch over the dreams of all ponies. Your nightmare drew me to you, but I'm sorry to say it took me some minutes to enter your dreams to put a stop to the nightmare."
"A minute ago you called me 'your' little pony," I said, noting that here, at least, my body worked properly. "Does this mean I belong to you now?"
"Yes, James," Luna said, a smirk gracing her lips. "You are mine now." I'm pretty sure my eyebrows set a land speed record climbing to the top of my head. "But you are mine only in that as a resident of Equestria, you fall under the rule of my sister and myself. Nothing more." I let out a breath of relief, and then felt a sliver of ice congeal in my chest as I recalled what I had been thinking of as I had fallen asleep.
"What about Discord?" I asked her, a little scared at what her answer was going to be. "I mean, he is the Spirit of Chaos and I signed an actual contract with him. I don't know about here, but back home we have a lot of stories about people who did that and it never turned out well for them."
"Discord has been to your world before?" Luna asked, and a stormcloud marred that heavenly brow.
"Well maybe not exactly him, but we have someone in our mythology who is considered the father of chaos and evil," I supplied.
"Curious," Luna said, tapping her chin with a hoof. "James, if this is true, it means Discord has lied to us repeatedly in the past. May I search your memories to see if this is so?"
"Of course," I said, in quick agreement. The more I could do to make Luna forget about me trying to hump her, the better.
"Very well," Luna said, moving to stand directly in front of me. "This should not hurt at all." Saying that, her horn glowed blue again, and she touched it to my forehead. It was an odd sensation, not painful, but definitely strange as her magic penetrated my head. The best way I can describe it, is that it felt like soft feathers stroking the inside of my skull. After several minutes she stepped away from me and the magic went away with her.
"Well?" I asked. "Did I actually sell my soul to the Devil?" Luna let out a delicate little snort and relief washed over me as she did.
"No, my little pony," Luna said, smiling down at me to confirm what had to be on my face. "You are still the captain of your destiny. Discord is not the Devil of your legends, so your will and spirit are still your own."
"Oh, thank God," I said, and then another thought occurred to me. "Can I ask you a question about something else Ma'am? It's sort of related to what happened earlier."
"Oh? You wish to pursue relations with me?" Luna said, and she lifted an amused eyebrow. "A pony must possess a special quality of some sort to be worthy of being taken to my bower, but considering your origins, I suppose you would qualify." She was kidding, of course. She had to be, but for the space of a heartbeat or two my heart did a little pitter-patter.
"Oh James," she laughed, putting a hoof on my shoulder. "The look on your face. I jest with thee, consider it your penance for earlier. Please, ask your question."
"Well, the thing is," I said, rubbing my hoof behind my head. "Okay, you know how I kinda pounced on you earlier?" Luna nodded, and smiled to show that she really did understand what had happened. "The thing is, I've been having the urge to do that with every mare I've run across. Derpy, Twilight, Nurse Redheart...you"
"Each of the mares you name have their own special qualities and attractions," Luna said, thinking. "I dare say even myself might be considered attractive to one such as yourself, who does not know my history."
I did not like the hint of self-loathing I heard from her in that. No woman should feel like that about herself, because to quote Londo Mollari, "Of all the things in the universe, are not females the finest?"
"Princess," I said, looking her in eye as much as I could. "Were I sure my feelings were my own, I would take you in a manly fashion."
"And if the night should last forever?" Luna asked, and I could see her spirits had lifted a bit at my pronouncement.
"Then it would be an eternity well spent," I replied, and my efforts were rewarded with a smile that went all the way to her tail. "The thing is, that yes, while I'm a male and find females to be attractive, I don't usually want to instantly have sex with them. And, I definitely do not try to force myself onto them, like I did with you."
"You think something has changed your desire to mate?" Luna asked, her eyebrows and her ears both standing straight up.
"Big time," I responded, instantly.
"You believe Discord may be responsible for it?" Luna asked, thinking. "It would be consistent with his style of prank."
"The thing is," I said, letting my frustration show a bit. "Is that I just don't know and it's starting to drive me nuts. I don't know what is and isn't normal for this new body of mine. Hell, I've barely started to control it physically, never mind get a handle on whatever urges might come pre-packaged with it."
"There is a way to check on this," Luna said, her ears going back a bit. "But I will need you to trust me, to follow my commands and..." her voice trailed off.
"And what?" I half asked, half demanded of her.
"And I will need to manipulate your emotions...," she paused, "intimately." Gulp.
"Well, if you can't trust the Princess of the Night, who can you trust?" I asked, trying to make light of things. "Princess, I place myself in your hooves. I'm yours to do with as you will."
"Very well James," Luna said, and her magic flared, settling over me like a warm blanket. "Do you like my body?" The question took me by surprise, so I took a breath and tried to take a fresh look at Luna's form. I had to admit, despite the fact that I had been equine for less than a week, Luna's body was magnificent. Her elegant neck, her strong legs, the firm curves of her hips, all called out to me and something of my admiration must have shown itself on my face.
"Come close James, inhale my scent," Luna commanded me, and obediently I stepped up, and placing my nose against her shoulder I deeply inhaled the rich perfume of perfection. Her musky scent invaded my nose as a spiraling mix of wild night flowers, rich earth and the slight tang of ozone came from her. The power of desire for the Mistress of the Night filled me again, pouring liquid fire into my limbs, and once again that fire began to swirl and filter its way into my sheathed maleness.
"Speak your desire James," Luna said, her soft voice a symphony of gentle tones. "I will not be offended by anything you say or do on my behalf. Tell me... my stallion, what is it that you want?" Her voice was the caress of a gentle breeze at night, and I fought to keep myself lucid under the assault of erotic images that were trying to steal away my reason.
"I... I... what are you doing to me?" I asked Luna, barely keeping myself from trying to mount her, again.
"Arousing you, my dear, dear stallion," Luna purred into my ear. "Do not try to control what you are feeling. Let it flow. Listen to my voice, let go of reason and let your passions be your guide."
"S-sure?" I gasped out, and I felt something begin to caress my underside, gently drawing me out with rippling touches.
"Of course, I am sure. Few show your bravery, and it must be rewarded," Luna said, nibbling on my neck as her magic caressed me intimately. "How would you like me, my stallion? Would you like me saddled, to be ridden as you will? Or, would you prefer a bridle on me, with you in command as you plunge yourself deep into me, filling me completely?" Luna's words, combined with what she was doing to my body had me on the cusp of exploding, and just as the mounting pressure within me reached the breaking point...
Everything stopped.
I stood there, frozen. Trapped in the moment of exquisite agony, unable to move, to speak, unable even to think. I had an impression of something all around me, of Luna moving in blinks of an eye, of an eternity of missed time, and all the while my mind and body kept experiencing the same endless second of the moment just before orgasm. It was both the most wonderful sensation of my life and the most horrific torture I could ever imagine, both at the same moment.
Then, as quick as it had come, it passed and I collapsed onto my side, making a mess of myself as my body finished what my mind had started. Luna lay down beside me as I shuddered and gasped with the after effects of what she had done to me, and I found myself fighting back tears as she cleaned me off and pillowed my head against her side as I slowly recovered.
"Rest, brave stallion," Luna said, her voice gentle and full of care. "I am sorry I had to put you through such an ordeal, but it was the only way to be sure. You are young, and possessed of a great vitality. Virility in one of your years is to be expected, and I had to raise it to it's highest possible level so as to eliminate it from my delvings of your spirit."
"Wha--what's the scoop then?" I managed to ask her as I slowly brought myself under control, physically and emotionally.
"First, you should know that I have alerted the hospital in Ponyville to the current condition of your body in the waking world," Luna said, nuzzling the top of my head. "I've informed them it was my doing and to maintain your privacy at all costs."
"Thanks," I said, and I meant it. Without any decent control of my body in the real world there was no way I would be able to clean myself, and lying in a mess until morning held no appeal for me, not to mention how embarrassing it would be for Derpy to find out.
"Secondly, my stallion," Luna said, still nuzzling me. "You were right to be suspicious, your libido has been both magnified and pushed to a hair trigger."
"Crap," I said, my breath easy now but making no motion to move my head. "How bad is it?"
"I would say about double that of a normal pony your age, with half the control," Luna said, flicking her tail so it lay over my body like a star filled blanket. "Worse, the effect is definitely tied to your transformation into a pony somehow. I shall have words with Discord on your behalf, as I do not believe it was his intent to alter your emotions, even though that seems to have been an effect of his magic on you."
I was really glad I had a pony with the... horsepower Luna had, in my corner when it came to this. However, what she had said about how my desires had been ramped up meant I couldn't trust how I had felt around any mare, including the one pony I had come to like and trust more than any other, Derpy.
Derpy had put herself in harm's way for me. She was in the hospital bed next to me because of what she had done for me. My feelings for her couldn't be fake, or could they? How could I tell? A mix of confusion, anger, worry and doubt began to come over me, and my breathing sped up a bit as anxiety began to spike.
"Easy, my stallion," Luna soothed, and my mind calmed a bit as a creeping lassitude began to spread over me. "Time enough to dwell on those things come my sister's sun, and you require true rest now. Sleep." Luna's tail over my body warmed me, and I felt myself relaxing against her side even further.
"What if another nightmare comes?" I asked sleepily, and a part of me mused on the irony of falling asleep in a dream, as things grew dim around me.
"Worry not," Luna said, as I began to drift away into a deeper sleep. "Your dreams shall be peaceful, I protect what is mine." |
Mail Troubles | Aggrieved | The next morning was interesting as hell, I'll tell you. The night nurses may not have said anything to me, or to Derpy, but someone said something to somepony. There was simply no way all those offers of "something extra to drink" were due to a need to quench my thirst. Derpy tried to talk to me over breakfast, but I was just too damn embarrassed to talk to her. I kept my replies to noncommittal grunts and refused to meet her gaze. What was I gonna say, "Oh, sorry that I've been friends with you? Turns out I got whammied by a spell to like you, and oh by the way, a princess rubbed me off last night, but you shouldn't feel inadequate or anything."
The capper was when the mare who got me into a wheelchair for my morning therapy visit asked me if I had anywhere to stay once I got out of hospital.
"Not really, no," I had told her, as we rolled through the halls. "I figure Discord has something set up. Some sort of bunkhouse at the least."
"Well, if he doesn't let me know," she'd replied, as we turned into the physio room. "I'd love to play host to a stallion with your... capabilities." I just sat there in shock as she passed me over to the mare in charge of helping me get my unruly body back in control, not saying anything until the orderly had left.
"Um, hi," I said, to the physiotherapy mare. Once again, I felt the impossible surge of lust wash over me and try to settle into my hips. Only this time thanks to Luna, I was armed with the knowledge that the desire wasn't real and I mercilessly clubbed the emotion down before it could get too large a hold on me. It wasn't an easy fight. The therapist was a gorgeous brown unicorn with a yellow mane, done up in a tight spiraling braid. She was lithe and lean, and I could see strong muscles beneath her coat that could pull a stallion close while...
Let's just say that I might not have won the fight without the weapon of knowledge Luna had given me.
"Good morning," the unicorn pony said in a cheery voice, as she bent toward me, a tangle of broad straps held in her magic. "I'm Long Strides, and we're going to be getting some work done today."
"Hi," I said right back, noticing that her ears were both locked forward on me like radar dishes tracking an incoming missile. "I'm James, and I'm guessing you're gonna help me start moving as something other than a twitchy mess of limbs."
"You've never had physiotherapy before, have you?" Strides said as she lifted me up bodily in her aura like a sack of flour, floating me up onto a padded table.
"Nope," I said back in reply, letting myself go limp so Long Strides could do whatever it was she needed to do to me. "Never needed it before, at least not in my other body."
"I can tell," Strides said, with a chuckle. "You can always tell when you get a patient you're going to enjoy working with." My emotions sort of did a little flip and the lust tried to stage a comeback, as Strides started wrapping the wide straps of the harness around my body, stimulating various nerves.
"Um," I said, trying to not have it come out as a squeak. "What makes you say that?"
"You're trying to keep yourself limp, to help me," she said, her muzzle very close to mine, as she finished securing the harness around me. "It's very nice of you, it's kind and it tells me you're willing to work with me, instead of against me. You need to stop doing that." Then, to punctuate her words, she swatted me on the ass, hard enough to sting and causing me to jerk a bit in reflex.
"Hey!" I protested, in surprise more than anything else. "What the hell was that for?"
"I need you to move as often and as much as possible," Long Strides said, humour in her voice. "I need honest, physical reactions from you. Even if they aren't what you want them to be, and you need to use that body of yours as much as you can, as often as you can. Keeping yourself from moving defeats the entire purpose of you being here."
"Did you need to whack me on the butt to make your point?" I asked, waving a forehoof in a wobbling arc toward my still stinging ass.
"Oh, I didn't need to," Strides said, chuckling as she clipped my harness to a winch of some sort. "I wanted to. First, because I thought it would drive the point home, and second because it let me check the reflexes of your lower spine." Then the winch began to whirl, lifting me into the air as I thought about what Long Strides had just said.
"So, you're kind of saying practice makes perfect?" I asked, as I was carried through the air toward a shallow pool at one end of the room.
"Exactly," Long Strides said, her voice warm and pleased. "Right now for example, don't just hang there like a lump. Try to curl your legs up against your body." She stopped the winch with me hanging just above the water, giving me an expectant look while my hooves just barely touched the surface. I tried to do as she asked, and my forelegs did curl loosely up against my body, my rear legs though, twitched and spasmed, futilely kicking the air when they should have been neat packages.
"Oh, well done," she praised, and I lifted an eyebrow while opening up a fresh can of snark.
"Oh yeah, just glorious," I said, and I sounded bitter even to me. "I can't sit properly, holding a drink needs the help of a foal, half my body won't listen to me, and the other half barely does anything."
"Had your moment?" Long Strides asked, wading into the shallow pool and triggering the winch to lower me so that my barrel was just touching the surface of the warm water.
"Yeah," I said, feeling more than a little embarrassed at snarking at someone who was just trying to help. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay," Long Strides said, and I could feel her lightly squeezing my leg muscles one at a time as she spoke. "Every patient has at least one moment like that, and most have several. As long as you're in this room with me you're allowed to swear, curse me out, cry on my shoulder, or anything else you feel the need for. Do you feel up to hearing my assessment of you based on your file and what I've seen just now?"
"Sure," I said, still feeling a little down. "This whole gig has been a lot harder than I thought it would be, and I haven't even really started yet, so what's one more obstacle?"
"Are all former humans so whiney?" she said, and as I shot a glance at her I could see her smile telling me she was kidding. "Hey, I said you could vent on me, I didn't say I wouldn't throw some back. Here's the bare bones of it. You're going to be fine."
"What?" I asked, not really believing her, but wanting to at the same time. "How the hell can you say that?"
"While your muscles aren't responding in a coordinated manner," she said, and her face became a mask that said "doctor," no matter the species, "they are responding. What's more, from what your file says, your mind is beginning to coordinate with your body. The muscles are learning to fire in the proper order and in the proper groups, it's simply a matter of practice."
"Seriously?" I asked. I really wanted to believe her now, but this almost sounded too good to be true.
"Seriously," she said, putting a wet hoof on my shoulder and looking me right in the eye. "Keep working with me and you'll be standing on your own in a couple of days, walking by the end of the week and running by the week after that. You're a fit, healthy stallion and I'm going to help you learn to move with the speed and strength of your breed. As Celestia is my witness, I'll see to it that you learn how to enjoy the power inherent in an Earth Pony body."
I knew she was using a ploy to lift my spirits, saying what she thought I wanted to hear to pump up my morale after my earlier whining. Right then though, I didn't really care. I'd taken some heavy hits to my self-esteem lately, and it did me more good than I thought it would, for someone to confidently tell me I was going to be alright.
"Okay then," I said, deciding to just go with feeling good for right now. "What say we get to work then?" I could go into the whole training montage thing, but suffice it to say that I worked my furry butt off for the next two hours. Afterwards I got wheeled to a cafeteria, where little Dinky joined me. Sadly, despite the morning's progress I still needed her help with some things, especially things that weren't right at the table. We sat together in companionable silence, eating our meals as the hospital bustled around us.
"James, are you mad at my momma?" Dinky said, out of the blue. I looked at the adorable little filly who had been my helper, and the sadness I saw on her face could have gotten a statue to hug her.
"Um, what makes you say that?" I asked her, hoping I hadn't insulted her mother too massively with my... emission. Those damn nurses must have said something to Derpy, or hinted at something. Derpy was a smart mare, she probably figured it--
"Momma says you won't talk to her," Dinky said, neatly amputating my thoughts. "You wouldn't even look at her this morning. Why don't you like my Momma anymore?" Dinky's lower lip trembled and my mind started scrambling to find a way, any way, to keep her from crying.
"Dinky, it's not like that," I said desperately, and I could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "I did something really embarrassing in my sleep last night, and well, I don't know how or if I want to talk to her about it."
"Did you fart in your sleep?" Dinky said, cocking her head quizzically at me. "Momma said you smelled funny this morning."
My mind's eye flashed to Derpy's face, particularly her nose, and I realized that the nose of a pony must be far more sensitive than that of a human. Derpy didn't have to see what had happened. No one had to tell her about it because she had smelled it off of me. Combine that with my not talking to her while I tried to sort out my feelings and Derpy was getting so many mixed signals from me she was likely getting whiplash.
"Well," I said, to Dinky after a long pause, "it's partly that and partly some other stuff. But I'm not mad at your mom, not even a little bit. Okay?"
"You should talk to her," Dinky said, in that serious voice kids get, when they slide past all the defences us adults have to nail us dead center with universal truths.
"I... will. I promise," I said, holding up a remarkably steady hoof. "I'll talk to her this afternoon when I get back from my afternoon physio."
"Pinkie Promise?" Dinky asked, still in that super serious voice.
"I can't make a pinkie promise," I said, and you would have thought I'd kicked Derpy from the way Dinky's face fell. "I don't have pinkie fingers anymore."
"Fingers?" I heard a voice behind me ask, in a tone of voice that set off every prey instinct I had. "Did you say 'fingers'?" A mint green unicorn I hadn't seen before came into my line of sight, and for the first time I didn't feel a surge of lust when meeting a new mare. I felt like a rabbit in front of a fox.
"Hello, Miss uh--" I began, not trying to extend a hoof.
"Lyra," the newcomer said, "Lyra Heartstrings, you said something about fingers?"
"Yes," I said, not sure why this mare was setting off my alarm bells. But honesty is always the best policy, because if nothing else, it means fewer things to keep track of. "I was telling little Dinky here that I no longer have my pinkie fingers."
"WAIT," Lyra declared in a loud voice, rearing upwards. "You had fingers? How? When? You have to tell me!"
"If you will calm down a bit," I said, in a level voice. "I'll be more than happy to tell you. But if you can't get a grip, I'll have to ask you to leave. You're scaring Dinky." Lyra looked to my lap, where sure enough, little Dinky was doing her best to hide from the scary mare.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry," Lyra said, grimacing a bit in embarrassment. "It's just that I've always wanted to actually see hands, or a human, for so long. Everypony used to tell me they were imaginary, but then we found out about the mirror in Twilight's castle and the humans there, and--"
"Whoa girl," I said, cutting Lyra off before she got too wound up again. "I'm just a transformed human, learning how to use a pony body." A strange light came into Lyra's eyes, and I got that twitchy feeling again.
"Please," Lyra said, quietly begging me. "I've waited so long to hear about humans. Talk to me about humans and I'll do anything you ask."
"Dinky," I said, to my little helper, "I think it's time you headed back to your mother. Let her know that I promise to have a chat with her as soon as possible." Dinky didn't want to get out of my lap, but she was smart enough to know that there was adult talk going on. So, she gave me a quick hug and headed for the door. Lyra waited until Dinky had gone before she spoke again.
"I'm sorry," Lyra apologized again, and I could see both desperation and sadness in her eyes. "But I've been laughed at and mocked for years for believing humans even existed, and to have one sitting right here in front of me. I wasn't kidding when I said I'd do anything for you, if you will just tell me about humans."
"Okay, I will," I said, and Lyra seemed to relax and began to offer me her hoof to seal our deal. "But not right now."
"What do you mean?" Lyra asked, stopping herself as she stood beside me. "Please don't tease me."
"Two reasons, why not right now," I said, as calmly as I could. "First, I have a therapy appointment to go to shortly, and secondly, I promised another mare I would have a chat with her. That said, would you be willing to make a deal with me?"
"I agree," Lyra said, instantly. "Tell me everything, and I'll give you...everything."
"Rein it in a bit, girl. I don't need your body, I need your mind," I said, leaning forward a bit, as Lyra looked back at me quizzically. "I need someone to act as my agent here in Equestria. Somepony to buy me the things a pony needs to have, somepony to help me house hunt when the time comes. Somepony to help me with all the little things a newcomer needs."
"And in return for this?" Lyra asked, beginning to smile, and I heard a couple of conversations fire up in the background.
"In return, you will meet me for lunch every day," I said to her with a smile. "You will ask me a question about humans, and I will do my level best to answer it to the best of my ability. Fair enough?" Lyra's eyes glittered again.
"Five questions," she said, obviously recovering her pride and not wanting to sell her services cheaply.
"One question," I shot back instantly. I'd seen that stupid pawn shop show enough times to pick up a few things.
"Three questions," Lyra said, compromising.
"Two questions," I said, giving a bit of ground myself.
"Done," she said, extending her hoof. It took me a bit of doing, but I managed to bump hooves with her.
"My name is James, by the way," I told her, noticing her curves for the first time.
"James," Lyra said, savouring my name, as she got up. "Tomorrow then, my human stallion." I hadn't thought she'd noticed me noticing her, but the extra bounce in her hips and sway of her tail told me she had. Stupid libido on stupid overdrive.
Dinky never came back for the rest of lunch, but that was okay. I wasn't all that hungry anymore anyway, and she'd left my drink glass with a straw in it so tanking up on liquid wasn't a problem. An orderly came and got me about ten minutes later to take me back to my afternoon session with Long Strides. We had a really productive afternoon together, I even managed to stand up. Okay, let's be honest here, by stand I mean have my hooves touching the bottom of the pool in a semi-controlled manner while I was supported by the harness and buoyed up by the water.
"For a first day, that's some real progress," Long Strides said. "We'll pick up tomorrow, same time. Let's get you rinsed off and I can take you back to your room for dinner." Getting cleaned off reminded me of the previous night's mis-adventures in dreamland.
"Sounds good, but hey, you've read my file, right?" I asked, as Long Strides winched me out of the pool.
"You're a person from another world, transformed by Discord into a pony," Long Strides said, confirming my suspicions. "Your nerve connections got scrambled in the change, but otherwise your muscles and nerves are all intact."
"Okay, so anyway, last night I had a bit of an accident..." I trailed off, not really sure how to keep going, but so far Long Strides had been nothing but encouraging and professional with me, so I felt safe opening up a bit to her.
"Ya, I heard about that," Long Strides said, noticing my embarrassment. "The princess told everypony to keep it private, and while they didn't tell anyone outside the hospital or any of the patients, you certainly were the talk of the staff room."
"Uh yeah, so you know I don't really know much about being a pony, yet," I said, trying to work around the subject. "I kinda wanted to know how... noticeable that was to others. Am I, kinda sorta, giving off some kind of signal that I want to be with a girl, I mean mare?"
"OH..." Long Strides said, in realization, "and you don't want to..." It was her turn to trail off her sentence.
"Nope, not yet anyway," I said. "I mean sure, maybe down the road once I've gotten this body of mine to listen to me, but not now."
"Ya, you were smelling like you wanted sex when you came in here," Long Strides said, grinning a bit. "Don't think I didn't appreciate the reaction, but I'm a professional. So, for both our sakes, I got you into the pool as quick as I could."
"Thanks," I said, meaning it. "I don't think Luna's going to do what she did to me again, but just in case, is there anything I can do to stop the uh, after effects?"
"I'll swing by your room and drop off a spritzer of perfume later," Long Strides said, putting a hoof on my shoulder. "It will be a little frou-frou, but it will cover up any future... emissions."
"It can smell as girly as anything," I said, as Long Strides finished rinsing and toweling me off. "Just as long as it keeps everypony from wanting to jump my bones." Long Strides laughed and began to settle me into my wheelchair. My body felt tired and loose, but it also felt like it was mine for the first time since I had been in this body. It felt good, and it kept feeling good right up to the point where Long Strides got me back to my room. Derpy wasn't there anymore.
"Hey, where's Derpy?" I asked Long Strides, as she settled me back into my bed.
"I have no idea," Long Strides said, making sure I had a couple of drinks available. "I'm done for the day, so before I get you that perfume sprayer, I'll ask around, okay?"
I nodded my thanks and sunk into my thoughts as Long Strides left. I still wasn't entirely sure what I felt for Derpy. Was it friendship, was it love, was it lust, was it even real, or was it something that had been pushed on me? I had to find out one way or the other which it was, because if nothing else the lunch time conversation with Dinky had proven that doing nothing wasn't an option.
I mulled that over all through dinner and into the evening. The hospital book cart came by offering me some books, but another problem became rapidly apparent. Equestrian wasn't English. Something in my transformation had obviously gave me the ability to understand the spoken language of ponies, but their writing was a whole different story. The best way to describe it was as a mix between Cyrillic and Viking runes. The old green mare pushing the book cart took pity on me.
"It's all right, young feller," she said to me. "Not every earth pony learns how to read either, and it can get mighty dull if yer laid up. Here yeh go, sonny." She put a stack of picture books on the little end table by the bed, put an apple on top of the stack and waved goodnight to me. Long Strides came by a little after that, perfume sprayer in hand, I mean hoof.
"So, I found out about Derpy," Long Strides said, and I perked up from the book I was looking at. A book, I might add, I was holding in my hooves, which my physical therapist smiled at. "They moved her to the outpatient ward, seeing as her infection is getting knocked down in a hurry. If all goes well, she'll be discharged tomorrow."
"Any chance you could get me over to see her?" I asked. "I think I might have hurt her feelings and I want to clear things up between us."
"Damn," Long said, rubbing her chin with a hoof. "Everypony knows Derpy and no one wants to see her hurt, but things are shutting down for the night. It's going to have to wait until the morning."
"Crap, thanks for letting me know at least," I said, sniffing the perfume. It was just as girly as she had warned me it would be.
"Glad to help, I'll see you tomorrow as well," Long Strides said, turning to leave. "Oh, and it's good to see you with books. That's good exercise for working on your stability and dexterity. Keep it up."
"Yes, Ma'am," I said, shooting off a sketchy salute. It wobbled a bit, but by all the gods, it did what I told it to do. Long Strides just grinned back and headed out the door. I read, well picture scanned, for the next hour or so. After that I was tired, in body, mind and heart, so sleep came quickly. So quickly in fact, that I never really noticed the transition from barely awake to dreaming asleep.
"There he is girls, get him!" a female voice shouted, startling me. I was on a little street, quaint houses on either side of me, the sky clear and sunny. Oh yes, and there was also a mob of mares closing in on me from the far end of the road I was on. They were all running in my direction carrying an array of ropes, bridles and saddles. A few were even waving signs that read "Equestria needs Stallions!" I did what any red-blooded, testosterone fueled male would do when confronted with something like this.
I ran like hell. |
Mail Troubles | Advancement | The malicious mob of maddened mares with mayhem, and maybe male massacre in mind, made me move myself mightily in maximum motion. In other words, they scared the crap out of me and I high-tailed (no pun intended) it out of there with them in hot pursuit. I ran harder and faster than I ever had before, because let me tell you, nothing beats four wheel drive when it comes to making tracks. Despite my awesomeness though, it seemed that no matter how hard or how fast I was, the mob was just a little faster, and slowly but steadily they closed in.
"Psst, over here," called a voice, and I saw the wonderful sight of little Dinky waving me over toward an alleyway. "Down this way, quick."
"Dinky, thank god," I said, and pounded down the alleyway with her. "You just saved my hide."
"Found him, Momma," the cutest filly of all time chirped to Derpy.
"Good girl," Derpy Hooves said, setting down what looked like some washing she was hanging on a line. "You head off and distract them. I'll deal with James." The little pony headed off down the alley, raising a literal dust cloud in her wake. I could hear the baying of the mob as they drew close to the entrance of the alley.
"Thanks, Derpy," I said, leaning over the fence to hug the mare. "Now quick, hide me someplace before the Mad Mare Mob gets me."
"I'm sorry, James," Derpy whispered in my ear, and I could feel a noose made of clothesline tighten around my neck where she had slipped it during the hug. "Over here, girls!" I pulled back in shock, tightening the noose automatically against my throat. It would only take me seconds to slip it. Seconds I knew I didn't have.
"Why?" I asked with as much reproach as I could muster. "Aren't we friends?"
"Are we?" Derpy asked back. "I wanted to be friends from the moment we met, but you just pulled away without saying anything." I had just enough time to realize how right she was, and then the mob was on me. There was a whirl of flashing light and colour, a cacophony of sound and the next thing I knew I was being carried back down the alley by the triumphant mob. All four legs bound together, a pole slung through the gap to carry me. If you have ever seen the scene in Jedi where they get carried into the Ewok village, then you know what I looked like.
However, I was pleasantly surprised to be alive and relatively unharmed, with the mob singing happy songs like "99 stallions on the wall, 99 stallions on the wall..." So, I wasn't horrifically surprised when I saw that I was being carried toward a barn that proclaimed itself to be a "stallion milking station." Just as we reached the entrance and I started to brace myself for a really bad ending, I heard a voice that filled me with relief.
"Away from him!" Luna's voice thundered with the force of a thousand storms. "Away from my stallion, I say!" Mares began flying away in droves as Luna parted the sea of massed mares like a snowplow blasting through a fresh fall of powder. A few mares carried me into a corner of the barn, trying to defy their monarch.
"Princess, please... " one of them begged. "The heat... it's so bad. We need him. Please, Princess, there are so few males."
"He. Is. Mine." Luna growled, wrapping me in her midnight blue magic and pulling me away from the crazed mares. She kept me levitated by her side as we flew off together, her magic more than capable of freeing me from my bonds as we travelled.
"Damn, thanks Luna," I said, appreciatively noting how the act of flying made the muscles under her coat ripple. "Are things really that bad in Equestria as far as males go? I mean, I haven't seen too many..."
"Hush, my stallion," Luna said, and something about her voice made me flinch inside. "All your questions will be answered in moments." I closed my mouth and watched as we descended toward a grassy glen in a forest. I could see that the only thing of note was a strange piece of metal lying on the forest floor that was shaped like an "H." My mind started trying to sound some warnings to my mouth, but before I could say anything, Luna dropped me the last foot or so to the ground directly over the metal.
As I suspected, or had begun to suspect, it was a trap. Cuffs built into the ends of the "H" snapped shut around my hooves, securing me firmly in place.
"Luna," I said, trying to sound reasonable, tugging a bit at my bonds. "What's going on?"
"You forsook your bonds of friendship with fair Derpy," Luna said, smirking and running a hoof along my flank, like someone would with a prize animal they had just bought. "Therefore, you belong to whichever mare has a claim over you. Which, I do."
"Whoa, hold up," I said, panicking a little and trying earnestly to pull myself free. My hooves may as well have been set into the bones of the planet itself for all the good it did me. "I didn't forsake anything. I was just trying to figure out..."
"Hush, my stallion," Luna said, clamping my mouth shut with her magic. "Hold still while I lock my bridle upon you." I pulled against the shackles with everything I had, while at the same time trying to dodge the approaching mass of straps. It was no use, and I heard a small whimper escape my mouth as the bridle began to slide over my nose.
"Away foul phantasm, you have no power in my realm!" Luna's voice thundered again, only this time from above, and the world around me shook in response to the fury in that voice. Luna dropped the bridle and we both looked up in surprise. A second Luna, stooping like a falcon, dove from the clouds, flinging a spear of power at my captor. The bolt slammed through the chest of the "Luna" who had captured me, allowing it only a moment of surprise before it dissolved into mist. The attacking Luna landed a moment later where the other had stood.
"I'm sorry it took so long to reach you, James," Luna said with a snort of satisfaction at her victory. "Your dreams continue to be difficult to reach, despite their obvious power. I will have you free in a moment." True to her word, the shackles holding me evaporated just like the first "Luna" had, and I staggered away.
"Is... is it really you this time?" I said, scared as I tried to avoid speculating how deep down the rabbit hole I was. "You said I was 'your stallion' before, does that mean ponies have some kind of droit de seigneur?" Luna looked at me in puzzlement for a moment as she sorted out the old medieval French phrase.
"Oh, by my Moon, no," Luna laughed, realizing one of the sources of my distress. "James, please come sit beside me. I give you my word as a Princess of Equestria, that nothing will happen except with your complete consent." Luna sat herself down onto the grass, tucking her legs in underneath her and folding her wings against her back.
"Um, okay," I said, and then realization came to me. "Wait. This is a dream. No, wait, that's not right... I just had a nightmare."
"A very bad one, James," Luna said. "So bad that your fear and terror drew a phantasm to you. A creature of the dream realm that feeds on such emotions. When it began to feed off of your nightmare, it realized it could draw even more power from you by creating a nightmare within your nightmare."
"Yeah," I said, shaking my head and moving to lay down beside Luna. "A dream inside a dream is always pretty bad. Is this a normal thing for you to handle?"
"No, it is quite rare," Luna said, placing a wing over me in a feathery hug. "As I said, your dreams are of exceptional power and are, sadly, uncontrolled." That saying triggered a memory of an old, very cutthroat MMO I played for a couple of years.
"You imagine wonderful things, and you imagine terrible things, and you take no responsibility for your imaginings," I misquoted, in all likelihood. "This is the gift of your species, and it is also its curse."
"That is a very apt saying, James," Luna said, nodding to me as her wing and body gave me comfort. "Before this night is out, we will do something to ward you from such a creature attempting to feed on you again. But first, we must determine the cause of the nightmare that drew the phantasm in the first place. Tell me what occured before my arrival." Wide cyan eyes looked deeply into me. Luna wasn't commanding me, or forcing me to talk, but her steady regard made it clear that she would accept nothing less from me than the whole truth. So, I told her the whole dream up to her arrival, and she frowned at me, sensing there was more to tell. So, I told her of what had happened the previous day.
Memo to self: Never, ever, get the Princess of the Night mad at us. The ground, the freaking ground, vibrated at the intensity of her growl, shaking the trees around us.
"I am most wroth with the staff of the hospital, James," Luna said, her voice calm but her tail twitching back and forth like an angered cat. "They were to keep your condition private, even from their co-workers. However, that is something for me to deal with tomorrow. Right now, we are discussing you. You dreamed that Derpy betrayed you. Do you have any idea why you might dream something like that?"
"Because I may have betrayed her friendship in me," I admitted sadly. To her credit, Luna simply nodded with a "go on" gesture. "This whole thing with my lust cranked up to eleven has got me second guessing everything."
"Including your relationship with Derpy Hooves," Luna said, thoughtfully. "Tell me, James, do you love her? Do you desire her?"
"No!" I exclaimed and shook my head, "Yes, maybe. I don't know anymore. Look, Luna. All I really know for sure is that Derpy is a friend and I don't want to see her hurt. Even if that friendship is just something this transformation shoved onto me."
"That is a fine sentiment, James." Luna said, keeping her wing draped over me. "You say that Derpy is a friend to you. May I ask when was the first time you felt that friendship toward her?"
I thought back, rewinding recent events in my mind's eye and trying to isolate the moment Luna requested. It came to me after a moment, the two of us, fighting those goons together in the alley. Then later, after I shared my meal and a nap with her, that was when I really felt that Derpy and I were truly friends, and I dutifully relayed that revelation to Luna.
"And that was the first time you felt the true magic of friendship between you?" Luna asked, and I nodded. "Then thy youth has led you into error, my stallion. For was it not after this time that Discord first transformed you, and brought you to Equestria?" I tossed that back and forth between my few remaining brain cells for about a minute before the light bulb came on.
"Oh hell, I'm an idiot," I said, whacking myself in the forehead with a forehoof and nearly knocking myself out.
"Perhaps, young James." Luna said with a slight chuckle at my antics. "But what you do next will truly demonstrate whether you have wisdom or are a fool. What do you plan to do with what you have learned when you awaken?"
"I'd already planned on talking to Derpy, if I can," I said, sighing a bit and leaning against Luna's comforting mass. "Only now I think I need to offer her a big apology as well, and ask her if she can find it in her heart to forgive me. If she can, then I'll ask her if we can still be friends." A lightning bolt went through me as Luna nuzzled me behind the ear.
"Good stallion, you demonstrate the beginnings of wisdom." Luna said, and the twinkle in her eye told me she was enjoying how she had managed to fluster me. "James, I like you."
"Uh..." I responded in my ever eloquent fashion as I tried to shut down a flood of blood to my lower parts.
"Not in that manner, young stallion," Luna giggled. "At least not yet. I like you for your boldness, your humour, and how you continue to adapt to new things. You show great potential, which is one reason that I wish to make you a member of the Lunar Herd."
"Um, say what?" I asked, my eyebrow trying to climb through my hairline. "What does that mean?"
"You would become part of my household and extended family," Luna said, smiling at me. "You would be as a younger cousin or nephew to me. It will not give you any authority in Equestria, but it will serve as a protection for you."
"Okay, sounds good," I said and frowned as my ears went back a bit. "But there's no such thing as a free lunch. What's the downside?"
"I must put a small piece of my power within you," Luna said, her face changing to a serious look. "It will mark you as one of mine in some manner, and it will allow me to find you in the dream realm with greater ease."
"Annnnd?" I prompted, sensing something more.
"However the magic marks you, it will stand in place of your cutie mark," Luna continued, hanging her head. "At least until such time as you earn one of your own."
"Cutie mark?" I asked, puzzled for a moment, then remembering part of what I had been told about Equestria. "Oh, you mean those mark of destiny things. Don't worry about it, Princess. I'm not. One question though, does doing this give me any responsibilities to you?"
"Only such things that I might ask of any friend, requests that you may feel free to refuse if you think they are onerous," Luna said and her grin came back. "It does not, for instance, make you my concubine or my consort."
"Oh darn," I said, grinning back, decision made. "But I would be proud to become a member of your herd. You've done a lot to watch over me and help me, and I'd love to be able to give back a bit."
"So be it, young stallion," Luna said, and then she gently touched her horn to my head before murmuring something. As the words flowed from her I felt a cool sensation spread over my forehead, like cold water. The coolness was refreshing, invigorating, and I closed my eyes to savour the feeling as the magic washed away the dregs and after products of the nightmare. I felt the wave sink through my body in a downwards path, concentrating itself in my hooves before fading away.
"Well, that is certainly different," Luna said, and I opened my eyes, checking myself up and down to see what had changed. Luna giggled a bit as she watched me twist around trying to spot what had been altered on me. It wasn't until I moved a hoof and felt an unexpected weight there that I realized what had changed. Luna's magic had shod my bare hooves with gleaming arcs of silver.
"Is this normal?" I asked Luna, rolling to a side and extending a hoof to her.
"No, but then again, the magic tends to do as it will," she traced one her hooves over mine, feeling the shoe there and drawing a giggle from me as she tickled the sensitive frog. "Moonsteel shoes, very strong, very durable. Perhaps the magic has given you something you will need as you travel the worlds for Discord. Only time will tell."
"Okay," I said, still rubbing at the shoes and admiring them. "What next?"
"Next, stallion of my herd," Luna said, smiling as power began to wreathe her horn. "You will get some true rest and I shall return to patrolling the dream realm again."
"Wait!" I said, putting out a hoof to stop her before she zapped me. "Before you put me under, can you rig it so I wake up a little early?"
"Certainly," Luna said, knowing immediately why I wanted to be up. "I was going to arrange that anyway, James, but you didn't give me a chance to tell you. There was no need to shout at your matriarch."
"Matriarch?" I asked just as Luna hit me with her knockout spell and I knew only oblivion for the next several hours.
I woke up feeling really rested and energetic, like I could do anything at all. Then I remembered past events and shot a glance at the clock on the wall. It was 7am, nearly a full hour before things started to get going in the hospital proper. I hit the button on the side of the bed that raised the upper portion for me, and as I did I saw the gleam from the underside of my hooves.
"Well, hell," I said to myself. "That really did happen." I spent a moment or two twisting a hoof toward me so I could study it. It was pretty much what I thought a horseshoe should look like, curved like an Omega from the Greek alphabet. Two things were a little different than what I expected though. First, the sides of the horseshoe had grooves notched in them, perpendicular to the line of the shoe itself. Traction grooves, I guessed.
The second odd thing was that I seemed to remember that horseshoes were nailed on. Mine had no nails, or fasteners of any sort that I could see. Perhaps they were glued to my hooves somehow. However they were attached though, they weren't coming off. I put the mystery of my hooves aside as I turned my attention to a greater problem though. That of how to get to Derpy.
The way I saw it, I had three options. First, I could simply wait until the nurse came in with my breakfast and ask her to get someone to take me to Derpy. It was a fine, mellow idea that would cause the least upset to all concerned, but it also ran the biggest risk of Derpy being discharged and leaving the hospital before I could talk to her.
Second, I could hit my call button for a nurse. I really didn't want to cause a panic though and have nurses come charging into my room, expecting me to be keeling over, only to find me asking for a porter. Making people who have your well-being in their hooves run around for minor reasons is not a good way to make friends and influence people.
The third option was for me to try to make my own way over to see Derpy. My body from my shoulders up was listening to me, for the most part, and there was a wheelchair near the bed. If I could reach out, catch the wheelchair with my forelegs and drag it against the bed I should be able to scootch myself off the bed and onto the wheelchair. After that, it should be a simple matter to wheel myself to where Derpy was.
"Piece of cake," I said to myself, leaning and stretching outwards. At the time I didn't really notice it, but everything from about my chest up really listened to me, even if the bottom half still spasmed and twitched like a Starbuck's junky coming down from a week-long coffee fest. Regardless of my noticing though, I was indeed able to hook a hoof around the chair and drag it so that it sat parallel to the bed.
"That's it, come to papa," I murmured, pleased with my accomplishment. I flung the blanket off the lower half of me and spent a minute figuring out how to lower the side rail of the bed. Then I leaned out, resting some weight on the chair beginning to pull myself off of the bed and onto the chair.
They say that no plan survives contact with the enemy, and that nature always sides with the hidden flaw. So it was with me, as the hidden flaw of my not setting the brakes on the wheelchair made itself manifest. The more of my body that was suspended between bed and chair, the more of my weight pushed against it. Until with agonizing slowness the chair began to push away from the bed, drawing my body out with it and I quickly passed the point of no return.
"Crap, crap, crap," I chanted, helpless to stop myself as I was stretched out to full length in mid-air. Had my lower half been working as well as my upper half I might have had a chance to salvage things by pulling myself back in with my rear legs. Instead though, I crashed heavily and painfully to the floor in a clatter of medical equipment as things fell or were dragged to the floor by me.
"What in the wide, wide world of Equestria is going on here?" Nurse Redheart asked as she burst through the door moments later, her eyes going wide. I must have looked quite the sight. Collapsed onto the floor, the wheelchair having flipped back over my head and upper body, the blanket from the bed dragged off and lying over my back and rear legs, bits of medical equipment and supplies all over the place.
"We've got a 'Code Autumn', room eighteen," Redheart called back over her shoulder as she moved quickly to my side and got down low to check me out. After that came the doctor, the orderlies, and exactly the kind of big panic I hadn't wanted to happen, as they rushed me into an examining room to see if I'd injured any internal organs.
It was mid-day before they wheeled me back to my room, and I'd had to promise up and down that until Long Strides gave the okay, I wouldn't try to leave my bed again without assistance. Even then, some of the nurses were talking about chaining me to the bed, giving me dirty looks as they did so. I'd had a suspicion that a certain princess had raked them over the coals a few hours earlier for their gossiping of yesterday, and that they were still feeling the sting of her verbal lash. Long Strides talked them out of that though, saying it would be detrimental to my recovery.
"Thanks, Long Strides," I said as ponies began to leave. "I thought they were gonna lock me up and throw away the key."
"Well, I can't say I'm not a little ticked with you," Long Strides said, smirking a bit. "But, what you did shows that your body control is going up exponentially, which is a great sign. Rest up today from your adventure and we'll pick up again tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, there is somepony else here to see you." The therapy mare went to the door and held it open while a blond-maned, grey pegasus mare walked in.
"Derpy!" I exclaimed, happy as hell to see her. I thought I had missed her entirely with my little misadventure.
"Hi, J-James," Derpy stuttered out uncharacteristically, and barely stepped inside the door as Long Strides left and refused to meet my eyes. "I just wanted to tell you that it's okay if you don't want to see me anymore. I under--"
"Stop right there," I said with as much authority as I could muster, and you would think I'd have kicked her from how she looked. "You... have not done anything wrong, except to be the most courageous, awesome, and self-sacrificing friend that a complete idiot like myself could possibly ask for." Derpy's head came up at that, her mismatched eyes going wide.
"I don't deserve to have a friend even half as incredible as you have been to me," I pressed on, and I could almost see the confidence flowing back into my friend. "The truth is, I haven't been anywhere near as much of a friend to you as you have to me, and you aren't just my friend, you're my best friend in Equestria. Maybe the best friend I'll ever have here or anywhere else."
"You mean that?" Derpy asked, still hesitant.
"Damn right I do," I said, smiling at her and holding up my forelegs. "Now, come here and give me a hug." Derpy was against me and hugging so fast that teleportation would have been slower. We stayed like that for a few minutes, with her sniffling into my chest fur and me making comforting noises while stroking her mane.
"When you stopped talking to me, I thought you wanted me to go away," Derpy eventually said as she looked up at me. "Why did you do that?"
"Because I was scared," I replied honestly. "I was scared that I couldn't trust how I felt about people around me anymore, because this collar Discord had me put on has messed with my emotions so I wasn't sure I could trust anything."
"So, you just like me because you got changed into a pony?" Derpy asked, and I could see her emotions threatening to crash again.
"No, my fine feathered friend," I said, bopping her gently on the nose. "We were friends even before that, as another friend of ours pointed out. This all has made me realize how important it is to have friends here and not try to rely so much on myself, and how important you are to me as a friend. What I guess the upshot of all this is, is that I'm sorry and can you forgive me for making you think I didn't want to be friends anymore?"
"So you still wanna be friends?" Derpy asked, and I could see the beginnings of a smile on her face like the first lights of dawn.
"Of course I do," I said, smiling down at her. "You still wanna be friends?"
"Of course I do," Derpy said right back, as she hugged me even harder. I felt happy and at peace for the first time since I had arrived in Equestria and things got even better the next day.
The next day, I walked on my own. |
Mail Troubles | Arpeggio | "I'm still standing," I sang out loud, my just barely off-key voice rattling off the porcelain walls of the rehab area, "Here in my underwear! I'm still standing, can be most anywhere..." I let my happy warble trail off, as my eyes saw poor Long Strides cringing on the floor, her ears flattened back against her head, with her hooves jammed in them as if trying to block out my song of triumph. Which is ridiculous of course, as I have a pretty good singing voice.
"What in the name of Tartarus was THAT?" Long Strides asked, getting up and worrying a bit of wax out of her ears. As silence returned to the room she cracked open one eye to look at me warily, removing her hooves from her ears one at a time.
"It is the song of my people," I said, with a wide, wide smile as I stood there looking at her.
I knew I was being silly, but for the first time since I got to this wacky land of horses I was actually standing under my own power. I looked down at where the straps of the support harness lay slack on the floor around my hooves and felt like doing a jig. A second later I mentally shrugged my shoulders and broke out into a little side step. At which point the universe reminded me I was mortal by neatly tangling up my hooves and sending me crashing to the floor.
I laughed. After the stresses of the past while it felt good, so I laughed some more and then a completely hilarious thought hit me and so I kept laughing until Long Strides came over to look down at me, concern on her muzzle.
"You okay, down there?" she asked. "You break something? Land on a vial of Poison Joke I didn't see earlier?"
"No...ha ha. I just... heh... realized something," I giggled out, trying and failing to stop my laughter. "I really DO have two left feet!"
"Um, yah," Long Strides said, puzzled. "Everypony does, and two right ones as well." That just made me laugh all the harder until I ran out of breath minutes later and had to stop.
"You done now?" Long Strides asked, having realized that I wasn't in distress, just crazy, at least by her standards.
"Ya," I said, drawing in a deep breath and smiling. "Help me up?"
"That's my job," Long Strides said, bending down and scooping me up to my feet, er hooves. "How are you feeling? Shaky?" I pushed my awareness down into my body. There were more random twitches then I would like, but I was holding.
"A little twitchy," I admitted. "But it feels good to be up and moving again."
"I bet," Long Strides said, and she started buckling the support harness around me again.
"Hey! What gives?" I asked. I thought about trying to stop the therapy mare, but by now I trusted her pretty much completely with my body. Particularly after the fourth or fifth "Involuntary Reaction" of my lower extremities to her touch. So, I just stood there while she wrapped straps around my torso.
"James, you are a good patient, and from what I've seen, a good pony," Strides said as she hooked up the completed harness to the framework overhead, "but you are a terrible liar. I can feel the tremors going down your hips and thighs. You are making huge leaps forward in your therapy, but if you try to push too hard you are going to wind up hurting yourself."
She hit a button and the hoist attached to the frame pulled upwards drawing me with it. Long Strides had a fine touch with the mechanism though, so instead of pulling me up into the air, the winch instead took some of the weight of my body off of my hooves. I quirked an eyebrow toward Long Strides.
"So, am I walking or not?" I asked, testing just how much power I could put against the ground.
"Oh, you're walking," Strides said, walking over toward a treadmill. "You're walking right over here where your going to spend the rest of the day walking, with support." I gulped at how much walking that was and made my way over to the treadmill, gingerly stepping on.
Over the next five hours I learned something new about my physiotherapist. She had a sadistic streak that she had kept hidden from me. It was the only explanation I could think of for why she kept pushing me. Okay, to be honest she didn't have me walking for the entire five hours. Her job was to make me better after all, and that doesn't really work if you have your patient walk themselves to death.
No, she had me in a routine. Ten minutes of walking, followed by two minutes of rest where I was allowed to either just stand in place or pull up my legs and hang in the harness. Every third break Long Strides would stick a water bottle in my mouth that had some sort of terrible tasting mixture of water and electrolytes. Sometimes the treadmill would tilt to simulate walking up or downhill and I would have to adjust my stride to match.
She didn't even let me off that treadmill for lunch or for the bathroom. When I had to take a leak she held a urinal up to my bits and told me to let fly. When lunch came around, the mare strapped an actual feedbag to my muzzle and told me to keep walking while I ate. I had no choice but to continue labouring under the urgings of my cruel taskmistress, plodding forward one tragic step at a time. All Long Strides needed was a whip to make the image complete.
Okay, it wasn't that bad, but to be honest, I think she would have had me walking until I fell asleep in the harness and kept me going even in my sleep. As we started into hour six though, the day's labour finally caught up with me and I tripped, stumbled and would have fallen flat on my face if it hadn't been for the harness wrapped around my body.
Long Strides was at my side in about half a second, shutting off the treadmill and making sure I hadn't actually hurt myself. As the treadmill beneath me rolled to a stop, she winched me fully into the air and swung me over to a padded table that she lowered me down onto. Once I was safely down she started rubbing my whole body down with damp towels that both cooled me and swept away the sweat I'd built up.
Once all that was done, she started into a deep massage that started at my back end and worked all the way forward to my nose. I was a barely conscious pony puddle by the time Long Strides was done, adrift on a cloud of the endorphins brought on by the ministrations of the rehab pony.
"Is he ready to see me?" my ears twitched toward a voice that sounded familiar to my lazy thought processes, and a moment later the misshapen face of Discord appeared in my vision. "How you doing there, James?"
"You," I tried to shout at the draconequus in an angry voice. "You shcrewed up my collar, made me wanna lump ev'ry mare I came across. Mmade me 'barrassed in fronna prinshesses. You farging icehole." All that came from the one tiny corner of my mind that was still functioning, and I even tried to take a swing at Discord, but there was just too much inertia from the completely relaxed parts of me and all I did was wave a hoof feebly.
"Wow, he really is mad," Discord said, looking over at Long Strides. "I'm sort of glad I let you convince me to wait until now."
"You shet me up," I slurred at Long Strides, before taking a gulping breath. "You know that son of a beach almosh wrecked me and Derps."
"I know," Long Strides said, drawing a groan of pleasure from me as she rubbed an area near where my neck and spine joined. "Discord wanted to apologize and I figured it would be best if you were relaxed first."
Any ongoing resentment I had toward Discord was drowned by whatever the hell it was Long Strides was doing to my nerves, and I made a mental note, in crayon, to never get romantically involved with the deceptively strong mare. If this is what she could do to me with a simple massage I'd never survive actually sleeping with her. I however, am a pony of iron determination, and I fought off the evil massage long enough to express my displeasure with eloquence.
"Glerg," I said, fixing my single open eye on Discord, by which I meant "Go ahead." Discord must have been fluent in relaxed mumble as he figured out my meaning easily.
"Look James, I'm sorry, " Discord said, grinning down at me. "I never meant for the side effects to get this bad, and I'm already working on a replacement collar for you. If you're wondering what happened, basically some of the spells in the collar interacted with each other, including the compulsion for you not to take it off."
Long Strides stopped massaging me when she heard that, and fixed Discord with a death glare that could have fried bacon at planetary ranges.
"What exactly have you done to my patient?" she asked with a growl. "Explain yourself."
"Heh," I mumbled, just barely above sleep. "Kick his ash." Knowing I was in good hooves, I let my open eye close and I start drifting off on the wonderful cloud Long Strides had made for me.
"I had to do something to keep him from trying to take it off, " I heard Discord say in a frantic voice as I floated toward sleep. "If he takes his collar off anywhere other than Earth, he might not ever be able to be human again." Which was the last thing I heard before I fell into the deep, dreamless sleep of the physically exhausted.
The next morning I woke up and walked slowly down to the hospital cafeteria for breakfast. Yup, I walked under my own power, and despite the previous day's exertion I wasn't sore in the slightest, which I put down to the expert massage Long Strides had given me afterwards.
"You owe me a couple of questions," Lyra said, plopping herself down in front of me.
"And good morning to you too, Lyra," I replied, munching on a piece of toast that I could have filed to a point and stabbed someone with. "How goes the hunt for a place for me?"
"I've got it narrowed to just a few places," Lyra replied, sliding some jam over to me. "Okay, first question. You said humans wore clothes, why?"
"A few reasons," I replied slathering some jam on the dead bread absently. I was missing something. I just couldn't put my hoof on it. "The main thing is humans don't have fur, so we need the clothing for temperature regulation, because of that humans don't like being naked in general."
"Huh, interesting," Lyra said, making a few notes. "What about purely ornamental stuff, like collars?" She gestured toward the black band around my throat, and as she did it was like someone had flipped a switch that lit up a dark room in my head. Everything that had happened last night just before I fell asleep leaped into my mind, including the last words Discord had said. I stood up and jogged from the room.
"Hey, wait up," Lyra said, pounding up behind me, easily faster than my current best speed. "What's wrong?"
"Ornamental stuff is up to personal preference," I said, turning toward the physio room. "Sorry to run and answer but I just remembered something super important."
"Um, okay," Lyra said, clearly confused. "See you at lunch?"
"Come find me," I said, calling back to her just before I went into the therapy area. Long Strides was already there getting ready to start her day, some paperwork in front of her. She looked up as I came barrelling wide-eyed through the doorway, and held up a hoof.
"Stop, before you trip and fall," she said, in a voice both meant to calm and command. "Discord explained everything after you fell asleep. Have a seat and I'll tell you what he said."
"I was right," I said to her, plopping my butt on an exercise mat, "There is some sort of mind control whammy in the collar, isn't there." I trusted Long Strides, but it was all I could do not to be jumping up and down right then.
"Yes and no," Long Strides said, holding up a hoof to forestall any questions. "Along with all the other spells on it, Discord put in a compulsion to keep you from fiddling with it and accidentally taking it off."
"Why?" I asked. Sometimes the simplest questions were the best.
"Discord explained to me some of how the transformation part of the collar works," Long Strides said, and I could see her looking into her memories. "The collar doesn't so much transform you, as replace your body with a stored template."
"So, what you're saying is my original human body is stored in the collar?" I asked, touching the collar gently.
"As a template," Long Strides said. "So right now, you are a pony. Who can be a human, but if you took the collar off right now, the template of the human 'James Allens,' would be erased from the collar forever."
"And I'd be stuck as a pony," I said, trailing off. "That's a stupid design. Why did he make it that way?
"Because he figured that riveting or welding the collar around somepony's neck would make them freak out," Long Strides said bluntly.
"Yah, that would do it," I replied pensively. "Can I ever take the collar off safely?"
"Back on your Earth," Long Strides said, coming over to sit beside me, "And also any place that has enough magical energy to keep the collar going even if it isn't on you. I only know of two places like that in Equestria."
"And those are?" I asked, prompting.
"Twilight Sparkles' work room," Long Strides said, "and Princess Celestia's solarium. Other than that, never take the collar off except when you're home. Got it?"
"Got it," I replied, seriously. "What's on the agenda for today?"
"Lots more treadmill work," Long Strides said with an evil grin.
"Ugh," I groaned back in response. "So yesterday wasn't to tire me out so I wouldn't punch Discord?"
"Oh, it was that as well," Strides said, gathering up her paperwork. "But what we are doing here is building muscle memory, making the motions of pony movement automatic for you. We're also building up your endurance, because to be perfectly honest a five hour walk should be nothing for an earth pony, but you were all but out on your hooves at the end."
"Pretty bad, huh?" I asked, chagrined at my weakness as I moved over to the treadmill.
"For an adult pony?" Strides asked rhetorically, as she buckled the workout harness around me. "Yah, it was pretty bad, but for a pony literally just getting his hooves under him for the first time, it was pretty damn good. Don't let that go to your head though, because with the way I've been seeing you improve I'll be making things harder each day."
"So, walking isn't good enough for you, eh?" I asked, flashing her an intentionally cocky grin. "Oh the cruel demands I slave under."
"You want I should bring your Matriarch in to kick your butt?" Long Strides asked as she started the machine up at a slow walking pace that I knew would be speeding up soon.
"You know about all that?" I asked, concentrating on keeping my movements smooth and uniform.
"It isn't everyday somepony gets adopted into the Lunar Herd," Strides said, grinning. "The proclamations went out while you were on the treadmill yesterday. Don't be surprised if you get a lot of ponies coming up to you asking for things once you get out of hospital."
"Ya, right," I mocked, finding my rhythm. "Luna just looks in on me because I'm new and a little weird. I don't have any influence over her at all, and I don't want any either."
"You know that, I know that, the Princess knows that," Long Strides said. "But all the little climbers and socialites are still going to see you as a way to get their agenda in front of a princess."
"Well, the only agenda I'm working on is getting up to speed," I said. "Speaking of speed, are we staying at a walk today? Because, if we are I'd love to get some music in here."
"Some music would be a good idea," Long Strides said, nodding. "Because today we are going to try to move you up to a trot, which is the 'working' gait of a pony. It's our most efficient moving pace and even a unicorn can keep one up for hours. An earth pony, properly channeling their magic, can literally trot any other land animal in Equestria into the ground."
"Damn," I said, impressed. "Humans have a similar advantage on Earth."
"Really?" Long Strides asked, looking at me with a bit of skepticism. "From what I've heard your native species only has two legs. How could you possibly outrun anything?"
"Speed-wise humans aren't all that fast," I admitted, with a little wounded pride for humanity. "But we can outlast just about anything because we can dissipate the heat we generate better than just about anything else."
"Really," Long Strides said, putting a hoof to her chin. "Makes sense though. If you can keep cool you could just keep going until you ran out of energy. Anyway, looks like you're warmed up. Ready to kick it up a notch?"
"Bring it," I said, and slowly the speed built up on the treadmill. I started walking faster and faster until something in my body shifted. I seemed to stand up a little taller and my body shifted to a new pace. For three whole strides, after which I tangled myself up completely and went sprawling. The harness again the only thing saving me from a face plant.
Long Strides scooped me up, got me back on my feet and explained what happened. A trot isn't a fast walk, it's a completely different way of moving the legs. I spent about an hour with her learning how to move my legs in diagonal pairs instead of one at a time. Even then there were several false starts with me tripping over myself as I moved from walk to trot, but after awhile I had it down and I was trotting along like a champ.
"So, about the music?" I asked, my head bouncing back and forth with my body's motions. "Something a little peppy might be nice."
"I'll see what I can do," Strides said, getting up from where she had been intently watching my legs. "You okay on your own for a bit?"
"Go," I said, with a laugh. "I could do this all day, which is good because I probably am." Long Strides laughed at that, left the room and came back about twenty minutes later. She was dragging a charcoal grey pony in her wake who screamed "sophisticated" with her every motion. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she was elegant as hell.
"Hello Brother," the mare said to me, with an English accent and pulling a cello of all things off of her back. "Long Strides has asked me to play for you during your exercise session, and as I require hours of practice each day I was more than willing to acquiesce to her request. However, I must ask if you have any objections."
"Definitely not, Ma'am," I said to the mare, still trying to get used to the posh atmosphere that seemed to surround her like a cloud. "I'm desperate for any sort of diversion, especially as I'm going to be stuck here for several hours. Consider me something of a captive audience as it were."
"Very well, Brother," the mare said. "Any requests?"
"I don't know cello music well enough," I said, shrugging a bit and then having to recover as the motion threw my stride off. "Whatever you think is best Ma'am."
"I am Octavia Melody," the mare said, settling herself and her instrument into position. "You may call me Octavia or 'Sister' as you prefer."
"Sister?" I asked, taking a sip of water.
"Princess Luna is a patron of the arts," Octavia said, making a few experimental draws of her bow along the strings. "I have had the honour of being a member of the Lunar Herd for some few years now. Now, I will thank you to not speak further unless you need to."
There was no way I was going to argue with that, so I closed my mouth and concentrated on trotting. A moment later, the room was filled with an incredible wave of sound that seemed to lend colour to everything. Despite wanting to simply concentrate on my form, the music invaded my brain through my ears, and set up shop behind my eyes.
No longer was I stuck on a treadmill, in a room, in a hospital. Instead I was on a gentle trot through the countryside, the scenery moving effortlessly past me as I clip-clopped along. That went on for awhile, and the music picked up a notch as I climbed an imaginary hill, picking my way up its steep trail. Then down the opposite side, as my trotting moved between quick fast steps and slow powerful ones.
As I traveled along I was greeted with birdsong and the occasional small dog who zipped along with me. At one point there was even a small shower that I moved on through, the pitter-pat of the raindrops clearly sounding against my ears and coat. It was a wonderful, glorious experience. The imagery of which was provided solely by the power of a single instrument in the hooves of a mare who was truly gifted.
"I've never heard better music in my life," I told Octavia as the final notes echoed away.
"Hey, no stopping," Long Strides said, wacking me lightly on the butt as a reminder that I still had a few hours to go. "But James is right. That was really something. Thank you, Octavia."
"It was my pleasure," Octavia said, nodding in acknowledgement of our praise. "Same time tomorrow?" Long Strides and I both nodded enthusiastically. Octavia just smiled and packed up her instrument, while Long Strides busied herself putting together a feedbag for me. Without the distraction of Octavia's music my stomach was reminding me that I had missed lunch.
"YOU!" Lyra shouted as she pushed passed a leaving Octavia to enter the room. "You were supposed to meet me for your questions in the lunchroom." Long Strides froze, her mind clearly locked up trying to process the sudden jarring interruption after the hours of blissful peace Octavia had given us.
"Lyra," I said, keeping up my trotting on the treadmill. "I told you to come find me, remember? And as you can see, I'm a little tied up at the moment." I nodded to the safety harness that was strapped to me, and it seemed to break Long Strides out of her paralysis.
"Not to mention my patient needs his food," she said, approaching me with the feedbag as she scowled at Lyra, who had the grace to look embarrassed.
"Look, I'm sorry," Lyra said, backing up a couple of paces, her ears flattening and her eyes downcast. "I'm really sorry, but it's important that I talk to James. If I promise to wait quietly until after he's eaten can I stay?" Long Strides tilted her head at me in a silent question and I nodded my permission with a roll of my eyes.
"Fine," Long Strides said, still not very pleased. "You stand silently in the corner until I say you can come out and talk to James. Remember this, I have plenty of medical tape in this room. I hear so much as a peep and I'll muzzle you for a week. Got it?" Lyra was not a foolish mare and recognized a threat when she heard one. Wisely she didn't say anything, simply turning herself so that she stood face first in the corner.
"Smart mare," Long Strides said, turning back to me and strapping the feedbag to my own muzzle. "As for you, eat up. We're barely halfway through today's session and you need the energy."
She was right, and whatever Long Strides had put in my feedbag had my mouth watering from the scent alone as I set to with a will. Oats and carrot slices greeted my tongue, followed by raisins for sweetness, as well as something small and hard that burst in a small explosion of spice when I bit down on it. When I tried to thank Long Strides for the food she gave me another light swat on the rump and told me to concentrate on what I was doing. After food, a long drink and another application of the urinal my keeper/jailer/therapist decided Lyra had waited long enough.
"Well, I had really wanted to see what you would have looked like with a muzzle Lyra," Long Strides said, and I swore there was something more than a chuckle in her voice. "But you've kept to the rules so I guess you can come over and talk to James now."
"Th-Thank you," Lyra said, moving gingerly to stand beside the treadmill keeping as much distance as she could between herself and Long Strides, who idly started going through a box labelled "Tape" and making wistful sighs.
"What's up, Lyra?" I asked, keeping my pace. Again Long Strides was proved right in what she had told me about ponies. I'd been at this for hours and I was barely feeling the strain. More, I could feel the food I had just eaten giving me fresh energy and pushing me onwards.
"Hi James. Anyway, a couple of things," Lyra said, trying to focus on me. "First off, I may have found you a house. It's a one year lease with an option to buy afterwards. The place is a little run down, but it's super cheap. You can easily afford it on what Discord is paying you."
"Great, what's the catch?" I asked, smiling. "There's always a catch with these things."
"Wellll," Lyra said, drawing out the word. "The place is run-down because no one wants to live there. You see, it's right next door to Derpy's place."
"Are you kidding?" I asked, a wide smile splitting my face. "That's perfect!"
"Hey, watch your pacing," Long Strides interrupted. "Come on. One, two. One, two." I am not a foolish stallion. I stopped talking for a minute and concentrated on keeping my legs moving in the smooth trotting rhythm they had been doing all day, while Lyra wisely waited until Long Strides gave her a nod before continuing the conversation.
"Well, you wouldn't know it, but Derpy has something of a reputation for collisions," Lyra said, grimacing. "The house in question has been an accidental landing pad for her more than a couple of times."
"Don't care," I said, determined to have a place near my friend. "Start negotiating with the owner."
"Right," Lyra said, nodding. "Okay, now for my questions. First question: Are humans meat eaters or vegetarians?"
"Neither," I said, drawing amusement from the look on Lyra's face as I said that. "Humans are omnivores. We do best on a mixed diet of meats and non-meat foods."
"Okay, that takes me to one of my contingency questions," Lyra said, screwing up her face in disgust. "On Earth, do humans eat ponies?" I was so surprised at the question I nearly stopped cold. As it was I screwed up my rhythm for several strides and I had to fight to bring it back under control, earning both of us scowls from Long Strides.
"Okay, first off you have to understand one thing," I said, once everything was back on an even keel. "On Earth, humans are the only sentient species. We are quite literally alone in a world of unthinking, unspeaking animals. So yes, some humans do eat our version of ponies, which are tall, beautiful animals called horses." Both Lyra and Long Strides faces moved in interesting ways after I said that.
"James," Long Strides said, her face unreadable. "Do yourself a favor. Never refer to ponies as whorses... in any context, ever again. Got it?"
"Um, sure," I said, knowing I was missing something but not wanting to piss anyone off. "Um, yah. So, most... equines are used as riding animals or beasts of burden. Very rarely are they eaten, and before you ask. No, I have not eaten equine." Lyra let out a breath at that.
"Okay, I'll start talking to the owner of that house, and let you know how it goes," Lyra said, taking her leave. Not before Long Strides tagged Lyra's back with a piece of medical tape without her noticing.
"Okay," she said, smiling at me. "Let's keep going. I have some paperwork to deal with."
"Right," I said, bearing down and the next few hours flowed by in the mindless tedium of trotting. The sun was sinking down by the horizon when the treadmill finally began to slow to a walk and then a stop. Long Strides unstrapped me, got me to a shower stall and proceeded to wash me down.
"How do you feel?" she asked, as she started toweling me down. "Any weakness, sore spots or other problems?"
"No, I feel pretty good actually," I replied, just before my stomach rumbled loudly. "Other than the fact that I could really go for something to eat." Long Strides cocked an eyebrow skeptically before running a hoof down each of my legs, paying special attention to each of the big muscles there.
"Well, I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't feeling it with my own hooves," the therapy mare said, "but as near as I can tell, your nerves and muscles are firing in perfect sync now. Other than your lack of experience you are almost identical to a native born Equestrian."
"HOT DAMN!" I yelled out, wrapping both my forelegs around Long Strides in a big hug. "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you."
"I had a good patient," she said, smiling back. "I'd still like to see you for a few more days on an outpatient basis, but I'm willing to discharge you from hospital right now."
"That's awesome," I said, smiling, but then my face fell as I realized something. "Wait, there's one problem. I have no place to live yet."
"Oh, I don't think you need to worry about that," came Discord's deep voice from behind us.
"Hi boss," I said. I was still ticked at my employer, but he had apologized and I could understand why he had put the compulsion on the collar. So I decided not to hold a grudge. "You're not thinking I can stay with you tonight, are you?"
"Jimmy, my boy," Discord said, wrapping an arm around me. "You have more options than you think. Derpy at the least would offer you her couch if you asked. Luna made you a member of her extended family and that means you could even ask for a place to sleep at the palace. Finally, I made some sleeping quarters at the office, for my employees."
"Um, so I'm definitely being discharged?" I asked Long Strides, who signed a last piece of paperwork with a flourish.
"Yup, as of right now," Long Strides said, before holding up a hoof. "However, I refuse to clear you for work tomorrow."
"What?" Discord said, rounding on the therapy mare. "I need to get him on the job as soon as possible. Besides, tomorrow will be a milk run. Easy peasy, no surprises."
"Discord, three days ago this stallion was bedridden," Long Strides said, a small growl in her voice. "Two days ago he couldn't walk, and today was the first time he trotted. His progress has been nothing short of a miracle, and I refuse to jeopardize it by letting him push himself beyond what he is ready for." Discord stomped back and forth for a minute, muttering darkly before turning back to me and Long Strides.
"Fine," Discord said, clearly not pleased but also not willing to push things too far. "It took awhile to find someone like Jimmy, I guess I can wait a bit longer. When do you think he will be ready?"
"You're being awfully reasonable about this, Discord. Not like your reputation at all," Long Strides said, cocking a Spock-like eyebrow at my boss. "But... if there are no complications, and he progresses like he has... You can have him the day after tomorrow."
"THANK YOU!" Discord exclaimed, sweeping Long Strides up into a huge hug. "If I don't get some deliveries made soon, I'll have to disappoint Fluttershy. I really don't want to disappoint Fluttershy."
"As long as James is able to handle a canter and a gallop as well as he handled the other two gaits, I won't have a problem signing off on his status," Long Strides said. "Just take care of him, okay?"
"Thank you," I said, interrupting Discord before he could say anything else as I hugged Long Strides hard. "You got me back up and running again, and I'll never be able to repay you for that."
"Just take care of yourself," Long Strides said, smiling with her entire body. "Now shoo, and I'll see you tomorrow bright and early." |
Mail Troubles | Acknowledgement | I just stood there for a moment, looking at the reflection in the mirror. It was hard, very very hard, to connect the image in the mirror to what I thought of as "me," but as I twitched ears and flexed my jaw, the reflection in the glass moved to match me. A brown furred, blond maned pony looked back at me, a blue cap perched on his head. The pony completed his outfit with a black tie under a coat made of tough denim, a cap the same blue as the coat, with both cap and coat enhanced with a golden badge pinned to them.
"Equestrian Postal Service, The Pony Express," I read out loud of the badge, before squinting to read out the motto beneath. "The mail must go through."
"James," called a child's voice through the door. "Mom says you better hurry up if you want some breakfast before your first day of work."
"Be there in a minute," I called back to little Dinky, smiling at the memory of being tackled by the pint-sized unicorn when she had seen me walk in through the front door of her house. When Discord had brought me here the other night, I'd been worried about being an imposition, but Dinky's tackle followed by Derpy's smile of welcome had been all I needed to know that all was well between me and my favorite pegasus.
The day after that though, had been another day of suffering under the horrible lash of Long Strides as she pushed me right up to what she felt was my safe limits. She'd only had her hooves on me for six hours in total, but what a six hours. The first two had been spent learning the canter. Instead of the diagonal one-two, one-two, beat of the trot, a canter was sort of an oddball gait where I launched myself forward with one rear leg and then sort of caught myself with the other three.
The gallop was like a canter only more so. Instead of leading off with the same leg all the time making a one, one-two-three rhythm, a gallop was pure one-two-three-four as each leg took its turn launching me forward in rapid succession. I have to say, galloping was straight out fun, and I really enjoyed hauling ass.
There were just two problems that presented themselves over the course of the shortened day. One was an actual problem that I was going to have to work on, while the other was a mental one that I was going to have beat to death in my head. The mental problem was being okay with the fact that, at least for an Equestrian earth pony, there was nothing at all wrong about being able to go at full gallop for hours at a time.
Long Strides kept having to keep encourage, beg, cajole and outright threaten me to keep running, because every few minutes I'd start slowing down thinking I was going to blow something out. It got so bad, that at one point she got out an actual whip and cracked it over my back, triggering an instinctive reaction in me to start running like hell again. Where the hell my physiotherapist had gotten a whip from was a question I wasn't sure I wanted answered. A close second was the question of where she had gained the skill to use one that well.
"James!" called Derpy's voice, shaking me out of my reverie. "You having breakfast or not?"
"Coming," I yelled back, darting out of the spare room I was set up in and zipping into the kitchen. Laid out on the table was a bowl of hot oatmeal with some brown sugar on top, an apple and a glass of milk.
"Nervous?" Derpy asked, bringing over some toast for the table.
"It's okay to be a little scared on your first day," Dinky piped up, grabbing a slice of toast and slapping some jam on it. "That's what Momma said to me on my first day of school."
"Not nervous so much, as not completely certain of myself," I replied to Dinky, ruffling her mane a bit. "I just hope my problem doesn't muck things up?"
"What problem?" Derpy asked, some surprise in her voice. "I thought Long Strides had signed off on you being able to work."
"She did," I assured her, shoveling in some oatmeal and chewing quickly, "but apparently I'm doing something called 'cross-firing' when I'm moving in a canter."
"Oh, that's not good," Derpy said, pausing in devouring her own food. "Did Long Strides say what she was going to do about it?"
"Well, she had her hooves over every inch of my legs, looking for physical problems," I said between bites as I shoveled fuel into my body. "She couldn't find anything physically wrong, so she suspects it's a lingering nerve issue. She told me to avoid cantering until she can work up a regimine so I can self-train out of it."
"What's 'cross-firing' Mom?" Dinky asked, her face nearly disappearing behind her glass of milk.
"It's when a pony doesn't have a balanced gait," Derpy said, explaining for me. "It makes their stride unbalanced and they tend to bounce around."
"Not a good thing for a delivery pony," I said, finishing off the discussion, and my breakfast at the same time. "We had better get going."
Both the other ponies in the room nodded in agreement and finished off the last bites of their food. A quick rinse of dishes and a gathering of supplies saw us out the door. It was a fine sunny morning in town, which apparently was called 'Ponyville,' and various ponies waved to us as we walked Dinky to school on our way to work.
Dropping off Dinky at school, Derpy and I made our way to work at a light trot. I could tell Derpy was having to hold herself back from just taking to the air and zooming ahead on her wings. As I looked past Derpy's back I noticed a trio of mares who ran a flower stall giving us lingering looks and I decided it couldn't hurt to make others think that Derpy had landed an apparently cute stallion.
"In case I haven't said it before, thanks for all your help," I said softly to Derpy, giving her a quick nuzzle under the ear. "I couldn't have done any of this without you." Derpy's blush was adorable and I could see the watching mares smiling at the apparent public display of affection. It made me resolve to check out the social scene around town in the next few days, particularly on Derpy's wing.
"I only did what any good friend would do," Derpy said, ducking her head then extending said wing across my back in a pegasus hug. I turned us toward the building that Discord had set up for us to work out of, making sure the gossips got a good look at us as we left them behind. Five minutes later Derpy and I were stepping into the large square building on the outskirts of town underneath a sign that proclaimed "The Pony Express" and were immediately greeted by our boss.
"Jimmy, my boy!" Discord exclaimed, all smiles and giddiness. "Ready to actually get down to work?"
"Sure thing, boss," I said, deciding that now was the best time to get answers to two questions that had been bugging the hell out of me while I'd lain in my hospital bed. "You decided to go with the 'Pony Express' name?"
"I never could resist a good play on words, Jim," Discord said, smirking. "I've even given you a nice finder fee for the name on top of your regular pay." I nodded, one down, one to go.
"Another question for you," I said, pausing for effect. "Why?"
"Why? Because it's there, Jimbo," Discord said, wheeling around in a circle, suddenly wearing mountain climbing gear. "Because. It. Is. There."
"Bull," I said, as calmly as I could. This was a being who I had personally seen bend reality to his will, a being who owned me in a very real way, but that just meant I needed to be polite as well as firm. "Be honest with me, or I'm not going anywhere."
"You're serious about this, aren't you?" Discord asked, and when I nodded he snapped his fingers and the three of us were teleported to his office. "Before I answer, James, tell me why you need to know?"
"No one goes through the amount of trouble you have just for something that's a challenge or because you were asked to," I said, still making sure my voice was polite and without an ounce of accusation. "For someone...um, for a being to do all this, there has to be a greater purpose behind it, and before I become a party to it I need to know what it is."
"First off James, haven't you wondered why I look the way I do?" Discord asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. "You seemed to take it in stride, but have you ever asked yourself why?"
"Discord," I replied, with a slight chuckle. "I've seen more body swapping, changing and alterations that I would have ever dreamed possible. Your form was just one more different shape."
"Fair enough, James," Discord said, leaning forward. "The simple explanation is that I am, among other things, 'The Spirit of Chaos'." Then he just sat there, looking at me intently while I did my best not to show any fear at all, while my mind flashed me images of the pages of several source books with the heading "Chaos" on the pages. I'd played Warhammer 40K as a teenager, I knew what a Chaos God was and what one could do. He probably knew exactly what I was thinking at that moment too, and was just waiting for the right moment to rip my soul out.
"Well, that's certainly interesting," I said, trying not to run away screaming, which is what he probably wanted. "Come along, Derpy. Let's go get ready." I turned to go, but was stopped when my hooves refused to leave the ground, and I spent a few seconds tugging futilely at them but it was like they were part of the floor.
"James, I admit to not knowing everything about people and ponies," Discord said, a paw open. "So, I'm not letting you go anywhere until you tell me why you are absolutely terrified right now."
"Run, Derpy!" I yelled, not bothering to try to hide my fear anymore. "Get out of here, I'll hold him as long as I can!" I saw Derpy turn, beginning to run, and as she did I used a trick my Dad had taught me.
"There will be times in your life, kiddo, when you need to be more than what you are," Dad had said. "Faster, stronger, more nimble, whatever. There are going to be times when you need what the bible calls 'power beyond what is normal.' Luckily, there's a quick way to get it."
"Prayer?" I'd asked, to which my Dad had made a scoffing noise.
"Not even close," Dad said, sipping at his ever present mug of coffee. "When those times come, you will almost always be either angry or scared. What you do is you take that fear or anger, and you redirect it from your mind and you put it in your body. You use that energy as fuel and power to do the things that need getting done. Got it?"
Which is what I did right then. I took the fear and terror that I was feeling for myself and Derpy and instead of letting it fill my brain and freeze it cold, I drove it down into my legs and felt them sing with the icy power of my terror. Discord would have to go through me to get to Derpy.
I felt my face lock into a grin as my hooves tore free from the floor with faint crunching sounds, and I flung myself at Discord's misshapen face, forcing him to focus on me. Discord's face went from mildly amused to shock as I rushed him, and he got up a shield of some sort only just in time to keep my hoof from landing on his jaw.
"James!" Discord said, eyes wide as one steel shod hoof after another was stopped a bare inch from his face. "Um, you seem a little peeved, miffed even."
"Which one are you?" I yelled, riding the tidal wave of fear inside of me as it powered the blows that were beginning to crack his shield. "Khorne? Tzeentch? Slaanesh? Oh god, the collar. You ARE Slaanesh!" I stopped pounding at the shield to reach around behind my neck, and get at the buckle keeping the instrument of my doom around my throat, as my mind filled with horrible possibilities of what was likely about to happen.
"Stop him!" Discord yelled, but it was too late. Derpy had left under the cover of my assault, so it was just me and him now. My questing hooves made their way through my mane to the buckle and I started to work at it just as a butter yellow pegasus with a pink mane flew in through the window.
"What's going on?" the newcomer asked in a fearful voice.
"Get out of here, Ma'am!" I shouted, falling to my side as I overbalanced on two hooves while trying to work the stubborn bit of leather back through the buckle.
"Don't let him take off his collar!" Discord shouted, almost at the same time, and I could have sworn there was a note of fear in his voice. I finally managed to thread the tongue of the collar's strap back out through the buckle when the mare landed beside me.
"STOP!" she said forcefully as she locked gazes with me, and I felt my limbs freeze up as her light blue eyes stared their way through my eyes and into my soul. I think I managed to make a small whimper, my fore hooves frozen in the act of undoing the collar buckle.
"I know you're very scared," the mare continued, keeping me speared on her gaze, "but I promise you, Discord won't do anything intentionally to hurt you." She blinked, and suddenly I could think a bit again.
"But," I said, eloquently. "But he's going to eat my soul with a nice chianti."
"Discord!" the mare said, rounding on the draconequus. "Did you say that you were going to eat his soul?" Discord dropped his shield and actually shrank back a bit from the pegasus, not that I could blame him.
"Of course not, Fluttershy," Discord said. "I just told him that I was the Spirit of Chaos and he attacked me calling me Slaan...oh, oh dear."
"Did you say something to make him think you were going to hurt him?" Fluttershy asked, raising an eyebrow at him eloquently.
"Well...maybe a bit, accidentally," Discord said, standing up a bit. "James, I said I was the 'Spirit of Chaos,' not a 'God of Chaos.' You have nothing to fear from me, besides, if I wanted to eat your soul I've already had plenty of chances."
"That's not being very reassuring, Discord," Fluttershy said, and the fact that Discord actually seemed chastened by that comment slowed my pulse rate down from the racing scream it had been at for the past few minutes.
"Everything okay?" Derpy said, coming back in. My grey friend took one look at my face and wrapped me up in a full body hug. "It's okay. I brought Fluttershy because she's Discord's friend, and mine too."
I gulped a bit, trying to get my mental house back in order. I didn't even bother to protest when I felt Derpy tighten my collar again and secure it. The juggernaut called Fluttershy walked over a moment later and looked me right in the eye again, but this time without whatever power it was that she possessed over others.
"Hello, I'm Fluttershy," the mare said to me, all soft words and shy glances now. "I don't think we've met before. How about we all sit down over some nice calming tea."
A few minutes later the four of us were sitting around the desk in Discord's office sipping tea. It had been explained to me that Discord was a reformed Spirit of Chaos and that the now shy, but lovely mare pouring the tea was the pony responsible for reforming him. I'd heard of Fluttershy before and had wondered why Discord had been worried about her opinion. Having met Fluttershy and her force of will now, I understood perfectly.
"Okay, first off, sorry for that freak out earlier, Sir," I said to Discord, huffing out a breath. "But I really thought for a minute there that I was doomed."
"You were overdue for a 'freak out,' James," Discord said, waving off my worries, "and besides, a little as a few years ago you would have had cause. After all, I was known as the Purveyor of Pandemonium, the Lord of Lawlessness, the Earl of Turmoil, the Bringer of Bedlam, the Master of Madness and the Avatar of Insanity, among other things." I just sat there and gaped as my employer rattled off his former titles.
"Jimmy, my boy," Discord said, chuckling. "You're going to catch flies if you leave you mouth hanging open like that." I closed my mouth with an almost audible snap.
"He used to be very scary," Fluttershy said, putting a hoof on my foreleg to reassure me, "but he's really a very good friend now."
"Um," I said, absorbing that for a moment, before deciding to make all this craziness worth it. "Okay, fair enough. Anyway, as for the question that started this bit of mayhem. Why are you doing all this?"
"I'm reformed, James," Discord said, pulling Fluttershy to him and giving her a big hug. "I've promised to be on my best behavior here in Equestria for my dear Fluttershy, but it means that I've neglected certain balances I'm responsible for in the universe. Balances that can only be restored by dropping little bits of order and chaos at the right times, in the right places, in the universe."
"I made Discord promise that he would find a way to take care of his job without hurting anyone," Fluttershy said, bestowing a radiant smile on my boss, who literally started to glow a bit.
"Which is where you come in, Jimmy," Discord said. "Your job as a courier is to deliver those little bits of order and chaos to places that need them. For which I'm already paying you a substantial amount, so that I can stay here in Equestria and keep my promise to Fluttershy."
"Well, I guess that makes sense, in a weird sort of way," i said, taking in a last sip of tea. "Sooo, we still good for today's run?"
"Indeed we are, Jimmy my boy," Discord said, clasping his hands together happily. "Why don't you and Derpy head down to the departure area while I get your first package ready."
"Okay," I said, getting up from the table, Derpy following in my wake. We walked down to the departure/arrival area, which was a long rectangular space with a high ceiling and floored with wood chips. The area was about fifteen or twenty feet wide and there were doors along the side opening into the area. One was labelled "Infirmary," another "Deliveries," and a third was oddly titled "Diplomacy." Derpy caught me staring at that one.
"It's for one of the princesses to use in case any non-Equestrian happens to come through," Derpy said, smiling. "That way we can work out something with them right away."
"Ah, there you are," Discord said, a pair of saddlebags held in one paw. "I have your delivery right here."
"Sure thing, boss," I said, getting my game face on. "What's the plan?"
"Seeing as this is your first run, Derpy is going to fly cover for you to the destination dimension," Discord said, and he made a twirling motion with a claw indicating I should turn around so he could put the saddlebags onto me. "She'll make sure you get there okay, and will pick you up on the way back. Got it?"
"Got it," I said, feeling confident as Discord put the saddlebags onto me and buckled them in place. "So, where are me and Derpy going?"
"Someplace you might recognize," Discord said, snapping his talons and a door appeared in the wall at the far end of the room. It was a decent sized door, tan in colour and split down the middle with an oval shaped horizontal bar painted on it. I walked up to the door and read, "Captain's Quarters" out loud off of it.
"You can't be serious," I said, blinking as I realized who and what was on the other side of that door. "I'm going there?"
"Can you think of a safer place to go for a first run?" Discord asked, grinning at my reaction. "Think of this as your own personal final frontier."
"Ha!," I exclaimed, my face pulling into a grin. "C'mon Derpy, let's make it so!" |
Mail Troubles | Antimatter | "C'mon Derpy, let's make it so!"
The door at the end of the departure area slid aside with reassuring authority, and Derpy plunged through with me hot on her heels. As soon as I passed through the portal I found myself once again floating through that odd place in between dimensions. There were a hundred different names for where we were, but the important part of it was that there wasn't any ground for me to run on. Derpy, being a pegasus, had no problems at all, simply spreading her wings and hovering, but I had nothing to ground myself on and found myself beginning to drift forward in a slow nose over tail roll.
"Um, a little help here," I said to Derpy, who seemed content to watch me float for some reason.
"Time for some on the job training," Derpy said, with a barely restrained giggle. "Why are you floating like that?"
"Because there's no ground," I said, trying not to grind my teeth in frustration as Derpy made me state the obvious. "I don't have wings, so I can't fly like you do."
"James, I'm not flying," Derpy said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Sure you are," I said, once again stating the obvious. "Your wings are flapping and everything."
"I'm not flying, James," Derpy repeated, like she was telling Dinky to set the table for dinner. "I just think I'm flying."
"Say what?" I asked, with incredible brilliance.
"I just think I'm flying," Derpy said. "It's not like there is any actual air here to fly on."
"Wait. Wait," I said, still doing my impersonation of a ferris wheel. "If there is no air here, then how the heck are we breathing?"
"We aren't," Derpy said, complete calm in her voice as my stomach dropped in a manner that had nothing to do with my motion. "We just think we are."
"We... think we are," I said, my brain blanking as it hit a brick wall. Derpy saw my expression and giggled.
"We aren't even really alive here," Derpy said, still giggling. "Discord explained it to me. We are outside of reality, but because we are from reality our minds make a reality for us, and that means breathing and flying and, most importantly for you, running."
"Hang on," I said, wrapping my head around the concept at last. "You're telling me that we are in the dimension of the mind. That I can do whatever I think I can."
"Yup!" Derpy confirmed with a cheerful yip.
"All right then, give me a sec here," I said, starting to pinwheel my legs as if I was running. After a minute my trajectory could still be best described as "ass over teakettle," much to my disgust. "What am I doing wrong?"
"You have to think about what you want to happen too," Derpy said, keeping station beside me with the effortless grace of her kind. "Once you get used to it, it will be second nature for you, but for now you need to find a way to concentrate on what you want to do just as much as actually doing it."
"Huh," I replied, my wittiness fading as I tried to think on a way to do what Derpy had advised.
There's an old animated tv series called "Justice League Unlimited" and in one of the episodes, one of the characters has to literally run through space in order to do some big hero thing, but the upshot was he was running through space. I could use that scene. Picturing it in my head, I saw the one guy throw the other forward beginning his run. I saw it, pictured it, became it.
"Okay, let's get this cosmic treadmill rolling," I yelled out and began to move my legs with purpose, striking out into a trot. Almost immediately the fabric of this place responded to me, my hooves landing on a firm surface that had formed beneath me somehow, and moving with me as I strode forward. Derpy picked up speed as well and fell into formation beside me, our wing and hoofbeats blending into a drumbeat of motion.
"You got this, James," Derpy said, pitching her voice a little louder, her misaligned eyes aglow with happiness at seeing me on the move. "I'll stick with you as long as I can. Just remember to concentrate on your destination too."
I nodded, saving my thoughts for concentrating on what I was doing and where I was going. I picked up speed, and with a burst of effort transitioned directly from a trot into a slow gallop. I kept replaying the scene from the show in my head, letting the hero theme swell in my internal jukebox, picturing myself running past planets and stuff, toward a high tech door. I picked up even more speed, swerving around obstacles and things that appeared in our path with almost no real effort.
"You're doing great, James!" Derpy yelled to me over the sound of our combined motion. "The portal is just ahead, good luck!"
I looked up from the full gallop I was in and saw that Derpy was right. The pathway that I had conjured up through the power of my imagination, had reached out ahead and was connected now to a twin of the door that the two of us had left through. I put on one last burst of speed and hit the portal with a cry of, "Here's Johnny!"
There was a sense of impact, a flash of light and I felt the door give way and for a split second I was assaulted with a burst of brightness and sound that reminded me of my initial entry into Equestria. Only for me to crash full on into something soft and yielding that gave a startled, "What the--oof."
I blinked, shaking my head to clear my vision so I could check out my surroundings. I was in a corridor with soft pastel walls, a line of black plastic about a foot wide ran parallel to the floor about halfway up. The corridor as a whole was lit by panels that shed a light that was easy on the eyes, once you got used to them. There were doors every ten to fifteen feet or so and the whole thing was carpeted, but as I looked down I realized I wasn't on the carpet. It seemed my rather abrupt entry had catapulted me into a young woman, who I had flattened and on whose body I now lay. Were I in my human form, we would be in a somewhat compromising position.
"Hey there, little guy," the auburn haired woman said, reaching up to rub one of my ears as I lay stretched over her uniform covered body, my forehooves on her shoulders, my lower torso almost too low on hers for decency. Once again, my mind was assaulted by the now familiar liquid honey sensation of a really good ear rub melting pony synapses, and I leaned into the caress with a hum of appreciation.
"Aww," said the woman as her hand continued to melt my brain. "You are such a cutie. Did you run away from your owner?" That kicked started my brain back into functioning. If I didn't say something, and fast, I ran strong odds of winding up on a leash while someone looked for my non-existent owner.
"Sorry, but I'm not a pet," I said, as calmly and in as non-threatening of a manner as I could manage, which gathered the appropriate response.
"What the hell?" the woman shouted, rolling and throwing me off. I hit the far wall with a stunning impact and slid to the floor.
"Wait," I gasped, a little dazed from the hit. "I come in--"
"Security," the woman called, tapping a familiar badge on her chest. "Ensign DeCosta, intruder alert, deck eight, outside the Captain's quarters."
"Understood," a deep gravelly voice said, as the black strip along the corridor suddenly started flashing red and a siren began to whoop a steady warning.
"Look, I'm just here to deliver a package," I said, reaching around to my saddlebags.
"Security," the woman said, a panicked look on her face as she backed away from me as fast as she could. "I think the intruder is trying to draw a weapon of some sort." A flash of light appeared between me and the woman and I knew what that meant. I was boxed in, but it also meant everyone else was boxed out and that meant for the moment at least, I had a free hoof in things.
"Computer," I said, reaching up and tapping one of the black panels. "What ship am I on?"
"You are onboard the USS Enterprise-D," the computer informed me, followed by, "You are not an authorized member of the crew of this vessel. Please remain where you are."
"Understood," I said, noticing that the unfortunate Ensign DeCosta had gotten to her feet and was now sprinting away. "Please inform the approaching security team that I surrender and that I wish to speak with Captain Picard at the earliest opportunity regarding my release to Equestria."
"Please confirm your stated intention is surrender to Federation authorities," the computer dead-panned to me. "Also, there is no 'Equestria' in the Federation database."
"Confirmed and understood," I replied. "What should I do next?"
"Remain where you are," the computer repeated. "A security team will arrive shortly." With nothing else to do I plopped my butt down and checked to make sure the straps of my saddlebags hadn't slipped and that the package inside was secure. All was well.
"State your name and intention," said the rough voice I had heard earlier. Looking to my right there was a familiar looking face leading a diamond shaped formation of people holding weapons on me.
"Greetings Worf, son of Mogh," I said, watching the klingon's eyebrows shoot up as I named him. "My name is James Allens, Equestrian Postal Service, Pony Express Division, and I am here to deliver a package to your captain."
"How do you know my name?" Worf growled at me, and I was glad there was a forcefield between us just then.
"The honour of Worf, son of Mogh, is a legend known even to my people," I said, trying to butter the touchy klingon up a bit. "So please, take me to your leader."
"I do not think so," Worf said, a slight sneer on his lip telling me that he had recognized my flattery for what it was. "Computer, identify species of intruder."
"Species unknown," the computer said, causing Worf to blink in surprise. "Intruder is of unknown origin."
"Hey," I said, getting a little annoyed. "I'm not 'Intruder," I'm James Allens. You can call me 'Mr. Allens,' and I request to speak to your Captain."
"Not until I am certain you are not a threat," Worf growled. "You may not intend anything, but you could be carrying something you are not aware of that is intended to harm Captain Picard or another member of the command staff."
"Wow," I said, blinking and I could feel my tail twitching in annoyance. "Paranoid much there?"
"It is not paranoia if there actually are dangers to guard against," Worf said, and things could have really gotten dark at that point but happily a saner head interjected at that moment.
"Lieutenant report," said the welcome voice of the most British sounding Frenchman of all time.
"The intruder--" Worf began.
"Mr. Allens," I interrupted. I was gonna be a part of this conversation, whether Mr. Woof wanted it or not.
"The intruder," Worf repeated, giving me a glare set on deep-fat-fry, "a Mister Allens, appears to be a small furred equine w--"
"Pony," I interrupted again. "Get it right, unless you want me to call you an upright ape with a lobster fused to your forehead." Worf growled and tried to look intimidating at me. I wasn't scared at all, not with a nice big forcefield between us anyway.
"The... pony," Worf finally said, conceding the point to me, "has given their name as a 'Mr. Allens' and has requested to speak with you, Captain."
"I see," Picard said, and I could hear him clear his throat over the channel. "Mr. Allens, can you hear me?"
"Yes, Captain Picard," I replied, as my inner fanboy tried not to die from a nerdgasm. "I can hear you just fine."
"I have to admit I would like you to answer a few questions for me," Picard said, his even voice sounding open but revealing nothing. "Not the least of which is how you managed to board this vessel while we are travelling at warp speed."
"I would be happy to answer all your questions, Sir," I said, trying to sound respectful, seeing as Picard was a customer after all. "I'm a courier with the Equestrian Postal Service, and I have a package for you."
"I'm afraid I don't recall ordering anything from... Equestria, was it?" Picard asked, digging not so subtly for information. "What is in the package?"
"I'm just the courier, Sir," I said, in my best customer service voice. "But to the best of my knowledge the package isn't anything hazardous to you or your ship, and besides I'm not rated to carry dangerous goods yet."
"I see," Picard said, and I could hear the gears turning in his head while he thought things over.
"If it helps, Captain," I said, looking at Worf. "I'm willing to place myself under armed guard. I'm sure Mr. Woof here would be more than happy to keep an eye on me." I heard a snort of laughter in the background, mixed with a growl from Worf in the foreground.
"Very well, then," Picard said, coming to a decision. "Mr. Worf, bring Mr. Allens to the bridge conference room."
"But sir," Worf protested, instantly. "He could be carrying a bomb, or a plague. He could be a bomb or a plague."
"I have faith in your abilities to prevent such an occurrence, Mr. Worf," Picard said, calming his security chief. "I'm also sending Dr. Crusher to meet you at the turbolift so that she can scan our visitor for any obvious issues."
"Very well, Sir," Worf said, and I tried to avoid smiling to rub my victory in. "Computer, drop forcefield." There was a flash of light and Worf held his weapon very steadily at my chest.
"Lead on, Mr. Woof," I said, unable to resist needling the klingon just a bit. "I'm afraid I don't know the way."
Worf just growled and beckoned me to follow him. As I did, the rest of his detachment moved in around me flawlessly, weapons at the ready. In hindsight, I probably could have handled things better, maybe been more mature, or maybe not have poked at Worf, but dammit, I was on my way to see Captain freaking Picard. There was no way I was going to let Starfleet's version of a spartan warrior get in the way of that.
We walked along in silence for a minute or two while I contemplated what I could do better next time, while following behind the big guy in front of me until we came to an abrupt halt outside what I assumed were the doors to the turbolift. Sure enough, the doors swooshed open and the blue clad, red-haired form, of Dr. Beverly Crusher came out to meet us.
"Hello there," she said, getting down on one knee so she could look me in the eye, a genuine smile on her face. "You're certainly something different."
"Pleased to meet you as well, Dr. Crusher," I said, smiling and holding out a hoof. Everyone around me froze, except for Crusher who moved her scanner thingee around my offered hoof in a circle.
"Keratin based hoof, hair and follicles using classic protein structures, extremely dense musculature," Crusher said absently, looking at the readouts on the tricorder her scanner was connected to. "But on a deeper level. I'm picking up trans-phasic DNA, quantum mitochondria, even traces of subspace radiation in his fur."
"Move away from the creature, Dr. Crusher," Worf said, pleased that apparently I was more than what I seemed.
"You aren't a natural creature, are you?" Crusher said, completely ignoring Worf and not moving an inch. "Someone made you, didn't they?"
"I was born human," I said to Crusher, lowering my hoof. "I was changed into this a couple of weeks ago so that I could work in my job as an inter-dimensional courier. I'm not dangerous to anyone here, am I?" After all, it wasn't like Discord hadn't screwed up before with things about my transformation. It would be just my luck if something about my pony nature was dangerous to the Enterprise.
"No, you aren't dangerous to anyone," Crusher said, putting a hand on my shoulder and making me feel a lot happier, "But I would love to meet whoever designed your body, it's like the work of an insane genius." Crusher didn't know it, but she had pretty much just described Discord perfectly.
"Dr. Crusher, move away from the creature and I will escort him safely to the brig," Worf said. "The captain can meet him safely there."
"I don't believe you were listening, Mr. Worf," Crusher said, and her voice was as sharp as a scalpel. "Mr. Allens' physical form is unusual, even odd, but it is of no direct danger to the ship. Now, I suggest you follow the orders you were given. As Chief Medical Officer I'm giving him medical clearance to see the captain."
"Very well," Worf said, holstering his weapon and visibly disappointed he wasn't going to get to disintegrate me. "It is against my better judgement, but you and the captain are my superior officers."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Crusher said, getting up and motioning me into the lift car. "Let's go see the captain." I stepped in, closely followed by Worf, but not the rest of his security team, which he waved away.
"If you attempt any treachery," Worf warned me, still paranoid as ever, "it will be my great pleasure to stop you."
"Mr. Worf," I said, deciding to take the high road for the moment, "if I attempt anything I will deserve the end such an act of dishonor would give me." Worf's eyebrows climbed at that, matching the lift as it began to rise.
"For someone who was a human not very long ago, you certainly move very well as a quadruped," Crusher said, filling in the awkward silence of all elevators everywhere.
"Thank you, Doctor," I said, replying with a smile for the memories. "I had to spend a couple of weeks in rehab learning how to walk all over again."
"After you've made your delivery would you be able to come down to sickbay?" Crusher asked, and I could hear a touch of greed in her voice. "I'd love to get some detailed scans of your body."
"Why Doctor Crusher, I don't think I've ever been propositioned quite like that before," I said, smiling widely to show I was teasing. "But I'm afraid not. After I make my delivery here, I have to head back to the depot and fill out paperwork."
"Would it be alright if I take scans of you while you are here?" Crusher asked, and I nodded my assent as the lift slowed and came to a stop.
The doors opened and I stepped out automatically and froze, my wide eyes going even wider. There, laid out before me in all its glory, was the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D, complete with crew. Data, his golden eyes looking at and studying me. Riker, hovering over Data's shoulder, his bearded face splitting into a grin as my cute appearance worked its magic.
"Counselor," Riker said over his shoulder, to where I could see Troi sitting in her usual spot by the captain's chair. "What do you sense from our little guest?"
"Determination," Troi said, in her musical voice as I stood transfixed by the scene that a million Trekkies would have given their soul to be a part of. "That and a feeling of intense wonder and amazement." Riker's grin got even wider at that.
"The first look at the bridge of a starship can be a little overwhelming, can't it?" Riker asked, stepping around the console and coming over to me. "How about we take you to see the captain, hmm?"
In a daze of wonder I nodded and let Riker lead me up the sweeping ramp toward the doors at the back. My neck must have looked like it was on a swivel I was rubbernecking so hard while trying to see everything. He stopped at the top of the ramp, lifting an eyebrow at the little entourage of Worf guarding me while Crusher scanned the holy heck out of my body.
"Something wrong you two?" Riker asked lightly, but I could hear the serious undertone in his voice.
"I told Dr. Crusher she could scan me while I was here," I said, Riker's question having brought me back to reality, "and Mr. Worf is making sure I don't fart a quantum torpedo or something." Riker chuckled at that.
"You're being very accommodating," Riker said, as the door opened and he led the way into the conference room.
"Equestrian Postal Service, Commander," I said, following him in. "The mail must go... through." My voice trailed off as I beheld the man himself, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, sitting calmly at the far end of the table.
"Hello, Mr. Allens," Picard said, his voice warm with a note of cautious optimism. "I believe you said you had a package for me?"
"Um, yes sir," I said, starting forward and walking around the table until Picard raised a hand, stopping me in mid-stride.
"While I have no doubt as to the sincerity of your task," Picard said, still in that warm voice, "I have no recollection of requesting anything from an 'Equestria' or corresponding with anyone there. I'm not sure if I can accept a package which may, or may not truly be intended for me."
"I believe I may be of some assistance in this matter, Captain," Data's voice said from behind me, and everyone turned to look at the golden eyed android as he stood in the entrance.
"If you can shed some light on this matter Mr. Data, please do so," Picard said, tugging down his uniform top.
"Yes sir," Data said, moving to stand beside me. "After observing Mr. Allens' movements as he crossed the bridge, I did extensive scans of our image database in an attempt to find a match."
"The computer already attempted to determine his species and failed," Worf said, his face thoughtful. It looked a little weird on him.
"He told me that he is a transformed human," Crusher chimed in with, "and that he has only been a quadruped for around two weeks now."
"Indeed, Doctor," Data said, nodding. "It was exactly those clues which enabled me to determine what and where Mr. Allens is from."
"And that is, Mr. Data?" Picard asked. I was enjoying watching the back and forth too much to say anything.
"Mr Allens is a pony," Data said, cocking his head. "More precisely, he is a 'little pony' from the fourth generation of the show, 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.' Mr. Allens, is not a real creature--"
"Hey!" I protested. "I happen to be very real. I'm just not from around here."
"As I was saying, Mr. Allens is not a real creature from our reality," Data continued smoothly. "I postulate that we are not 'real' either, in terms of his reality. We are likely fictional characters to him, just as he is to us. This would explain how he knows who we are, for instance."
"So, should I accept the package he has for me or not?" Picard asked, clasping his hands together in front of him. "More importantly, does his presence indicate any sort of threat to the Enterprise?"
"I believe I can determine that by asking Mr. Allens a question," Data said, before turning to look at me. "Mr. Allens, is Discord currently friends with Fluttershy?"
"Definitely," I replied, almost instantly. "In fact, I'm pretty sure she wears the pants in that relationship."
"Wears the pants..." Data said, murmuring and looking off to the side with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"It means they are the one in charge," Riker said, grinning as he moved to take his own seat in the room.
"Oh, that is certainly an unusual idiom," Data said, in reply to Riker. "However, it does mean that Mr. Allens and his package are likely of no danger to us or the Enterprise. In the canon of 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" Discord is the only being who transforms others with any level of ill-intent, and then only until he is reformed by the character known as Fluttershy. If Mr. Allens is indeed from the time after that reformation, then there should be no difficulties with accepting delivery of the package."
"Very well then," Picard said, tilting his head toward me. "Mr. Allens of the Equestrian Postal Service, please give me my package."
"Yes sir," I replied, smiling as I walked the last few steps up to him. Opening up my saddlebags I removed the package I had travelled so far to deliver and passed it over to the captain, who accepted it gravely from me. It was about the size of a cereal box, wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with string. Picard turned the package over and over looking for some clue as to who had sent it.
"You have no idea who sent this?" Picard asked me, undoing the knots without snapping the string like most people would.
"No sir. Sign here please," I said, holding out the clipboard I had also kept in my saddlebags. "I do know that I was sent here because my boss figured this was a safe run for my first time out."
"Is that so?" Picard asked rhetorically, unwrapping the paper from the box after he signed off on the delivery, and as he did, a card fell away to land on the table. "Ah, this should provide some more answers." Picard picked up the card, reading what was on it, as he did his face became a stoney mask as all emotion drained away. Without a word he passed the card to Riker who had begun to look at his captain with concern.
"Red Alert," Riker called out, looking up after he had no more than glanced at the slip of cardstock in his hand, and the familiar red lights and klaxon of Starfleet's flagship getting ready for the worst made themselves manifest.
"What's wrong?" I asked, my ears flattening against my head in alarm. "What's on the card?" Riker slid the card over to me and I read the words on it out loud, "To 'Q,' care of Jean-Luc Picard." There was a sudden flash of light and I felt a new presence enter the room.
"Hello, Mon Capitan!" a merry voice that sounded just like Discord announced from behind me, and I turned around to face the omnipotent, the omniscient, the utterly scary, 'Q.'
"Hello Q, I suppose you're responsible for this?" Riker said, his voice holding equal parts dejection and anger as he gestured toward me.
"And who is this?" Q asked, smiling as he looked at me. "You're not one of mine, that's for certain."
"I'm just the delivery pony," I said, turning to go. "I'll just be on my way now."
"Not so fast, little pony," Q snapped his fingers and I was brought up short as a bridle materialized around my head with the reins in Picard's hand, of all people. "You're a horseman, Jean-Luc. You should know how to deal with him."
"He is a sentient being, and not a toy to be played with Q," Picard said, anger touching his voice as he pulled me close to him via the reins and his fingers started looking for the bridle buckles. "I'll have you free in a moment, Mr. Allens."
"Besides Q," Riker interjected, sliding the box over to the tall being. "He brought a package for you, specifically."
"He did?" Q asked, surprised. "Now why didn't I know that he'd done that? I'm omniscient after all." Q snapped his fingers again and the bridle disappeared, causing me to fall against Picard who caught me in reflex.
"Why don't you just take your package and go?" Picard said to Q, even as he steadied me. I looked up at Picard, catching his eye and nodding in thanks as I found my balance again.
"Let's see what's in it first," Q said, popping open the top of the box and exclaiming in delight as he saw the contents. "Peanut butter cookies. Oh, they smell heavenly. Picard, you simply must have one." Q held out the box over my head in front of Picard, who gravely accepted one and took a bite.
"These are rather good Q," Picard said, making a noise of appreciation at the flavour. "But who would send you cookies, particularly cookies that you had no idea about?"
"A good question Picard. Once again, you impress me more than your fellows," Q said, beaming like a professor to a particularly gifted student, before looking down at me and studying my uniform. "You're from Equestria?"
"Yes sir," I said, not wanting to annoy Q in the least.
"Ah, that explains it then," Q said, smiling. "Cousin Discord sent me some of Fluttershy's cookies. Oh, they are simply wonderful, you can just taste the magic of friendship in them." Q snapped his fingers again and suddenly everyone, myself included, had a cookie sticking out of their mouth. I have to say, the cookie wasn't just good, it was damn good.
"Discord is related to you?" Data asked, chewing on his cookie thoughtfully.
"In a way that you couldn't possibly comprehend, but yes," Q said. "He's currently semi-retired to our young courier's Equestria and we occasionally exchange gifts. Including the wonderful gift of the occasional surprise. You can't know what a treat that is to an omniscient being."
"Excuse me, sir," I heard my mouth say, apparently having not gotten the memo from the self-preservation part of my brain that was screaming that Q could wipe us out with a snap of his fingers. "Before I go, is there any chance I could get a group photo of everyone on the bridge? Maybe signed, with you in particular, sir?"
"I can see why Discord has employed you, little pony," Q said, leaning down and smiling at me. "Equal parts adaptation and audacity, with a firm dash of the sort of insanity that he favors. You've delivered to me a special gift, from a special friend. You will find what you seek and more on your return, but let me give you one word of advice before I send you on your way."
"Um, what's that?" I asked. My insides churned at the thought of getting a 'gift' from Q. I'd seen the show, and knew that Q's gifts could be impossibly incredible, and they could also be a double edged sword that cut you before you knew it.
"More changes are coming for you," Q said, his face turning serious. "Changes that you can't even imagine now, that will strain your miniscule mind to its limits and test you as hard as anything I've given Picard here. Run with them as best you can."
"Life is change," I said, looking right back at Q, "and I have four hooves to run with now."
"So you do," Q said, his voice quiet but then rising back up to its normal volume. "I've taken the liberty of putting a return gift in your bags for cousin Discord. See that he gets it."
Q snapped his fingers again and a flash of light enveloped me. Spots filled my vision and I blinked furiously to clear my eyes. When my eyes had refocused I saw that the Enterprise was gone and I was once again floating mid-dimension. A growing speck in the distance soon resolved itself into Derpy winging her way towards me.
"James!" Derpy called out as soon as she was within earshot. "How did it go?"
"Good, I think," I said, starting to move my hooves to stabilize myself and re-establish my pathway back to Equestria. "I'll tell you and Discord all about it, but let's get home first." |
Mail Troubles | April First | "That was completely awesome," I burst out as I set hoof back in the depot, and was instantly hugged by Derpy who came through the portal about two seconds behind me.
"You did great, James," Derpy said, bouncing up and down as she hugged me, then letting go as she saw our boss approaching. "Oh, hello Discord."
"I take it things went well?" Discord asked, stepping close and carrying another pair of saddle bags over his shoulders.
"A few bumps," I said, resolving to be honest. "Nothing I wasn't able to handle."
"Good, because I need you to go back out again," Discord said, and my saddlebags unstrapped themselves and floated over to him. The pair he already had with him floated over to me and wrapped themselves around my barrel.
"Not that I really mind heading out again boss," I said, pausing to breathe as the straps were cinched down. "But why so quickly? I thought you would want me to do some paperwork, talk about what I did, how to improve, that sort of thing."
"Normally yes," Discord said, and his usual smile became wider and wider. "But things change when you get a Royal Commission." Discord moved aside to reveal the dark blue of Princess Luna, to whom I owed some very special debts.
"Princess," I said, dropping to my fore knees in a bow. Most of the time my mouth tends to have a full clip of snark with a side load of wise-ass, but I'd seen the Princess of the Night in her element with her power wrapped around her like a cloak. She could be one scary mare when she wanted to be, and I'd made myself a promise from that point on to do my level best to stay on her good side.
"Rise, my young stallion," Luna said, looking down imperiously at me before her muzzle split into a grin and moving her cold expression to one both warm and welcoming. "It is good to see thee coming into thine own."
"Um, Thanks... Princess? Matriarch? Mistress? Mother?" I asked. I still really wasn't certain what the relationship between me and the Mare of the Moon was. Sometimes she was wise and motherly, other times she seemed really flirty, and a few times she'd made me want to curl into a ball and cower at her hooves.
"Oh James," Luna laughed, cupping a hoof under my chin and raising my eyes to meet hers. "I can see the questions you have. Thou art many things, my young stallion, but guarded in your feelings is not one of them. To you, I am all these things you have said, and none of them. As ever changing as the Moon I am, for it is my element. Use whichever term comes most easily to thy lips and as long as thou art sincere, I shall take no offense."
"Okay, thank you... Princess, " I said, standing before Luna. "So, my question still stands. Why do I need to head back out so soon?"
"As Discord has said, there are certain balances in the universe that must be maintained," Luna said, still smiling although her eyes had become serious now. "I have foreseen that one of those balances is one that must come here, to Equestria. As opposed to the ones you will take to other worlds."
"Following you so far," I said, opening the new saddlebags to have a look inside. There were two parcels. One was a short cylinder of a box marked "Sugar Cube Corner," and the other was a round bundle that was unmarked except for the name of the intended receiver. One "Sonata Dusk," to be precise.
"The packages you have are only the pretense for your travels, although they will be important to the recipients," Luna said, her face being wholly serious now. "You are to accept any return messages you are offered however, for there shall be one of critical import."
"Understood, Princess," I said, sketching a salute. "I won't let you down."
"We know that thou will seek to do thine utmost to fulfill our command," Luna said, giving me a nuzzle that caused me to quiver all the way down to the tip of my tail. "Now, stretch out thy right fore-hoof to Us, that We may grant thee a boon."
That got my attention right quick. Luna doesn't always use the old timey talk, but it leaks in enough to notice. The only time she goes full old-school is when she is getting all formal about something. So, I ducked my head, stepped back a pace and held out my hoof like I'd been told to. She clopped her hoof to mine, there was a flash of sparks as our shoes made contact, and my whole leg tingled.
"What just happened?" I asked, lowering my still tingling leg.
"We have granted thee, our stallion, with the boon of direction," Luna said, still using her formal voice. "In lay terms we have ensorcelled the shoe upon thy hoof, so that it now bears a spell which will unerringly direct thee to your destination. Merely concentrate on to whom you need to reach and the spell will guide thee."
"Wow, thanks!" I exclaimed, twisting my hoof so I could look at the shoe that was fused to it. "This is going to make things way easier."
"Hey!" Discord protested, curling around Luna's torso to look over her shoulder at my hoof as well. "I was going to do that for him a couple of trips from now."
"I am sure you would have, Discord," Luna said, and I could tell she was a little annoyed with being used as a ladder. "But I have chosen to give that tool to my stallion now. I'm sure he will use it... wisely." Luna looked right at me as she said that, lifting one delicate ebon eyebrow, and I swore she was looking at me with a Natalie Dormer level smirk.
"Excuse me, Princess Luna," Derpy said, stepping in between me and Luna. "We need to talk, you and I."
"Uh oh," Discord said, rapidly unwinding himself from Luna and pulling me aside. "Come along, James. We really need to get you going."
"What is it that you feel the need to discuss, my little pony?" Luna asked, tilting her head as her ears swiveled forwards toward the grey furred pegasus.
"Something mare to mare," Derpy said, with a hint of the steel in her voice I hadn't heard since the day back in the alley, "and not pony to princess."
"This really seems like something I should be here for," I said, as Discord bodily lifted me up and carried me towards the exit portal. This time it was shaped like one of those things they put statues on top of.
"No, you shouldn't, James," Discord said, quickly double checking my bags for me. "Even I'm not crazy enough to get between two mares who are arguing."
"What are your intentions toward my coltfriend?" Derpy demanded, and Discord threw me at, and through the portal.
"What in the holy hell was that all about?" I asked myself out loud, a moment later between dimensions as I brought myself under control. Discord's head, just his head, popped into existence beside me a moment later.
"Take your time on this one, James," Discord's head said. "I'll try to keep things--"
"How dare you attempt to infringe upon Our rights!" Luna exclaimed in the background, cutting off Discord, who cringed visibly.
"I've got dibs!" I heard Derpy yell right back. "I've shed blood for him!"
"I'll try to keep things from getting explosive," Discord said, his head fading away. "Make sure you pick up any return letters..."
I lost orientation for a bit as I tried to wrap my head around what had just happened. Were Luna and Derpy fighting over me? There was just no way that could be it. I mean Derpy was awesome and a great friend, but that's all we were, friends. As for Luna, she was a freaking princess, and not just a different species but a different pony species to boot. There was no way, no way at all, that either of them could be interested in me in that way. Then, I thought back to all those quiet intimate moments me and Derpy had spent together, the hours lying in adjoining hospital beds talking about whatever came into our heads. We knew each other better than some husbands and wives did.
I thought about Luna, and her soft touches, the gentle nuzzles that sent chills down my spine. Her adoption of me into her herd, the continual referring to me as "her stallion," how she had marked me as one of her own to protect me, and most of all I remembered the time she had brought me to a peak of pleasure so hard it had been agony. I felt something inside of me thrum with a need to feel that painful pleasure again.
"Crap," I said out loud again, realizing that Luna, Derpy and I were going to need to have a long talk when I got back. However, floating through inter-dimensional space was neither the time or the place to dwell on things. Personal stuff was for personal time and it was time for work. So, once again, I mentally pictured myself as the Flash running through space toward the mounting block of a statue, and in what seemed no time at all I was bursting through the portal to another rough and bouncing landing in bright sunshine.
"Whoa nelly!" I heard a voice nearby exclaim. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the light again and looked up at an athletic long haired blond woman looking down at me.
"Oh, is he alright?" said a gentle voice to one side, and another young woman, looking a bit younger than me, gazed down with long pink hair framing her face making me realize I was lying on my back and looking up at the sky.
I groaned in pain as various body aches reminded me that rocks weren't soft, and I'd rolled ass over teakettle along the ground after my emergence from the portal. The girls leaning over me didn't seem hostile and I closed my eyes recognizing the soft touches the pink haired girl was using, as the same Nurse Redheart had used when she had checked me for injuries. My eyes shot back open however, when I felt something looped around my collar and snugged tight.
"No need to fright now, critter," the blond haired one said, stroking my mane with one hand while holding the leash she had attached to me with the other. "Sometimes hurt critters will run 'cause they're scared. You check him out, Fluttershy, I'll make sure he doesn't go nowhere."
"Thank you for your concern," I said, taking a bit of pleasure in their shocked expressions, "but I'm fine. Just had the breath knocked out of me for a bit there."
"You talk?" the pink haired one said, whose name I gathered was Fluttershy, just like Discord's wife. "Like Princess Twilight's dog Spike?"
"I don't know any Spike," I said, rolling to my stomach. "But I have met Princess Twilight. Do you mind taking off the leash, Ma'am?"
"Oh," said the blond woman, looking a little embarrassed, and her fingers worked at my neck as she loosened and removed the improvised leash she'd put on me. "Sorry about that."
"No harm done," I said, getting to my hooves and brushing off my uniform. "You meant well and if I was hurt you and your friend could have made the difference for me." Both the young women smiled at that, the pink haired one actually blushing at the compliment.
"So, what can we do you for? Name's Applejack, by the way," Applejack said, holding out a hand.
"I'm making a couple of deliveries for the Equestrian Postal Service," I said, putting my hoof in Applejack's hand and giving a shake. "Can either of you direct me to the home of a Pinkamena Diane Pie?"
"Pinkie?" Applejack said, tipping her hat back. "Ya, her place is down that ways about ten blocks, take a right, go about three blocks and look for the house with the big rock garden out front."
"Okay, thanks," I said, nodding in gratitude. I did have the direction spell on my shoe but I didn't want to start relying on it until I had to, as Luna hadn't mentioned if it had a duration or not, plus asking directions seemed like the sort of thing I should do.
"You want a lift?" Applejack asked, hooking a thumb over to a beat up looking pickup truck nearby. "It's no trouble."
"Nah, I'm good," I said, smiling my thanks for the offer. "I'd better get going though."
"You sure you wouldn't like a drink at least?" Fluttershy asked, peeking out from her hair. "I've got some compressed alfalfa pellets too, if you're hungry."
"A drink would be nice, thank you," I said, unable to resist giving her something to do for me.
Fluttershy smiled beatifically, and pulled a water bottle out of a well stuffed backpack, which she proceeded to open and hold up to my mouth. I sucked back about half the bottle and nodded my thanks.
"Appreciated, ladies," I said, letting both of them run their hands over my mane for a bit. They were both cute, kind and who was I to tell pretty girls they couldn't run their hands over me while commenting on how soft my fur was? "If I'm back this way, I'll take you up on that snack."
"Take care, pardner," Applejack said. "You ever need a place to bed down you just come my way. Any friend of Princess Twilight's is a friend of ours."
"Thanks," I said, heading off at a walk, before switching to my trot. It wasn't a bad idea, having a place to rest out in the field. The actual Pony Express had way stations along the routes, places where riders and horses could eat, drink and rest up a bit. Maybe Discord would be open to similar for our version.
I moved along down the streets at a good clip. Long Strides had certainly been right about how well a trot ate up terrain and I was closing in on my destination within minutes. To my surprise I hadn't really gained much attention as I headed toward my first drop off. Certainly the people, and the beings here did look like people, were of a huge variety of colours and shapes. It might explain why a brown furred pony wearing a uniform and carrying saddlebags while trotting through town wasn't causing more of a furor.
I mentally shrugged off trying to figure out why people here weren't freaking out about me. Princess Twilight had obviously been here, so maybe people were just used to seeing ponies. My thoughts cut off as I turned the corner and saw one of the most incredible rock gardens I'd ever seen.
When people think of rock gardens they think of round gray shapes in pleasing patterns. Maybe some moss here and there, perhaps a burbling little stream. At least, that's how I thought of what a rock garden looked like. This rock garden covered the entire front yard of the house, and was set up with patterns of colour and crystal. Sunlight gleamed as it was coloured and reflected toward a large, oval shaped boulder in the center that seemed to hold the whole thing together.
I wasn't sure what the composition of that massive stone was, but I could see that small openings had been opened up for reflected light to enter and newly coloured light leave to spray patterns against the house and back out into the rock garden itself. The whole thing was a web of coloured sunlight that must have taken a genius level geologist or rockhound to create. Keeping my mind focused though, I walked up to a side door of the house and rang the doorbell.
"Hello?" the young woman who opened the door said. She looked back and forth above my head before looking down and seeing me.
"Hello there," I said, smiling a professional smile. "Equestrian Postal Service--"
"Oh god," the woman said, hiding her yellow and red haired face in her hands. "This is it, isn't it? My official notice of exile from Equestria."
"What?" I asked, surprised at the woman's response. "Um, is your name Pinkamena Diane Pie?"
"Wait," the woman said, looking back up. "You don't have anything for me? Sunset Shimmer?"
"No Ma'am," I said, opening my saddlebags to pull out what I was pretty sure was a cake. "This is addressed to a 'Pinkamena Diane Pie,' is she at this address?"
"Sugarcube Corner," Sunset said, reading the top of the box in a hushed tone before giving herself a shake. "Yes, Pinkie lives here. I can sign for the package."
"Excellent," I said, as I hoofed over the box, and I noted that this Sunset person was taking pains to make sure she never actually touched me. She signed my clipboard and put the cake down before turning back to me.
"Do you have any spare time?" Sunset asked, twirling some of her hair in her fingers. "I'd like to send a letter back to Equestria, if that's okay?
"Actually, Ma'am," I said, as I tucked my clipboard back into my saddlebags, "you're in luck. I'm actually under orders to pick up any return mail that anyone might have. I can afford to wait for a bit."
"Oh, good," Shimmer said, and I could see she was a little nervous. "I'll try to make this quick. You want to come in for a minute while I write?"
"Sure," I said, stepping into what was clearly a bottom floor apartment that was very sparsely furnished.
"I'd offer you a place to sit, but I really don't have much in the way of furniture yet," Sunset said, putting my delivery onto a kitchen island and grabbing paper and pen from a nearby backpack. "Anything I can get you while you wait?"
"I'm good, Ma'am," I said, keeping up my professional demeanor. "I can just sit on the floor. One of the benefits of being a pony as opposed to a human."
"You're not a pony?" Sunset asked, and I could hear the scratching sounds of pen on paper as she started to write.
"I'm a pony now," I said, tucking my hooves underneath me in a comfortable resting position. "I was a human, until I answered an ad that's taking me a little further afield than I ever expected."
"That sort of thing will happen when you mess with magic," Sunset said, writing quickly enough that she was already reaching toward a second sheet of paper. "I know I had a bit of a transition problem when I came here from Equestria. You have any family here you would like me to let know how you're doing?"
"Thanks for the offer," I said, smiling at the kind gesture, "but this is actually not my home dimension. It's a nice one, but my home is a lot plainer and rougher than this place."
"You have anyone back home missing you?" Sunset asked, after a few minutes had gone by. She'd lit a candle at some point and was using the melted wax as an old fashioned seal on three rolled up cylinders of paper she had made. Her letters, I assumed.
"Just my parents," I said, getting up and walking over to her. "But I don't live at home and they won't start worrying about me for a bit. I should be back for a visit before that happens."
"Okay," Sunset said, holding out her three letters. "One is for Princess Celestia, the other is for Princess Twilight and the third is for Starlight Glimmer." I held open the bag her package had come in and she obligingly dropped the letters in.
"Thank you very much, Ma'am," I said, buckling the flap closed on the bag. "I'm heading back to Equestria after I make my next delivery."
"When do you think you will be back this way?" she asked, walking me to the door.
"To be honest, I have no idea," I said, and I saw her face fall a bit at that. "I'm sorry. We just started doing this and I have no idea if we'll be doing regular runs or what."
"Okay," Sunset said, nodding as she held the door open for me. "Well, I'm glad I had at least this opportunity to write home. If you do wind up coming back, swing by and I'll probably have something else to write."
"No problem," I said, stepping back out into what felt like early afternoon sunshine. "Have a good day."
"You too," Sunset said, and closed the door behind me.
I walked out past that incredible rock garden again and headed out into the street before stopping cold. Where the hell was I going? Circumstance had led me to my first delivery but how was I going to find my second? I was in a strange world, knowing no one and nobody. Well, that wasn't quite true. Applejack had offered me a place to stay, but like a typical male I hadn't asked where her place was. I kicked at a stray rock in frustration and the clang of my shoe against stone triggered something I should have remembered.
"James, you can be such an idiot sometimes," I said under my breath as I dug out my clipboard to read the name of the second delivery on my list.
"Sonata Dusk," I read out loud, concentrating on the name like Luna had said to. "Sonata Dusk. C'mon magic, help me find Sonata Dusk."
I must have been doing it right, because a moment later I felt a tugging on my right fore-hoof. Holding my leg out I waved the hoof around like an idiot with a toy radar dish. I must have looked stupid as hell but the tugging sensation got stronger when my hoof was aimed in a certain direction, so I guess stupid is as stupid does. Direction obtained, I headed off at a brisk trot.
This time I was on the trot for quite awhile and every few blocks I stopped again to get a bearing on my destination, slowing me down even more. Thankfully, my hoof led me in a consistent path into a commercial area of town and I started getting a lot more looks and stares. At one point I even had a cop jump in front of me and go, "Stop" in a loud voice.
"Hello," I said, thinking fast and speaking in a neutral voice as I came to a stop. "I am an autonomous drone on a field test in self-navigation. Please do not interfere in the test unless it is an emergency." I then stepped around the cop and continued down the street.
"Those kids over at Canterlot University sure take that horse mascot thing of theirs seriously," I heard the cop say behind me. "All units, be advised. Calls regarding an unattended pony heading into the TimTam district of town should be directed to Canterlot U. Seems the kids are testing some kinda..." Whatever else the officer had to say faded out into the bustle of street sounds as I continued on my way, being careful to keep my movements as even as possible.
At long last I found myself in a commercial area of town that wasn't quite upscale, and wasn't quite run down either. Sort of an in-between, although the numerous gun and pawn shops gave me that wary feeling I'd felt before back home, when visiting East Side Pawn's neighborhood. No one seemed to be looking right at me but I could feel more than a couple of appraising looks sizing me up. So, it was with some relief when the guide spell Luna had put on my hoof zeroed me in on a particular storefront.
"Canterlot Crops" read the sign over the door, and I made my way inside. As soon as I walked in the door I started getting nervous all over again. It was a sex shop, complete with racks and stacks of magazines, and a huge variety of things I'd only heard of, existing proudly displayed on the walls. This was truly a wretched hive of scum and villainy, I must be cautious.
"Can I help you?" said a pleasant female voice from over behind the counter. I peered around a stack of papers with mainly naked people on lurid, over top titles to see a slim, very pale woman looking down at me.
"Hi there," I said, waving a hoof. "I know this might be a bit of a shock, but--"
"But you're from Equestria, and you've come to find me," the woman interrupted, the hair of her blue on blue ponytail bobbing up and down. She was super pretty, with a slim, well-shaped body with none of the attitude I would have expected from someone who worked in a shop like this.
"Yeah, how did you know?" I asked, approaching the counter. "That is, if your name is Sonata Dusk. If so, I've got a package for you."
"A package, for me, from Equestria?" the woman asked. "Yah, my name is Sonata Dusk. You know, this is pretty lucky, I've written a letter I've been wanting to send back for awhile now. Can you take letters back?"
"Sure can," I said, digging out my clipboard and the package for her. "Sign here please."
"Okay," Sonata said, taking the oblong package from me and signing my clipboard. "How long can you wait."
"I'm pretty much open ended for time," I told Sonata. "They told me to take as much time as I needed. I can likely stick around for an hour."
The woman nodded as she began to rip open the package with a distinct lack of the style Captain Picard had shown when he'd opened the package I'd delivered to him. Wrapping was removed to reveal a bundle rolled up in what looked like black silk with a folded sheet of paper on it. Sonata paused in her cellulose slaughter and picked up the sheet of heavy, cream coloured paper. As she unfolded the parchment I caught a glimpse of elegant calligraphy written on it.
"To Sonata Dusk," Sonata read aloud. "I am given to understand from a pony I trust, that you have taken up with my counterpart in your world, and that she has forgiven your past history. In that spirit, this package contains a gift for you which my counterpart should appreciate in the event we happen to share the same proclivities. Wear it in good health. Signed, Rarity of Ponyville, Canterlot and Manehatten. Postscript, if I learn that you have gone back to your evil ways and caused harm to my counterpart, Tartarus will not be deep enough to hide you from my wrath."
"Well, that seemed a little direct," I said, torn between seeing what was in the package and stepping back from someone who had "evil ways."
"I wonder what she... oh," Sonata said, unraveling the sheet of black silk to reveal a mass of slithering straps highlighted by the gleaming chrome of buckles and other hardware.
"What the heck is it?" I asked, drawing close in spite of myself. The whatever it was smelled of fresh new leather and there was a small box with it as well.
"It's a bridle," Sonata said, and I could hear the wonder in her voice. "It's a bridle, but one made for a human."
She held up the thing for me to look at, pale rose red, leather straps were joined together in a web that I could tell was meant to wrap around Sonata's head. Each place where the straps joined there was a small silver seashell highlighting the spot, and along one of the broad straps there was a name embroidered in light blue thread.
"Twilight Serenade," I read. I didn't know jack about fetish gear, but even I could tell that the quality and manufacture of the bridle was the work of a master craftspony.
"I need to put this on," Sonata said, coming around the counter. "I really need to know how this feels on me." She strode over to the door and locked it, putting a sign on the door that said, "Back in 30 Minutes." Sonata drew the front window blinds before heading back to me and the counter.
"What about your letter?" I asked, curiosity and other interests overriding what little good sense I had.
"Oh, I've had that ready to go for awhile now," Sonata said, sitting down cross-legged beside me on the floor. "Put this on me, okay?"
"Uh," I said, as my IQ began to drop for some reason. "You sure?"
"I can't do this myself," Sonata said, turning so her back was to me. "You're a pony, you're here and I need your help on this. Please?" Well, that pretty much was the end of my arguing, as I really never could say "No" anytime a woman asked for help. I'm kind of hardwired that way, so against my better judgement I grabbed the bridle and started doing my best to buckle it around Sonata's head.
Sonata helped me as best she could, but I quickly saw what she meant by needing someone to put the bridle on her. It took us awhile to do it, but between hooves and hands we slowly got the thing in place, and her hair out of the way, except for the broad strap that went around her forehead that kept coming loose.
"You need to really cinch that one tight," Sonata said, shaking her head, which was now elegantly framed by the mass of straps. "Reach up and have at it, I'll tell you if it's too much."
"If you're sure," I said, and I reached up, leaning my torso against her back so I could stretch out my length and grab the end of the problem strap.
"Uhn," Sonata moaned, while I pulled the bridle as tight as I dared. As I slipped the tongue of the buckle into a waiting grommet to secure it, Sonata suddenly bent forward and went on all fours. I tried to let go, but a lower strap on the bridle caught the underside of one of my horseshoes and made me part of the whole thing. Unable to get free, I was pulled forward as well, and was suddenly very conscious of the woman's shapely rear pressing directly into my crotch. My body, thanks to Discord's collar on me and absolutely no other reason, began to react appropriately, much to my embarrassment.
"Oh ya," Sonata said, her voice going husky as her head was pulled back by my weight drawing back on the bridle strap. "That's it. Breed--"
"Just what exactly is going on here?" asked a male voice from the entranceway that was filled with equal parts amusement and concern.
There was a man, standing in the doorway. Not a Redman, like you would read of as an old way to describe Native Americans, but a literal red man. His skin was a pale red, which contrasted well with the black slacks and tight white shirt he wore, but clashed terribly with his blue hair that was a match for Sonata's. Sonata, who was still rocking back and forth with me dangling from her in more ways than one.
"Um, little help please?" I asked, and I could feel the heat coming from my cheeks.
"Sonata, you need to stop," the man said, in a gentle voice as he walked up and I could see his eyes focus on my trapped hoof. "Sonata, your partner didn't consent to this. You need to stop."
"Don't wanna," Sonata said, her voice sounding like she wasn't in the room with me and the other guy anymore. "Feels too good, he feels good." My stupid body reacted a bit more to that. I tried to control it, but stuck as I was, I was along for Sonata's ride, whether I wanted to be or not.
"Sorry," I whimpered, my embarrassment growing and I turned my head away.
"Sonata, stop," the man said, and his voice became firm. "You're raping him."
"What?" Sonata exclaimed, and froze as the man's words finally penetrated Sonata's lust hazed mind like a thunderbolt. "Oh no, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to." Sonata started to get up, dragging me with her, but the man firmly put his hand on her shoulder and held her in place.
"Just stay there, Sonata," the man said, nodding in understanding. "Your partner is caught up in that nice bridle you've got on, and he can't get loose."
"Nice save," I said, feeling myself begin to calm down and more worried about Sonata than myself.
"Glad I was here to make it," the man said, as he got my shoe disconnected from the bridle. "Name's Spicy Hot, and you are?"
"James Allens," I said, working my stretched shoulder a bit. "Equestrian Postal Ser--" The rest of my sentence was cut off as Sonata lunged over and hugged me to her.
"I'm sorry," she cried, sniffling into my shoulder. "I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to! I'm just a terrible person and I keep trying to be good and I just keep messing it up."
"Hey, it's okay," I said, hugging her back. "Nothing major happened and it was an accident. I forgive you, okay?" "
"You sure?" Sonata said, still holding me to her. "I mean, really?"
"I'm sure," I said, reassuring her. "It was an accident and to be honest, I should have known better."
"You shouldn't have had to know better," Spicy said, and I could tell he was both relieved and a little angry. "Sonata, you've made a mistake today. A pretty big one."
"I know," Sonata said, her eyes downcast as she released me to sit kneeling on the floor.
"Where did you get that bridle from anyway?" Spicy asked, and I could see his own anger giving way to curiosity.
"It was a delivery for her," I said, piping up. "That's why I'm here. Delivery run."
"So, this is what happens to people when they finish turning into ponies, eh?" Spicy said, looking at me speculatively.
"Pretty much," I replied, and I put a hoof on Sonata's shoulder. "Don't be too hard on her, okay. It was a straight up mistake."
"Maybe," Spicy said, standing up to look down at me and Sonata. "But there do need to be some consequences. Oh, this has possibilities." He reached over top of me and Sonata to grab a couple of things that had been left on the counter.
"What are you going to do?" Sonata asked, looking up at Spicy. "Whatever it is, I'll take it. I messed up and I deserve it."
"I'm not your master, Sonata," Spicy said, his mouth quirking into a smile that looked good on him. "Your actual punishment will be at the hands of Rarity, but I think I can do something in the meantime. Close your eyes."
Sonata did as she was told, kneeling at Spicy's feet and I saw in his hand the small box that had come with the bridle. As he opened it I saw the gleam of metal as he reached in and began attaching silvery items to the piece of gear with several small clicks, which made Sonata gasp. After a minute he stepped back from her and I could see that the metal items were in fact several shell shaped locks which were now fastened in place, locking the bridle onto Sonata. She reached up and touched the locks for a moment, before a shy smile came to her face.
"This is more of a reward than a punishment," Sonata said, smiling happily.
"I know that," Spicy said, his own smile becoming wide now. "The keys stay with me until Rarity gets here and I have no doubt she actually will have a punishment for you. Now, as for you, my finely built pony. Are you okay?'
"I think so," I said, flexing my hips to make sure everything was back where it was supposed to be. "Sonata here says she has a letter for me to take back."
"She does, does she?" Spicy asked rhetorically, and he grabbed another item off the counter. With a couple of quick motions he clipped a set of reins to the bridle, dropping them so they lay against Sonata's back. "Go get your letter, Sonata. We don't want to keep this young man any longer than we have to."
"Yes sir," Sonata said, and in spite of myself my gaze locked itself to the butt that had been up against me a couple of minutes ago. "I'll be right back." As Sonata headed behind the counter and away to whatever was in the back areas of the store, Spicy turned and looked at me, quirking his eyebrow and smiling as he noticed I'd begun to "show' a bit again.
"Young man, eh?" Spicy asked, to which I nodded. "Never been in a store like this?"
"No sir," I said, shaking my head and taking a deep breath to bring myself back into control. "It's a little intimidating to be honest."
"Nothing to be scared of," Spicy said, looking around. "Everything here is for the purpose of making people feel good. Either by themselves or with a willing partner."
"Even stuff like that?" I asked, pointing to a wall nearly covered in various bits of bondage gear.
"Especially stuff like that," Spicy said. "I noticed your reactions to Sonata, and I should let you know that she's just gotten into a relationship. You know, considering you're wearing a collar yourself I'm surprised you don't know more about bondage gear."
"It's not for bondage," I said, feeling my cheeks heat a bit again. "It's a magic item, that's all. But it's got the side effect of making it hard for me to not react to female company when they're around."
"You with anyone right now?" Spicy asked, his voice becoming concerned for me.
"I'm not sure," I said, thinking back to the mayhem I had left behind at the depot. "There are a couple of mares I know. I owe both of them a lot, and they're both good friends to me, but I think they might want something more."
"Are you able to give them more?" he asked, and I got the feeling I wasn't the first person or pony he'd talked about sex with.
"To be honest," I said, clearing my head. "I don't know. Maybe? I'm just starting to wrap my head around the idea that not one, but two mares might actually want me."
"A good answer," Spicy said, nodding his head to me. "And an honest one. It sounds to me that one way or the other you might be in a physical relationship soon. You ever had one before?"
"Yes!" I exclaimed, sputtering. "I've been with girls before. Lots of times."
"Be honest with me, son," Spicy said, his smile an understanding one. "How many have you been with, and do you know if you're gay, straight, or whatever it is you prefer?"
"Two," I said, in a small voice, "and I'm straight, but I'm trying to not be narrow about it."
"Even better," Spicy Hot said, clasping me on the shoulder. "Tell you what. In thanks for being so understanding about what happened with Sonata, go ahead and pick yourself something from the store. On the house, just tell your mares where you got it from. That's all I'll ask in payment." I looked around at the bewildering variety of items on display.
"I wouldn't even know where to start," I said, trying to puzzle out what some of the things I could see were for.
"Tell you what, my young pony friend," Spicy Hot said, and his smile became something wide and pleased. "Would you be willing to trust me to put together something of a surprise goodie bag for you?"
"You know," I said, standing up and smiling back. "You got me out of what could have been a bad situation, go for it."
"You won't regret it," Spicy said, and grabbed up an opaque plastic shopping bag. "Now don't look, or there won't be much of a surprise." I turned my back, listening to Spicy Hot hum to himself as he went along his shelves. As I waited, I could hear him say things like "Oh, this is nice" and "He will definitely need some of this," and once he gave a throaty chuckle that almost made me turn around. He was still at it when Sonata came back out, the locks on her bridle making chiming sounds as they swung back and forth.
"Here you are," she said, handing me a very thick envelope that was labelled "My Confession and Apology to Equestria."
"Sonata," Spicy Hot called from where he was. "Can you grab me one of the 'Treasure Chests' from the rack."
"Sure thing, boss," Sonata said, stepping past me. "Who is it for?"
"Our young courier here," Spicy said, from behind me. "Turns out he could use a few things." I heard Sonata gasp as something rattled off the shelves.
"Are you sure he could handle one of those?" she asked Spicy. "I mean it's nice, but wow."
"That will be up to either of his mares," Spicy Hot said, and I heard something close with a distinct snap.
"Either?' Sonata asked, a bit of a giggle in her voice. "Oh that poor lucky stallion."
"You can turn around now," Spicy Hot said to me. "Your package is ready." I turned to see him holding a small wooden chest that was about eight to ten inches a side and about six deep. As he handed the box to me I could see it had a small lock on it.
"This is too much," I said, protesting as I heard several items in the box slide round. "I mean a couple of things would be nice, but this is over the top."
"Ah ah," Spicy Hot said, waving a finger at me. "Your understanding and forgiveness to Sonata earned you that and more. Plus, there are a ton of business cards for the shop in there as well. Your 'Equestria' could be an entirely new untapped market for me, so I can write it all off as advertising expenses."
"Wow, thanks," I said, knowing there was no way I could give the chest back as I stowed it in my saddlebag. "Well, guess I better get going."
"Safe travels pony," Spicy said, shaking my hoof.
"Tell the Princesses that at least one of the Sirens is sorry for her past," Sonata said, kissing me on the forehead. "May your hooves always find the way home."
"Until we meet again," I said in farewell, and touching the medallion on my collar, I thought of Equestria and summoned the portal home. |
Mail Troubles | Agreement | It was with more than a little apprehension that I crossed back through the portal and into the depot. Looking around, things were surprisingly calm. No smashed desks, no blood, no feathers, not even a single pony shaped hole smashed through a wall anywhere. There was nothing at all to indicate that I had left a growing shitstorm of epic proportions behind me. Which is when I realized that there was absolutely no one else in the departure area either.
"Hello," I called into the empty area, and my voice echoed off of the walls. "Anypony here?"
"Oh James," Discord said, his head popping out of one of the side offices. "Do you mind coming in here for a moment."
"Sure thing, Discord," I said, stepping into the side office. "Things seem... peaceful."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Discord said, sitting on the ceiling and looking down at me. "Also, thank you for the present from cousin Q."
"Oh, sorry about that, Chief," I said, grabbing a cup of coffee. "You spun me around so fast after I got back that it went completely out of my mind."
"Oh, I completely understand," Discord said, nibbling what appeared to be another of Fluttershy's awesome cookies. "Q put a few very nice presents for both of us in your bag."
"Ya, about that," I said, and I noted that both of us were tap dancing around the elephant in the room. "What is the office policy on gifts outside of delivery items?"
"As long as it's something that's truly freely given, it's all yours," Discord said, pulling the saddlebags I'd worn on my first run out of thin air. "Ah, here you go." Discord handed me a photo of the Enterprise's bridge crew, at their stations. On the back was an autograph from each person on the photo, but not that of the actors who played the parts I was familiar with. Rather the signatures were those of the actual Captain Picard and the others I'd met.
"Awesome," I said, smiling appreciatively. "What did Q give you?"
"A spell matrix," Discord said, harrumphing a little. "He gave me a spell matrix that I should be able to use to make you a new, better collar with. Oh, and this is yours too." Discord reached into the bag, pulled out a large bundle and tossed it to me. Parts of it clinked as I caught it.
"What is it?" I asked, even as my mind noted it's similarity to the package I had delivered to Sonata.
"I didn't open it," Discord said, pouring himself a cup of coffee as well. "In fact, there was a note on it saying that you shouldn't open it either until you are with someone you care about."
"Really," I said, cocking an eyebrow. We just sat there for a minute or two, me sipping my coffee, Discord sipping at his coffee cup and not the contents. The silence kept stretching out longer and longer and finally I couldn't take it anymore.
"Okay, dammit," I said, and my voice sounded hard, even to me. "What in Tartarus happened between Luna and Derpy?" It was a good thing that question rocked Discord back a bit, because it meant he didn't notice how surprised I was at my choice of words as well. When did I start using the phrase "What in Tartarus" instead of "What the hell?" Discord's reply though shifted that topic to the back burner though.
"Things got a little heated between them," Discord said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But I finally managed to calm them down by telling them that they really shouldn't make any decisions about you unless you're there."
"Didn't I say that I wanted to be here for that?" I asked, and I tried to control my voice even as I felt my anger rise. "I wanted to be here but you shoved me back out the door at pronto speeds. Where are they now?"
"Back at Derpy's place," Discord said, flinching a bit away from me. "They said they would talk and wait until you got back."
"Why didn't you tell me that in the first place instead of keeping me here?" I asked, putting down my now empty coffee cup and shoving Q's package in beside Spicy's box in my saddlebags. "I need to get going."
"James, I got you out of a volatile situation. Luna and Derpy were able to calm down because you weren't there to argue over," Discord said, holding up a paw to stop me for a moment. "They're now at Derpy's home where there is a small filly. Both of them are going to be strongly motivated to stay civil to each other."
"You're right," I said, deflating and letting my shoulders slump. "Sorry about the attitude. What do you think I should do?"
"Go there, and talk to them," Discord said, tossing the coffee from the now drained cup into the trash. "Be honest with your feelings, and remember you're in a position most stallions would kill to be in."
"I'm not most stallions," I said to Discord, as I put a hoof on the doorknob. "That's why you hired me, after all."
"True enough," Discord said, a small chuckle coming from him. "Just try not to hurt their feelings. I need both of their goodwill as much as I need you."
I nodded and pelted out the door and the building as fast as my hooves would carry me, into the late afternoon sun. Charging through the small streets of Ponyville, I guess I made quite the sight as I galloped along, my shoes sparking where they struck the occasional flagstone. It was a testament to Long Strides' work that it took me barely ten minutes to reach Derpy's home and I came to a stop out front with an almost audible "screech."
Everything was quiet, too quiet, as I walked the few steps to the front door. It was a cliche, but I was a magical pony boy who worked as an interdimensional courier for a Spirit of Chaos who tended to play with the laws of physics like they were lego bricks. Cliche was a source of stability and comfort.
"Hi, James. Come on in," Dinky said, opening the door just as I was about to. "I'm just heading over to Button's for dinner. Seeya." Any hope I might have entertained at just sneaking in was now well and truly blown as Dinky rushed past me, and off to her friend's place.
"James, is that you?" Luna asked, from inside the house and I felt my heart splash into my stomach.
"It's me," I said, hunching my shoulders and making my way into the house. Everything seemed to be intact, just like back at the depot. Maybe Luna had thrown Derpy into the dungeon or something. She had the authority as a princess to do so, but then Dinky wouldn't have been so happy.
"We've got fresh carrot muffins!" Derpy said, from the kitchen and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I decided there was no sense putting things off and walked into the kitchen.
"Hello James," Luna said, in a perfectly calm voice as she sat at the table, muffin on a plate by her. Derpy was just settling down opposite her and there was a third place set for me, complete with muffin and a steaming cup of tea.
"Hi James," Derpy said, her smiling face warming me, even as I noted that her ears were flicking back and forth. "We need to talk."
Those four words have been the death of many a good man before me, and like all those other males, I was well and truly trapped in the situation. My only real recourse would have been to turn and run, which would have solved nothing. Besides, I cared for both of the ladies in front of me, and not just because they had done things for me.
"James?" Luna asked, shaking me out of my reverie, "art thou well?"
"I'm fine," I said, putting my saddlebags on the table and sitting down. "The question is, how are we?"
"Reconciled," Luna said, and then her voice became deferential. "Fair Derpy, may I explain things to our stallion?" That got a raised eyebrow from me. Up until now Luna had always called me "her" stallion.
"Go ahead, Luna," Derpy said, with a nod as her ears went forward in interest. Which got another raised eyebrow from me as I sipped at my tea. When had Luna, Princess of Equestria, started deferring to Derpy, Mailmare Extraordinaire?
"Thank you," Luna said, in that same polite, respectful tone. "James, what do you know of marriage in Equestria?" My spit take was a thing of beauty, as I launched the mouthful of tea I had just slurped up, in a surprise powered stupendous arc that carried it out a solid ten feet or so, directly into the kitchen sink.
"N-nothing," I coughed out around the edges of what little of the liquid had stayed in my mouth. "What's does marriage have to do with things?"
"I know you have only been in Equestria a short time, James," Luna said, smoothing her expression into something neutral. "But I know you have noticed the disparity between the numbers of mares and stallions. Remember the nightmare that I pulled you out of."
"Wait, it really is that bad? I thought that was just something I dreamed based out of cheesy sci-fi," I asked, picturing the one mare in my dream who had been holding up sign saying, "Equestria needs Stallions."
"There are four stallions for every six mares in Equestria," Luna said, her ears drooping, "and it used to be worse. My sister created many social programs to encourage the birth of more colts, but as a species ponies will always tend to have more mares than stallions."
"Okay," I said, frowning in thought. "What does that have to do with the three of us and marriage?"
"Because of the disparity of numbers between mares and stallions, certain social conventions have risen into place," Luna said, those expressive ears of hers going back in what I recognized as anger. "Conventions that pulled Equestria out of one of its very dark periods."
"What happened?" I asked gently, and both Derpy and Luna wouldn't meet my eyes for some reason.
"Stallions of that time... were viewed as property," Luna said, and it didn't take an empath to feel the waves of sadness and anger coming off of her. "And because the loss of a single stallion could bring about the end of a family line, stallions spent their lives in chains or cages so they could not be easily stolen, killed or simply used by rivals or enemies. To be sure, those poor stallions did lead a life of ease in their bonds, but they were viewed as simple chattel, being nothing more than tools used to create the next generation of ponies."
"So, what that nightmare creature was showing me... " I said, letting my voice trail off.
"Was an only slightly skewed view of Equestria's past," Luna said. "My sister was not always the attentive ruler she is now."
"Why the hell not?" I demanded, feeling my blood rise on behalf of all those other stallions. "What could possibly have made her not pay attention to her own kingdom?
"Me," Luna said simply, deflating even further, her ears now in a position I recognized as an expression of guilt.
"What do you mean?" I asked, trying to remember my primer in Equestrian history and failing miserably.
"I... fell, from grace," Luna said, and Derpy took one of Luna's hooves in her own in a gesture of comfort. "I sought to usurp my sister's authority because I became jealous of her. because I desired the glory and honors others gave her. In my madness, I became Nightmare Moon and came close to destroying Equestria before my sister imprisoned me in the moon for a thousand years. The guilt of the necessity of what she did drove Celestia into a deep depression for many years."
"Holy crap," I whispered. Yes, I remembered Nightmare Moon from what I'd been told of Equestrian history, but no one had mentioned that the boogeymare from Equestria's past was Luna.
"You are perhaps the only stallion in all of Equestria who knows of my past as a mere story and not something you directly experienced. So you trusted me, let me touch you, and you did so without fear of me or my power," Luna continued. "Being that close to a stallion is a heady wine, and I sought to drink it to the dregs for the first time in a millennia. To the point where I have wronged you by accident, and must beg your forgiveness."
"Whoa, wait," I said, my brain catching up. "How did you wrong me? You've been nothing but be protective and caring of me."
"I did not realize it until valiant Derpy pointed it out to me, but I have been slowly trying to steal you away from her. Every touch, every time I addressed you as 'My stallion,' every smile I gave you, drew you more and more into my orbit," Luna said, and to my surprise she got out of her chair to stand beside me. "I did not mean for it to happen, but the fact is that I was trying to usurp her place, much as I tried to usurp my sister's a millennia ago. All I can do now is ask for your forgiveness, or at least understanding."
"I don't see what you did as such a bad thing," I said, because to be honest it didn't sound like Luna had messed with me in any sort of bad way.
"Because of the things I have done for you and to you, you will always feel a bond towards me. You will never be fully free of my influence," Luna said, and her eyes were beginning to sparkle with unshed tears. "I used my power and position to incline you towards me, because I wanted you."
"Wanted me," I said, stupidly echoing her.
"Yes, James. I wanted you," Luna said, looking up and finally meeting my gaze. "I wanted you to cover me, to take me as a stallion takes a mare. My desire to feel physical closeness again blinded me to how I was influencing you."
"So that night in the dream, when you said you didn't like me in that way?" I asked.
"I was lying," Luna said, dropping her gaze again. "I knew that you would not consent to being with me at that time, so I did what I could to ensure you would always be close to me, no matter where you were."
"Have you lied to me about anything else?" I asked, keeping my voice even. Luna shook her head in the negative. "Fine, one last question then. Have you done anything directly to my mind to change how I feel about you or others?"
"No, of course not," Luna said, shaking her head vehemently.
"Then there is nothing to forgive," I said, smiling at Luna. "You tried to impress me, and keep me in touch with you, which is something almost anyone interested in someone else would do. If you need to hear it, 'I forgive you'. Okay?"
"If you are sure," Luna said uncertainly, as she got back up to her hooves.
"Oh sit down," I said, gesturing toward Luna's chair and bumping my saddlebags a bit as I did so. "Besides, I get the feeling there is more to this. Isn't that right, Derpy?"
"Yup," Derpy said, her good humour restored as Luna sat by her again. "I've got dibs, but I think Luna should finish telling you about it."
"Yes. As I was saying earlier," Luna said, pulling her tea close to her again, "certain social conventions grew out of those dark times. A way to ensure that stallions were not kept animals, while at the same time making sure that mares could be sure that they would not lose a chance at a promising stallion."
"What does all this have to do with me?" I asked, mind working furiously. "Hang on a second. Does this have something with these 'dibs' you have Derpy? Dibs... on me?"
"Yup," Derpy said, fluffing her wings out a bit before pulling them back in.
"Let me explain," Luna said, sliding the conversation back to her. "The convention goes by many names. 'First Attempt,' 'First Refusal," and yes, 'Dibs' as well. What it means is that the first mare who has a significant interaction with a stallion who has come of age, has the right to be the first one to court him."
"Court him," I repeated, and my mind finally spun things into place. "So when Derpy and I fought those goons in that alley, she earned 'Dibs' on me."
"Correct James," Luna said, nodding. "What's more, Derpy could have died from the wounds that she took on your behalf. Which is why she became rightly angry with me. She had earned the right to be the first one to try to have a relationship with you and my actions were bypassing that."
"So, we're engaged?" I asked, incredulous. "Or, I'm promised to her? Derpy, I like you. I mean, I really, really like you. But only as my best friend. Maybe one day--"
"It's okay," Derpy said, interrupting me. "It just means I have 'dibs'. Nothing more than that, and it doesn't mean you can't choose somepony else if you find somepony you like. Just from the mare side of things, I get the first try. Unless you tell me to go away, that is."
"Let me see if I've got this right," I said, frowning in concentration. "If I want to take up with any other mares, I can, but if any mares want to take up with me, Derpy has first call."
"Correct again, James," Luna said, smiling. "Derpy has 'dibs', but she has also said that she is willing to share you... with me."
My eyebrow rose again, along with certain other parts of my anatomy. It is a very bad joke but often true, that males have two heads but only enough blood to operate one at a time. Which is probably why my mouth engaged on its own, while my brain started playing fantasies of me twined around Luna and Derpy while bad saxophone music played in the background.
"So, that means I could have both of you with me," my treacherous mouth said, while my brain was distracted. "If you were both willing, that is."
"Do you want both of us?" Derpy asked, her eyes wide and her wings popping open with a slight "poomf" sound.
"Who wouldn't? Both of you are completely awesome--" I began, jumping up and gesturing toward both mares.
As luck would have it, that was the moment when my saddlebags fell sideways under the impact of one of my waving hooves, and of course I hadn't fully secured the flaps when I had charged out of the depot, and of course the contents of said bags fell onto the table in front of all three of us. Now this by itself wouldn't have been a disaster, except it seems that Equestria also suffered under the God of Perversity, and Murphy, who is his prophet.
As the treasure box hit the table, a hidden catch on its side popped it open, spilling the very adult contents of the box directly under the surprised muzzles of Derpy and Luna. The open lid then caught the wrapping around the bundle Q had given me, and it tore open to reveal a slithering mass of white straps, gleaming chrome and colourful accessories.
For a long moment, absolute silence reigned, except for the tiny corner of my mind that was busy inventing new curse words to describe Q with. |
Mail Troubles | Angered | I just sat there and stared as the table was covered in adult accessories. Packets of lube in a rainbow of different coloured packages, a box labelled "bullet vibe," what I recognized to be a strap on dildo, two sets of some sort of rubber coated grippers connected by a chain, and a pink collar made out of either rubber or vinyl, complete with a leash ring.
"James, are you aware of the meaning of this item?" Luna asked, lifting the white mass of straps in her magic and unfolding it in front of us. It was an extremely elaborate bridle, I could tell that much by its resemblance to what I had delivered to Sonata. However where Sonata's was elegant, this one was as flamboyant as all get out. It had what looked like small gems all over the upper straps, with a shaded fringe along the top one. The straps that were meant to run under the muzzle and head were lined with bells that chimed as Luna turned the item from side to side.
"I don't have a clue, Princess," I said, trying to control a rising anger inside of me by the realization I was being manipulated, yet again. "Why don't you tell me what it is."
"It's a Saddle Arabian marriage bridle," Luna said, her cheeks colouring slightly. "In Saddle Arabian culture, the bride and groom exchange bridles. During the ceremony reins are attached, linking the bridles and the ponies wearing them together as one. This is a stallion's bridle."
"Of course it is," I growled out, gritting my teeth and both Luna and Derpy's ears went back as my rage blew past my ability to keep it under wraps.
"What's wrong?" Derpy asked, eyes wide in both surprise and fear. Fear both of, and for me.
Can't you see it?" I demanded, as both mares looked from me, to the stuff on the table, to each other. "Some... asshole is playing with us. Playing with me, and I've had enough!" I could literally feel the steam coming out of my ears I was so mad, and I stalked out the door and into the early evening before I could cause any damage.
A few ponies tried to approach me as I walked along only to be repulsed by my glower, and the string of curses I was muttering under my breath. When I was thirteen, I'd read the "Letter from the Zaporozhian Cossacks" and I'd been impressed with the fact that curses didn't all have to be four-letter words. From that point on in my life I've been interested in sharp comments and snarky retorts, to the point where I'd built up a fairly impressive line of curses. I'd gotten up to "swallower of sheep shit shakes," when Luna finally caught up to me.
"James, what is wrong?" Luna asked, landing beside me with a worried look on her muzzle. "What is it about those items that has angered you so?"
"Go away," I growled at her, as I reached the edge of town. There was a little stream there that should be a good place to find my mellow again. At the very least I could go soak my head until I cooled down.
"You will speak to me now, stallion," Luna said, freezing me in my tracks as she gripped me with her magic.
"Let GO," I shouted at her, squirming uselessly against her grip. "Please Luna, just let me go."
"Tell me why at least," Luna said, and I could see that her face held more concern than anger towards me.
"Because I need to calm down before I talk about this," I said, reigning myself in just enough to think rationally. "If I don't, I'm going to say things that will hurt two people I really like, and I don't want to do that. Just let me go, and I promise I'll come back in a bit. I... just. Just let me go for now."
"Your word as a member of the Lunar Herd?" Luna asked, cocking a suspicious eyebrow at me. "Do not make me chase you down."
"My word on it," I said to her, nodding. "Just give me a couple of hours, okay?"
"I will hold thee to thy word," Luna said, setting me back down and releasing me from her magical vice-grip. "I will await thee, with fair Derpy at her home."
I nodded and stalked off, wanting to just get away so I could smash something. It took me awhile but I finally found a patch of stream near a pond, and spent a good chunk of time venting my anger on a fallen log and kicking rocks into the pond. By the time I could think clearly again the log was essentially long splinters, and every rock for about twenty feet around had been tossed into the pond, with prejudice.
"Wow," said a female voice from behind me, "and they call me a pony with a bad attitude."
"Who the hell are you?" I asked spinning around and trying to spot the speaker in the gloom of the early evening.
"Easy there, fella," said a pony, coming around a tree to face me. She was a small cute unicorn, with fur so brown it was almost black, shot through with orange highlights that matched her mane, tail and the feathers of her wings. Something twigged at me about that but I couldn't quite place it, so I decided to cover myself with some well placed aggression.
"Like I said," I growled, taking an aggressive stance. "Who the hell are you?"
"Look buddy," the newcomer said, dropping her forequarters low and flaring her wings in a matching display of aggression. "Chill out and calm down, before I have to take you down. I just want to talk."
That took me a bit by surprise. To date, every pony I had run into had been willing to solve problems with friendship or feelings. Except for Long Strides that is, but that had been dealing with me having to retrain my nerves to my new muscles. A purely physical problem that needed to be solved by physical means. But, here was a pony that was willing, apparently, to give me a good thumping if I didn't listen to them.
"Okay," I said, lowering my hackles. "I'll 'chill out' if you tell me who you are."
"Name's 'Pumpkin Spice'," the newcomer said, lowering her wings and standing up straight, "and don't say any of the jokes. I've heard them all and I'll give you a good pounding if you try for something original. There aren't any original jokes, not anymore."
"Fair enough," I told the pony, and I decided to rest my pony bones a bit by plopping my butt down on a large flat rock. "I'm James Allens. What did you want to talk about."
"I know who you are," Spice snorted, moving over to sit beside me. "Every damn pony knows who you are. What I wanted to talk about is why you're messing up one of my favorite brooding spots."
"Found out that something I thought was over and done with is still going on," I explained, and I found myself liking this blunt spoken pony and her confrontational attitude.
"Vague much?" Spice asked, cocking an eyebrow at me. "That's like saying you found out water was wet, or that coffee is bitter, or that the night is dark. Gimme details, foal."
I raised an eyebrow right back at her and the silence stretched out as we tried to stare each other down. I was at a disadvantage however, due to the fact that I'm pretty much hardwired to help women... mares... whatever. So, after about a minute of silence I gave in, and told her the whole story.
I told her about the collar pushing my libido, Luna's workings on me, Derpy's friendship and affection, Discord sending me to an adult store for a delivery, Q's inexplicable gifting of a bridle to me, and now what was basically amounting to an accidental marriage proposal, or at least the next closest thing to it. I finished things up by recounting my storming out and declaring that I refused to be manipulated. Pumpkin Spice sat there for about a minute and then started laughing.
"Not helping," I said, getting angry again as the laughter went on. "There's nothing funny about this."
"Yes, there is," Spice said, as she reduced herself to snickers. "The fact that you think you can stop somepony from manipulating you at this point is just adorable, and hilarious."
"Why can't I stop them?" I demanded, spreading my forelegs wide. "Especially if I can figure out who it is."
"You idiot. You're talking about someone who has managed to get the Spirit of Chaos, and the next closest thing to a god to dance to their tune," Pumpkin Spice said, looking up at me with a bit of a sneer. "What kind of chance do you think you stand compared to them? You're a piece on somepony's chessboard, deal with it."
"Who's chessboard?" I asked, feeling a little depressed now as I realized the pony beside me was making a very good point.
"Don't know for sure," Spice said, rubbing her chin in thought, "but my money is on that old nag, Celestia. Don't let that friendship facade of hers fool you. She's been playing with the destiny of Equestria and its ponies for a millennium now. If this is her game, it means you have some quality she wants to breed into ponies. If not, it likely means somepony else is using you as a tool to manipulate Luna directly or Celestia indirectly."
"Damn," I said, blinking in surprise. "You got a lot further than I have on this. So, what do I do about it?"
"That white nag has tried to rope me into her schemes more than once before," Pumpkin Spice said, with a small chuckle. "I've dodged her lasso so far. As to what you can do about it, sorry foal, nothing comes for free."
"Hey, if you know a way that I can fight back against this, I'm all ears," I said, leaning forward. "Name your price."
"You'll do anything?" she asked, to which I nodded. "Fine, hold very still and think of how your relationship with Derpy and Luna makes you feel. Think of nothing but that. Let it be your entire world for the next couple of minutes."
I did as she asked and pictured the two mares in my mind. I thought of how comforting a presence Derpy had been for me, always being there, always willing to help out. I thought of Luna, and her dark exotic beauty, of how she blended vulnerability and strength into an elegant package that was more than willing to wait for me to be ready for her. I kept picturing them, and as the feelings and emotions filled me I saw Pumpkin Spice's horn light with a green fire that washed out over me, wrapped around me for a few moments, and then withdrew.
"What the hell was that?" I asked, suddenly feeling very tired and I shook my head to clear the sudden fuzz that filled it.
"My payment," Pumpkin Spice said, smacking her lips. "It's not love, but it will do. It will do."
"Fine, I've paid, " I said, still trying to push away that strange lethargy. "How do I fight back against who ever is pushing my buttons?"
"Short answer, you can't," Spice said, holding up a hoof to stop me as I made to interrupt. "Long answer. You can't fight back directly. You don't have the connections, the power, or the abilities that whoever is behind all this has. What you do is you slow them down, you delay them, you stretch things out until they make a mistake. Keep your relationship with Derpy and Luna, just slow things down to a crawl. Got it?"
"That's it?" I asked, surprise and a little anger giving me a boost of energy. "What good is that going to do?"
"It gives you time, you stupid idiot," Spice said, rolling her eyes at me. "It gives you time to get stronger, to make your own allies and connections so that when whoever is behind this makes their mistake, and they will make one eventually, you will be able to take advantage of it and nail them."
"Oh," I said, taken aback as I realized that what the dark furred, winged unicorn had said made a lot of sense, and then I realized what had been bugging me about Pumpkin Spice. "Hey, aren't alicorns the only ones with horns and wings?"
"And that's my cue to leave," Pumpkin Spice said, getting up. I made to follow her and keep her from leaving, but for some reason my hooves wouldn't move. Looking down I saw that they had been glued to the rock I was sitting on by some sort of green goop.
"What the he--" I began to say as Pumpkin Spice's horn lit again, and a glob of the green goop hit me straight on the muzzle, gluing it shut.
"Sorry about that," Spice said, running a hoof over my mane. "Another time, I'd love to stay longer and enjoy a protracted meal of you, but not today. Don't panic though, I have no intention of doing anything else to you... tonight. But seeing as I can't have you following me or shouting for help, I've taken steps to make sure you can't. The resin will fall apart on its own in about five or ten minutes. Until we meet again, 'Lunch'."
The pony then left me in the dark as I struggled to free myself. It was a completely useless effort, as whatever the goop was didn't budge. As promised though, the crud around my hooves cracked and shattered into splinters after several minutes, and I blasted my way back home as if all the hounds of hell were on my heels. The goop around my muzzle didn't want to let go though, and it limited the amount of air I was able to take in. By the time I burst through the door my vision was graying out, and I collapsed in a heap at the hooves of a very startled Derpy and Luna.
"James!" both mares cried out at the same time, and a moment later I felt myself lifted onto the table by Derpy while Luna sent crockery flying to make space for my body. Another couple of moments and the goop around my muzzle was ripped away, taking a whole lot of body hair with it, and I sucked down lungfuls of oxygen greedily.
"Don't try to talk just yet, James," Luna said, looking down at me with concern while I heard Derpy in the background sending a woken up Dinky back to bed. "The resin on your muzzle tells me what attacked you, but not who. You are safe, so you do not need to say anything until your breathing returns to normal. Understood?"
I nodded and just lay flat on the table, concentrating on breathing in lots of wonderful air in steady lungfuls. After about a minute I started talking, and Luna stopped me simply by putting a wingtip against my nose and shaking her head. I took the hint and kept on focusing on my breathing, while a returned Derpy checked me over for any injuries. It wasn't until a full minute after my breathing returned to normal that Luna let me tell her what had happened.
"Shaushka," Luna growled out, after I had told her the tale. "What in Tartarus is that creature doing in all this?"
"Who is Shaushka?" Derpy asked, helping me down off the table. "And is she right? Are all three of us being played with?"
"Shaushka is a changeling queen, and something of a neutral party between Thorax and Chrysalis," Luna said, helping Derpy sit me into a chair by the table. "Pumpkin Spice is a known alias of hers as she finds it amusing to pose as an alicorn."
"But she was so small," I said, in protest as I nodded my thanks to both mares. "I mean, sure she suckered me in with her disguise, but now that I know about her I can kick her flank if I need to."
"James, you are young, strong and brave, but believe me when I say you stand no chance against her," Luna said. "She is a changeling queen, with all the power and strength you would expect. More, she is a master of manipulation, to the point where there has never been a report of her using her magic to affect a pony's mind, because she simply doesn't need to."
"Was she right though, Princess?" Derpy asked again. "Are we being used in some sort of game?"
"The most dangerous thing about Shaushka is that she keeps her bargains," Luna said, sliding a cup of coffee in front of me, "but she does so in ways that will benefit her. James let her feed from him, and in return she gave him knowledge."
"So..." I said, trying to phrase things delicately, "your sister really is playing with us? I'm some sort of seed stock for the future of the pony race?" Diplomacy, thy name is not James Allens.
"I doubt it," Luna said, making a face. "My sister is more than powerful enough to simply force ponies to breed. For many, all it would take is a simple command and they would gladly fling themselves at whomever Celestia requested."
"The hell you say," I said, my eyes going wide as my ears went flat against my head. "There is no bucking way I--"
"Peace. Be at ease, our stallion," Luna said, placatingly. "Just because my sister has the power to do something, does not mean she will actually do it. You have just demonstrated why Shaushka is so dangerous, despite the fact that she has never actually broken any laws."
"What do you mean, Princess Luna?" Derpy asked, and I could see she was just as angry and scared as I was at the thought of Celestia playing a live action game of Civilization with pony society.
"I mean that she was likely right in that somepony is playing with the emotions and feelings of our stallion. That individual is pushing him into a physical relationship with one or both of us for reasons we as yet cannot fathom," Luna said, and I found myself impressed at her cold assessment of things. "But all it took was a few sentences from Shaushka, and she had James all but ready to go to war against my sister in a desperate struggle for survival."
"Well, she did say your sister was behind it," I said. "Or, at least that she was probably the one behind it."
"No, James. She did not," Luna said, correcting me with a little heat in her voice. "She said that for her money she would guess Celestia was behind it. After which she said uncomplimentary things about my sister to make her appear even worse in your eyes. It is the tactic of an emotional manipulator, and you do wear your emotions on your flank."
"Could she be behind it?" Derpy asked Luna. "Shaushka, that is?"
"Doubtful," Luna said, and I could see the calculations going on behind her eyes. "It isn't how she operates. As I said, she prefers to manipulate her prey, much as she did James, instead of using crude force. Also, while it is just barely possible that she might have been able to influence Discord's actions in some manner, I do not think she could have had an effect on me."
"Where do we go from here?" I asked, not wanting to point out Luna's hubris at thinking that she couldn't have her emotions messed around with by someone even she said as a master of the art.
"We continue as we have," Luna said, and Derpy and I both exchanged a look at that, which Luna noticed. "Much as I hate to admit it, Shaushka had the right idea. We give the outward appearance of a long, slow courtship. Behind closed doors though we must remain nothing more than good friends."
"We can do that, Princess," Derpy said, wrapping a wing around me. "Um, are you okay with that though, James? Not sleeping with me or Luna?"
"Derpy, you are my best friend here. My true companion who has been with me since the beginning and yes, I could see myself building a life here in Equestria with you as my partner," I began, and Derpy's blush was spectacular. "And Luna, just so you know. You are my dark angel. The fierce beauty that guards my dreams, and the pony who could show me delights most stallions have no idea even exist."
"James," Luna said, colouring also, but not letting it affect her voice, "this is not what I meant by staying as friends."
"But," I said, holding up a hoof for emphasis. "We are friends, the best of friends, and while yes, one day we might become more than that, now is not the time. I care for both of you too much to let any of us get pushed into something we aren't ready for."
"Friends then," Derpy said, putting a hoof out toward the center of the table.
"Good friends," Luna said, putting out her own hoof so that it touched Derpy's and the two winged mares looked at me.
"Best friends," I said, completing the link. |
Mail Troubles | Ambition | The next few days passed by without anything crazy going on. For the first time since I arrived in this insanity I actually had some time to decompress and mellow out despite it being a really busy time. Lyra finalized the deal for my new place and I moved off of Derpy's couch and into my own place.
It took me four days to explain to Lyra why American football and ice hockey weren't some strange form of gladiatorial combat, in exchange for all her services with the paperwork. In hindsight, referring to "Sudden Death Overtime" with such enthusiasm might not have been my smartest move.
My new home wasn't much to speak of: Main room, kitchen, bedroom and a loft area. I didn't even have indoor plumbing. Water came from a pump outside and the er, facilities was an outhouse. The house had a fireplace in the main room for heat, but I had no firewood. Derpy had told me to contact a pony named Burnt Oak for that, but with summer coming on in Ponyville there wasn't much need for heat right now, so I had time.
My fridge wasn't like what I had back on Earth either. No quietly humming box of cold for me, no sir. Instead, the fridge actually had a miniature blizzard up where a fridge freezer usually is and that spread cold down to the rest of the food. The normal process is that you get a weather pony in once a week or so to refresh the storm keeping the fridge cold. It's something of a lucrative side line for the weather teams, and something I was able to dodge, thanks to Derpy.
Speaking of which, Derpy and I spent a lot of time being seen together so that we gave a good impression that I was "taken," and I swear she grew a little taller with every jealous look that was sent her way. She'd even braided one of her primary feathers into my mane. Not one that had been naturally shed either. She had gone and plucked a living feather from one of her wings and then braided it into my mane with the little electric tickle I'd come to recognize as pegasus magic.
"Oh James," Luna said, in a soft emotional voice, as she braided her own silver crescent token into my mane that night. "Promise me that in the years to come, you will never do anything to hurt Derpy."
"What? Are you kidding? I'd rather have my legs cut off than hurt either of you," I said, half-turning before Luna stopped me so that she could finish what she was doing. "You know that, so why are you asking?"
"It's just..." Luna sighed, and I felt a slight tug as she fused a bit of my mane around her charm. "Pegasi only use a living feather for this with those they see as lifelong companions. The feather is still alive, because Derpy merged it with your mane. She has literally given a piece of herself to you."
"She knows we aren't really a couple, uh trio, right?" I asked, a little worried. "Maybe one day we might be more but..." I shrugged, running out of words.
"The term is 'herd,' and she knows our stallion, she knows," Luna said, turning me to face her. "But, she like you, also knows that one day you might be 'more.' The feather does not mean you are wed, just that she views you as a close intimate. Twilight and her friends have all exchanged similar tokens in the past as well and they are not a herd, if that puts you at all at ease."
"It does, I mean we just settled on the whole friends bit," I said, feeling relieved. Derpy was my best friend and it would kill me if I had to hurt her by saying 'no' to something she wanted and I didn't.
"'Best friends' is the term you used, I believe," Luna said, smiling somewhat wistfully. "I have had few enough of those in my life, fewer of whom are still alive. This is something you do with best friends." She ran a hoof over both her and Derpy's tokens in my mane, and I felt a terribly sad moment as I pictured Luna looking into an old box with millenia old tokens of friendship from long dead ponies.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm here," I said, giving in to the impulse to hug the Princess of the Night.
"What is this for?" Luna said, both pleased and surprised at the hug.
"You looked like you needed it," I said, releasing the taller mare.
"I think that you needed it rather more than I," Luna said, taking a deep breath. "Now, enough of melancholy, as we must speak of serious things with a sober mind. Shaushka, as expected, evaded our search and so I needs must give you a primer on how the changelings operated in the days before Thorax."
Over the next hour Luna gave me a quick overview of how the changelings used to be. Something of a fairly major threat as it turns out, including one major invasion during which Luna had been drugged by a disguised Chrysalis. Luna had a habit of not being picky about what she ate or drank just before bed, and had chugged down a knockout potion like it was water which had made her sleep through the entire invasion.
"Speaking of collapsing in bed, you appear to be very tired, our stallion," Luna said, noticing that I was nodding off. Night had fallen a couple of hours earlier and it had been a busy day.
"Ya," I yawned, for the fourth time. "Sorry, been a long couple of days."
"And I understand you have a delivery in the morning. Time to put our stallion to bed," Luna said, as she scooped me up in her magic and headed toward my bedroom.
"I can walk, you know," I muttered, tiredness stealing away my tact.
"Nonsense, a mare takes care of her stallion," she said with a smirk as she opened the door and stopped in surprise. "Where is your bed?"
I'd barely been able to afford the house itself and an actual bed was a luxury I just couldn't afford yet. What I had instead of a bed, was a pile of second hand blankets and a few pillows that I'd arranged into something of a soft nest in one corner of the room. Beside that were a couple of candles and stack of language and math primers intended for preschool foals.
"Don't have one yet," I told Luna as she carried me into the center of the room at her side. "It's on my list. You can put me down now." I struggled a bit against Luna's magic, more for show than anything else. She responded by folding my legs against my body and lifting me onto her back between her wings. I was getting more tired by the second so I put my head down on her warm back.
"No stallion of mine sleeps on the floor," Luna declared, igniting her horn causing me to jerk my head up just as I was beginning to close my eyes.
"Wait Luna, stop," I said, begging her to hold off. "We aren't actually a couple, remember?"
"We needs must keep up appearances, James," Luna said, in the voice of someone explaining something obvious to an idiot. "There is not a pony alive who would believe I would allow a metamour of mine to sleep on the floor."
"Please Luna, don't," I said, quietly in her ear. "It's important to me that I do the stuff for my home myself. Besides, you can always complain to ponies about 'how stubborn' I am."
"It is no trouble for me to provide you with a bed, are you sure you do not want me to get you one?" Luna asked, twisting her head back to look at me.
"I appreciate it, but no thanks," I said, relieved that she was listening to me.
"Very well. All mares have some complaint about their stallions, so it will add some veracity to our tale I suppose," Luna replied, lifting me off her back and settling me amongst the blankets, which she then began to wrap around me. "You will, however, permit me to ensure you are settled for the night."
"You don't have to tuck me in," I said, somewhat testily. "I'm a grown ma... person."
"You will not fight me on this, our stallion," Luna said, arching an eyebrow over her smiling face. "Consider it your compromise for my accepting your refusal for a bed."
"Yes Mistress," I sarcastically grumbled, as the Princess of the Night wrapped me up in a warm weave of blankets and cushions.
"It is good that you are coming to recognize your proper place at our hooves," Luna said, with a chuckle and a kiss on the forehead. "We will see you after work tomorrow." I harrumphed a bit, too tired to worry if Luna was being serious or not. Luna turned off her horn and left, leaving me to fall asleep within minutes in my cozy nest.
The next morning I woke to the sun shining through my window, and the birds chirping with disgusting happiness. There were a lot of nice things about living in Equestria. The weather was managed, healthcare was great, and the rulers were reasonably benevolent, which hid the terrible evil that was the fact that a lot of ponies were up with the dawn.
"Thank God, Celestia didn't take an interest in me," I muttered, cursing the daystar as I carefully got myself undone from the sheets and blankets that Luna had wrapped around me. The pattern of tensions in the fabric made for some interesting idle speculation as I undid the last sheet wrapped around my withers and I made my way to the outhouse.
On the way back in I grabbed some water from the pump to brush my teeth with and give myself a wipe down with a cloth and cold water. That done, I made my way into the kitchen and opened my fridge. Which held a pitcher of cold water and nothing else. Lacking a glass I drank straight out of the pitcher and it made me realize how little I actually had in my new home. It was a little depressing, until I reminded myself that there may not be much in these four walls, but they were my walls, dammit.
I just stood there for a few minutes, drinking water and wondering if I could snag something to eat at work, when a knock on my back door heralded the arrival of Dinky and Derpy.
"Thought you could use some breakfast," Derpy said, offering me a basket of her ever present, and ever delicious muffins.
"Saved my life," I said, as I all but inhaled a muffin in two bites. Little Dinky looked up at me with a mix of shock, horror and amazement at my savage attack on the baked good.
"Momma, I think James is gonna need more than six muffins," Dinky said, her voice piping high. I just smiled and gave the adorable little unicorn a hug. If the princesses were alicorns would that make Dinky an "Adoracorn?"
The three of us sat in my bare kitchen, eating muffins and drinking water. Soon enough though we headed for work, dropping off Dinky at school along the way. After we waved goodbye to Dinky, Derpy welded herself to my side draping a wing over my back as we walked in lockstep toward the Pony Express.
"Derpy," I said, flicking my head a bit so that the braided feather in my mane was exposed and visible to all. "Luna told me what using a living feather means."
"Thought she might," Derpy said, flushing slightly. "I know we haven't... done anything, and we probably never will, but I just wanted to show you that you're the best friend I've had in a long time."
"Why do you think I'm showing it off?" I asked Derpy, leaning my head close and again noting the jealous and admiring looks my pegasus was getting. "I'm pretty good at meeting people and getting them to like me, but until I met you I didn't really have anyone I'd call a 'best' friend. Thank you for being that friend."
"Anytime, James," Derpy said, and we walked like that the rest of the way to work.
"Good Morning, James," Discord said as Derpy peeled off to the little office Discord had given her by his own. "Want another easy trip or are you up for something a little more challenging?"
"Does 'more challenging' come with a bonus?" I asked, seizing on the opportunity. "I sorta overspent, and I didn't want to ask you for an advance on my pay, but if you've got something that comes with a bonus that would be great."
"More challenging, eh?" Discord asked, stroking his beard. "There is a run I could have you do, I wasn't planning to send you on it until later though. But if you think you're up to the challenge. Well, who am I to stop an ambitious young stallion?"
"Hang on a sec," I said, sudden caution flaring an alert in my mind. "What makes this run so hard?"
"Multiple deliveries to multiple locations," Discord said, grinning as he saw my eyes widen. "Plus the most important delivery is to an individual who will almost always be on the move."
"How long will it take, do you figure?" I asked Discord, trying to work out how I was going to deliver to someone who kept moving around, until I remembered the spell Luna had put on my one shoe.
"Not as long as you thought it would a few moments ago," Discord said, looking down at my hoof with a raised eyebrow. "However, considering the area involved is large I think four days should do the job. So, do you want the run, or would you prefer something easier?"
"Bring it on," I said, with my best sneer, smiling up at Discord.
"Alright then, let's get your packages and get you set up," Discord said, with an equal smirk back.
We turned and walked toward the departure area and as we entered the cavernous hall I was surprised to see a couple of ponies exit the room through interdimensional portals just like the ones I used.
"Hold on a sec," I said, feeling an ear flick in annoyance. "I thought the whole point of hiring me away from Earth was because you couldn't get anyone or anypony who could handle the mindfuck of going to other dimensions."
"For the most part that still holds true, my intrepid courier," Discord said, looking pleased with my recollection. "Since you started making runs though we've discovered that once a trail is blazed, other ponies can follow in the path of that first pony. We still need you, badly, but it seems we won't have to overwork you quite as badly as I thought."
"Wait, you planned to work me into the ground?" I asked, letting a little heat into my voice.
"Well, it was either that or dunk you a few times into Pinkie's Mirror Pool," Discord said, while I tried to figure out what a Mirror Pool might be.
"Right," I said, deciding to let the matter drop. "So, where am I going and how much of a bonus is there going to be?"
With a bit of a flourish Discord pulled a cloth off of a table, revealing two packages and two scrolls. With them was a map which had the words "Imperial Province of Skyrim" written on it. My eyes went a little wide and despite my attempt to keep them under control I could feel my ears flatten themselves against my head.
"I'm guessing you recognize the place?' Discord asked, his ever present grin welded in place.
"Sure do. Holy crap, boss. Do you know how dangerous that place is?" I asked, my memory bringing up what I knew about my destination.
Like a very large number of people I'd played my fair share of Skyrim. I'd made my way through the questline as a stealth archer and had really enjoyed the game, to the point where I had bought all three DLCs. Even though I'd really played only two of them. I wound up getting so intrigued trying different combinations of things I'd never made my way all the way to the end again. One thing I did know for sure, Skyrim was a place of danger and beauty, especially to an unarmed pony.
"Three of your four deliveries are in towns or cities," Discord said, oozing confidence in my abilities. "Delphine at the Sleeping Giant, General Tullius in Solitude, the Jarl of Riften and of course, the Dragonborn. One a day shouldn't be hard for you to pull off."
"Discord, you're forgetting that I have to travel between those locations," I said, in protest. "I'll have to haul ass to get to those places and there is no way I can make it from one to the other in a day. Two days, if I don't run into anything I can't handle, but not one day. On top of that you're also forgetting the big thing."
"What's that?" Discord asked, appearing genuinely surprised at the objections I was raising.
"I have to catch up to or intercept the freaking Dragonborn," I said, emphasizing the title. "They can fast travel, they aren't nailed down to a single location, and even with the advantage of the spell Luna gave me in my shoe, they can literally be gone by the time I get to where they were."
"Okay fine, you win," Discord said, rolling his eyes. "What do you think you are going to need for this?"
"At least eight to ten days," I said, thinking rapidly. I'd always avoided Riften as much as I could when I'd played the game, but the other two places I knew well. "Plus, I'm going to need some gold for expenses."
"What?" Discord asked, and it did my heart good to see I'd surprised him.
"Gold, money, mullah, pesos, yen, the thing what makes the world go round," I said, in a sing-song voice. "At the least I'm going to need to lay my head down someplace reasonably safe at night, and I don't intend to forage like an animal even if I am built for it now. That means I need money to buy those things."
"I want receipts," Discord said, in protest. "Receipts for everything."
"Discord," I said, patiently, because I knew he was only being difficult, "we're talking Skyrim here. I'd be surprised if ten percent of the people I'm going to run into even know what a receipt is, never mind have any idea or ability to write one. You're just going to have to trust me."
"Fine," Discord said, harrumphing. "Ten days, and a bag of gold coins. But I want each one accounted for."
"Hey, " I said, remembering the first batch of gold Discord had paid me with. "None of those chocolate gold coins either, okay? I need to be actually able to spend the money you give me. Besides, why are you so worried? You're freaking Discord, what do you care about a little gold?"
"I'm not allowed to just make money out of thin air anymore," Discord said, deflating a bit. "Apparently when you give everyone in Equestria a bag of gold in celebration for Celestia's birthday you're 'causing hyperinflation' and 'sowing economic chaos.' I'm Discord! I'm supposed to be causing a little chaos every so often."
"I'm sure everyone appreciated the gold," I said, patting my boss on the side. "Anyway, as soon as you get me some I should be able to get on my way."
"Where you going?" Derpy asked, coming into the departure area, a stack of papers tucked under one wing.
"Skyrim," I said, smiling at my best friend. "Looks like I'm going to be gone for at least a week. Can you tell Luna about it so she doesn't worry about me?"
"James," Derpy said, handing off the papers to a pony I recognized as working in Requisitions. "Luna is going to worry about you as much as I will. I'm pretty sure she won't be able to see you in your dreams while you are in other worlds."
"We'll just have to take it as it comes," I said, giving Derpy a quick nuzzle for appearances sake. "Help me get ready?"
"Sure," Derpy said, and her dextrous wings plucked my four packages off the table, loading them into my saddlebags. As I stood there, another pony came up and fastened the bags around me, heaving the belly strap tight so it wouldn't slip. I nodded my thanks to the pony just as Derpy slid a couple more things into my bags.
"Some trail rations," she explained, seeing my questioning look. "Compressed alfalfa with molasses. Just in case you do need to bed down out in the wild, or you can't secure a meal. You're a pony, after all. Those people might get a little odd at seeing you looking to buy a meal from them."
"Good point," I said. I'd gotten so used to being a pony after the past few weeks that occasionally I forgot how weird it had been in the beginning.
"You should be going with a full field kit," Derpy said, frowning slightly, which was strange to see on the face of my usually bubbly friend. "Water, fire starting kit, basic medical kit, a good knife, plus a few other things. But we'd have to get you into a full equipment harness to carry all that and I would want one that was made just for you."
"Next time," I said to Derpy. "How do you know so much about all that anyway?"
"I'll tell you one day," Derpy said, her face shifting from serious to a bit mischievous. "When you get back, we'll trot over to Rarity's and get you fitted out for something. I'm sure she'd love to get her hooves on you again."
"What, and make you jealous?" I said, and Derpy snickered as I teased her lightly.
"All set!" Discord announced, breaking up our little moment and passing me a heavy bag labelled 'Swag'. "James, whenever you're ready." I looked up to see the portal taking shape at the far end of the room with Skyrim's distinctive downward pointing arrow over the top of it. I suddenly felt a small tickle on the side of my neck and I looked to see Derpy had her nose pressed to the fur underneath my mane deeply inhaling my scent.
"Hey, it'll be okay," I said, putting the bottom of my head on the top of hers. "I'll see you in ten days, tops."
"Okay," Derpy said. "But you take even one day longer and I'm coming after you."
"Sounds like a plan," I said, smiling as Derpy stepped back and sketched a salute with one grey wing. I tossed one back, spun on my rear hooves and charged forward to plunge toward my next challenge.
Wuld Nah Kest |
Mail Troubles | Akatosh | I think it says something about my mind that a journey between the realms of time and space was becoming routine by now. The once surreal images and concepts that I travelled past were now barely worth my notice, never mind being interesting anymore. On the plus side, it let me put my head down and concentrate on my travelling. I even threw in a couple of loops and rolls just for the hell of it.
So, it was with some surprise that as I neared the obvious and strangely large portal leading toward the realms of Skyrim, a group of nine lights moved to block my path, forcing me to come to a stop. For several moments we just hovered there in space, me and the ring of lights. I tried shifting over to the left, and the lights moved with me. I moved to the right, same thing. Up, down, even looping around, the lights kept blocking me from getting to the portal.
"Well, this is a fine how-do-you-do," I said out loud with a little frustration. "Hey! Flashlights! What gives?"
"It speaks," said one of the lights, in a giggling voice.
"It is disrespectful," said another light, this time in a stern male voice.
"It is a hard worker," a third voice said, male as well.
"Uh, hello?" I ventured. "You know you can talk to me, right? I'm right here."
"Quiet, mewling worm," growled another voice, and my stomach shrank against my spine as something in that growl screamed "predator" at both my human and pony instincts. "We are discussing your fate."
"My fate?" I asked, ignoring both my instincts and the order to be quiet. "Hey, if my fate is being discussed here I think I should have a say in it."
"QUIET!" that same predatory voice said, in a thunder that shook all around me. "YOU SHALL BE SILENT."
A glow of magic appeared around me, blinding me with its light, and when it went away I saw two things right away. First, I had been very thoroughly muzzled. There were openings for my ears, eyes, and nostrils in the device wrapped around my head and nothing else. Second, I was no longer floating in mid-space. I was instead standing on the palm of a dragon's paw.
I followed the paw to the wrist, then the leg, up the body and to the head of the massive dragon who now towered over me. Arrayed around us, in a loose circle, were eight human-like beings bursting with power and light in the entire spectrum. They were all looking down at me, and I almost wet myself as I clued in and realized who they were.
They were the nine Divines of the Elder Scrolls canon. Gods, or at least deathless beings who were so powerful as to be no different than gods, and I had pissed them off. I didn't even bother trying to get the muzzle off or getting around it. If they wanted me to be quiet there was no way I had any chance of stopping them. There are other ways to communicate though, and I bowed in the pony fashion, as deeply as I could to the dragon who held me in his paw.
"Hmm," Akatosh, Dragon God of Time, and ruler of the Divines growled, "it seems the creature is not entirely devoid of sense or courtesy. I will allow you to listen to our deliberations as to whether we should blot out your existence or not." I bowed again to Akatosh and sat down as respectfully as I could.
As God of Time," Akatosh continued, to those around him. "I am in favour of the creature's death. His travels are an affront to time's ordered pace across all of Creation. "
"He is merely doing his job," said a male voice from before. "I, Zenithar, say he should be spared. He is a hard worker, and should be allowed to continue in his work."
"He has been touched by both love and affection," said a melodic, female voice. "I, Dibella, say that his song should not end here and now. He has much music to bring to the universe yet."
"He breaks convention, and the order of things. His mere existence rewrites what has been and what should be," a male figure holding a book said. "I, Julianos, say that the creature's affront to order and logic should end here. He is not even a mage."
The score was tied two for two, with five of the Divines to go. I could only hope that Akatosh would follow a majority view, as it was obvious anything else would result in the paw around me closing shut.
"I have no particular issue with what this creature has done, but all things have their time and there can be few ends as good as being directly destroyed by your will, Father," said a giant man with a spinning wheel above one of his hands. "I, Arkay, say that this creature should find his final rest here, but let it be done painlessly, and with honor."
"He runs and flies, without wings. Even the dragons use wings when they leave the ground," an airy blue haired woman said. "I, Kynareth, say that he should die. What he does is an abomination."
Two to four, with three to go. Unless all of the remaining three were on my side, things were not looking good for this little pony.
"He is a man. Or at least he carries the soul of Men within him," a stocky man said, plainly. "For that alone, I, Talos, say that he should live. There are other reasons this one has favor in my eyes, but his humanity alone is sufficient."
"It is not fair that he has not been given the chance to speak in his defence," another man said, firmly. "I, Stendarr, vote for mercy and say that due to this miscarriage in justice he should go free, with our blessings."
The score was tied, and I pummeled my brain trying to remember who was left. I looked up only to see the last of the titanic figures shrinking down toward me, becoming human sized. A moment later a motherly figure stood before me, and the woman reached out and stroked the side of the device that clamped my mouth shut.
"Such fear, but bravery too," the woman said. "You have both the power and the arrogance of the young. So many possibilities lie before you. Do you know who I am, pony who is a person?" I shook my head, unable to speak still.
"It seems our tribunal is tied," the woman said. "Akatosh, as mine is the final vote, I ask that his fate be mine to decide and shape as I see fit. Do you accept this?"
"As we are tied, I grant you this judgement," Akatosh growled. "But know that this shall not always be so, Mara"
"Thank you, noble Akatosh," Mara said, and a bolt of realization ran through me. Mara was the Mother-Goddess of the pantheon, not to mention she ruled over love, fertility and compassion. If there was any one of the Divines I could count on, it would be her. It seemed pretty darn likely I was going to die another day.
"Ah, you know who I am now?" Mara asked, a smile on her face and I bowed low, rubbing my nose against her sandaled foot. It certainly couldn't hurt to suck up a bit.
"Such reverence, or is it thanks?" Mara asked, and I bounced my head back and forth to show that it was a little of both. "James, you have forgotten something. I have yet to say whether I will spare your life or not."
Fear went through me as I realized she hadn't. I'd merely assumed she was going to. In reaction I tried to step back, and Mara reached out an easy hand to grab me by my collar. She sat herself down, cross-legged and dragged my head and body down into her lap with no effort at all. I lay across one of her legs, with my head and neck held in place by her hand on my muzzle and collar. I was at her complete and total mercy.
"I could kill you now," Mara said, running her free hand down my neck and across my body. "I promise that you will feel nothing but the joy of being held by your very own mother in your final moments. I would even be willing to carry word to her of your fate, if you ask it of me." I tried to shake my head in negation but her hold on me was absolute, and I felt Mara's free hand wrap around my windpipe. Not squeezing, but enough that I knew it was there.
"I have already decided what I'm going to do with you though," Mara said, looking down at me and I did my best to plead to her with my eyes. "I will spare you, but only if you obey my next commands without hesitation. Try to resist, even for a moment, and your end will come."
There was nothing I could do. I couldn't even move my head to show my acceptance or denial. I felt the hand on my throat shift to a spot that would allow Mara to crush my windpipe in an instant if she chose.
"Say nothing, and open your mouth," Mara said, releasing her hand from my collar and muzzle, as she did so the muzzle disappeared and I opened my mouth as wide as I could. A ball of light appeared in her hand, and it moved toward my mouth.
"Swallow," Mara commanded.
I closed my mouth around the sphere and did my best to gulp it down. It burned like a ball soaked in peppermint, with a core of Carolina Reaper sauce that someone had set on fire with an arc welder, and my lungs and throat went into automatic spasm. I felt Mara's hand move on my throat and I thought I was done, until I realized she was stroking my throat, working my swallowing muscles for me.
With a final, quivering gasp, the ball of power passed through my throat and into my belly. From there a warm glow spread to my extremities and settled into my groin in particular. I looked up at Mara, shaping my expression into the best, "Are you kidding me?" I could make.
"Oh, the look on your face," Mara said, laughing a little and taking her hand from my throat. "You have obeyed my command and passed my trial. You shall live, little pony. More, I grant you and yours passage to Nirn." She looked at me expectantly. I said nothing.
"Ah, my apologies," Mara said, stroking my body and ruffling my mane a bit. "You may speak now." I didn't move, but I did get the sense of the other gods moving away from us.
"Um, thank you for not killing me?" I half-said, half-asked. "Am I allowed to know what you've done to me?" Mara laughed, and then did something I hadn't expected. She lifted me up and hugged me to her very ample chest. I'm talking Oktoberfest beer waitress in a corset ample, and for the first time in forever, I didn't feel myself start to react to a type of sexual contact. Not even when she kissed me on the brow.
"I've put a portion of my essence in you," Mara said, holding me close and I swear to Celestia it felt like she was treating me like a stuffed animal. "You've likely already noticed that its given you a little more control over your fertility, and it will help you during your trials to come."
"Trials?" I asked, feeling Mara's head resting on top of my own. "I thought I passed?"
"Ours? Oh, yes," Mara said, running a hand through my tail and curling it around so I could see the green streak now in it. "In fact, you were never in any real danger. But we were not happy to see someone intruding on our realm without even an attempt to ask for permission, plus we had our own purposes for what we did."
"So, the whole thing was a trick to get me to eat that ball?" I asked, noticing the green streak and stomping on my anger as best I could. "I could have refused it?"
"Of course you could have. We would never interfere with your free will," Mara said, smiling down at me. "I would have made sure that your death was as painless as possible."
"B-but you said I was allowed to refuse to eat the ball if I had wanted to," I sputtered, confused and a bit scared.
"I never said that you wouldn't suffer consequences if you refused," Mara said, tapping my nose. "Your soul would have safely made it to its rest. As I said, you were never in real danger." I gulped as I realized my definition of danger and Mara's were vastly different.
"So, um... Can I go now?" I asked, wanting to get the hell out of there before I had a bunch of side quests dumped on me, or before Mara and company decided to force me into another choice that wasn't one.
"So impatient to be on your way. You have willingly taken a portion of our power into you. We now have a degree of dominion over you, and may ask certain tasks of you in the future," Mara laughed, setting me onto my hooves in front of her, and I saw that we were now sitting in a grassy field with the entry portal to Skyrim at one end. "So yes, bold pony, you may be on your way, but a word of caution. While you are in our realm, you will do our bidding as well as that of those who sent you."
"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you, Ma'am" I said, bowing low to the goddess again, and wondering how side quest screwed I was. "Thank you for all your help."
"You're welcome. Oh, one last thing," Mara said, catching me just as I was turning to go. "There will come a time in your future, when you will have a particular need of me. Call my name, and the Diarchs willing, I will come."
"Why would you do that for me?" I asked, puzzled. The gods of the Elder Scrolls loved to screw with mortals, as they had just demonstrated. Offering help in time of need out of the goodness of their hearts was almost unheard of.
"Because, it is my nature," Mara said, turning me firmly towards the portal and whispering in my ear, "and because I watch over all mothers." Before I had a chance to question that, she grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and the top of my hips and tossed me through the portal.
There was the usual sudden pressure feeling around me that I felt after crossing through a portal, and I saw rocky ground hurtling up at me. I'd practiced my landings after a couple or bad touchdowns had wound up embarrassing the crap out of me, and leaving some really interesting bruises. This time however, I landed with my hooves on the ground. Which would have worked fine, if it hadn't of been for the extra forward momentum Mara had given me.
I managed to eat up most of the momentum by pinwheeling my legs, but I just didn't have enough time or space to finish the job and I wound up doing a standing face plant into a wall of rock. Thank god, Skyrim wasn't one of those cartoony worlds or I'm more than sure there would have been a giant sign with "Splat!" over my head.
"Nice cliff, soft cliff," I said, into the stone before slowly peeling my sore muzzle away from the rock wall. I took a few moments to look around me and try to get my bearings. I was in an area with rocky ground, but relatively fair amounts of vegetation. Birds chirped around me, bugs hummed and I saw a few butterflies nearby.
Best of all I was on a rough stone pathway that was leading down from a cave further up the hillside from where I had emerged. I could scarcely believe my luck. If I was right the cave at the top of the path was the one that came out of Helgen. Which would make this the path that led to Riverwood and the tavern there that Delphine ran, in her guise of a common innkeeper.
I started down the pathway, and as I went it became more and more paved, even as the bushes grew a little more common. I rounded a corner and found myself looking at a round platform, overlooking the nearby lake and decorated with three standing stones.
"Hot damn!" I yelled out and went forward to have a look at the stones. As I had expected they were the three standing stones for mage, warrior and rogue. Most importantly their presence meant I was on the right track, which was a good thing as I noticed how low the sun was on the horizon. I did not want to be outside of a town come nightfall.
I trotted along, and as expected the path alongside the river became a small cobblestone like road. I made good time, stopping only to briefly examine the bodies of a pair of long, lean wolves that lay to one side of the road. The Dragonborn had been this way, that was for certain, remembering the trail of corpses I left behind me when playing the game. I picked up my pace only to slow down to barely nothing as I saw the small campsite with soldiers just outside the gate to Riverwood.
Damn. Soldiers there meant the Dragonborn had already come and gone through the place and started his, or her, quest to rid Skyrim of dragons. Oh well, if I was lucky he hadn't taken Delphine yet on her mission to rebuild the Blades.
"Hey, what have we here?" a soldier asked, getting up from his tent and heading towards me. "Looks like one of the villagers lost a pony. Come here, pony. I won't hurt you."
"I'm not lost," I said, watching the soldier jerk with satisfaction. "But thank you for your concern. How safe are the roads?"
"By the Divines," the guard swore, and his hand fell automatically to his sword. "What sort of creature are you? What are your intentions?"
"I come in peace, faithful guardsman," I said, trying to reassure the guy, who was just doing his job after all. "I'm what I appear to be. A pony. I'm a courier, on my way to deliver items."
"I've never heard of a talking pony before," another guard said, walking through the gate from the village. "Maybe it's one of the locals playing a trick on us?"
"Guys," I said, sighing. "You have cat people, lizard people, orcs, at least two kinds of elves, on top of four different flavours of human. You're seriously trying to tell me you have problems with a talking pony?"
"Well, when you put it that way," the new guard said. "Okay then, keep the peace and be on your way."
"Yes sir," I said, stepping through the gates into Riverwood proper and the sounds and smells of the village came to me. A strong man was bent over an open forge nearby, I could hear the hammering from his shop, smell the forge smoke. Beyond that, from the nearby river, came the steady sound of sawing and I could just make out one end of a crude sawmill. The man at the forge laid aside what he had been working on, and I saw him start hanging his tools up on a nearby rack.
"Hello," I said, stepping up to the blacksmith. "Alvor, isn't it?"
"Yes, what can I..." Alvor began, his eyes went wide as he noticed me. "What in Talos' name are you?"
"I'm a courier," I said, nodding respectfully to Alvor. "I've got a delivery for Hadvar's friend and one for Delphine, who I believe runs the inn here?"
"Hadvar's friend?" Alvor asked. "Oh, you mean the stranger. Yes, you missed them by a few days. I told them to head down to Whiterun to see the Jarl. The next day the Whiterun Guard was here to help keep things safe."
"What about Delphine, is she still in town?" I asked, and I noticed the sun was setting. I'd cut my arrival almost too close for safety's sake.
"Oh, she's where she's always been, running the Sleeping Giant," Alvor said, standing up as he put away the last of his tools. "Orgnar is a good sort, but I'm not sure he could run the place if she wasn't around."
"Well, thank you very much," I said, and then an idea hit me. "Say, would there be any chance of me being able to get a meal and a place to sleep from you? I can pay."
"Why don't you want to stay at the inn?" Alvor asked, looking at me with a good bit of suspicion in his eyes.
"I'm a pony," I said, looking up at him. "I'm unusual and strange, and while I do want to get my job done I would honestly feel safer around a family than a bunch of random strangers."
"That makes a fair bit of sense," Alvor said, rubbing his chin, "and my little Dorthe would love to see you. Maybe a little more than that if it's okay with you."
"As long as I don't wake up with my tail braided... again," I said, extending my hoof. "Do we have a bargain, sir?"
"We do," Alvor said, shaking my hoof. "Don't worry about payment, whatever you feel like in the morning will do fine."
"Sounds good, when should I come by for dinner?" I asked, pleased that I'd been able to contract a safer place to stay than a room in an inn. There was no way I was going to be in any danger sleeping in a house with a small girl in it. Well aside from the danger of being treated like a stuffed animal that is.
"Sigrid probably already has dinner going," Alvor said, stepping down from the forge area, as I followed him. "But she always gives me time to get an ale from the inn before I eat."
"That sounds great," I said, noticing I was gathering a few looks. "I can make my delivery there and then we can come back for dinner."
"You can go over to the inn on your own," Alvor said, pausing at his door. "I need to let Sigrid know we're having company for dinner and overnight. Anything in particular she needs to know about your food? We've got some hay around."
"Whatever you're having for dinner should be fine," I said, chuckling slightly. "I'm not big on tons of meat, but other than that I'm okay with anything your wife has ready to go."
"Sounds good," Alvor said, opening his door to go in. "We'll see you in a bit."
I nodded my understanding and headed over toward the Sleeping Giant Inn. More than a few people were headed toward the large porch with it's entrance door, and I gathered a few looks. Surprisingly, little else though. Making my way inside, the place was far, far busier than it ever was in the game, and it reminded me forcibly that I wasn't playing the game. I was actually in Skyrim.
"Hello, is Delphine around?" I asked to the huge man behind the counter, when I finally got to have my turn in front.
"What the hell are you," Orgnar asked, staring down at me.
"I'm a courier," I said, and I began to hear several mutters of surprise behind me. "I've got a delivery for Delphine, is she here?"
"Over here," Delphine said, coming out of a room. "I'm Delphine, you have a delivery for me?"
"Yes Ma'am," I said, walking towards her, ignoring the staring crowd around me.
"In here please, I don't want everyone to see my mail," Delphine said, opening the door to the room for me and I walked in.
"Where should I p-erk," I gurgled as something wrapped around my throat cutting off my air. Through the roaring in my ears I heard the door shut behind me.
"What are you and what are you doing here?" Delphine hissed in my ear, and the garrote she had around my neck loosened just enough for me to suck in a breath.
"Courier," I gasped, trying to pull in more air. "Package. Left saddlebag." The line around my neck loosened off a little more and I was dragged over to the bed in the room. Delphine tied my neck to the foot-board, rendering me barely able to move and she went through the saddlebag, heavy gloves on her hands.
"Package indeed," she said, pulling out what looked like a small book wrapped in paper and studying the label. "Delphine, Riverwood."
"See?" I asked, trying to gain a little more slack in the line. "I'm just here to make a delivery."
"Not so fast," Delphine said, crouching down in front of me and pulling out a wicked looking knife from a fold in her dress. "Who sent this?"
"Just the courier," I said, managing to find a spot where I could breathe. "Do you do this to everyone who brings you a package?"
"Just the ones wearing a form I've never seen in my life," Delphine said, pressing the knife to a spot just under the point of my jaw. "You know more than you're saying."
"Look," I said, caught between the point of the knife and the tightness of the cord around my neck. "I'm a courier. Yes, I know where the package is from but you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me," Delphine said, lowering the knife an inch. "Just so you know, I'll be able to tell if you're lying."
"Oookay then," I said, hoping she could handle the truth. "I'm a transformed human from an alternate dimension working for a Spirit of Chaos who has resolved to send things to people in other worlds so as to make life more interesting in the universe."
I stopped, having to breathe and having said my piece. Delphine's face was just a few inches from mine and she stared into my eyes trying to determine if what I said was true. I stared right back, up until the moment there was a burst of pressure and a snapping sound. The strangling cord fell away, and I took my first deep breath in minutes.
"That has got to be the second craziest story I've ever heard," she said, helping me stand up. "But I believe you. Sorry about the rough treatment, but you wouldn't believe how dangerous being an inn owner can be."
"No worries," I said, rubbing my throat. "What convinced you?"
"Other than the fact that you're the first talking horse I've ever seen in Tamriel?" Delphine asked, to which I nodded. "There's also the fact that no one would invent something like that just to bring me a package."
"Well, thanks for not killing me," I said, pointedly not looking at the wardrobe against the wall that I knew would slide out. "I appreciate it."
"You know a lot more than you're telling, aren't you?" Delphine said, and I knew she was trying to decide if she should kill me on the spot to keep herself safe.
"Yes, and just like I kept things from you, I'll keep things from other people," I said, and I saw her relax a bit.
"I can't ask anymore than that," Delphine said, shaking her head. "Sorry. Let me make it up to you. Some coins for your troubles." She pulled a small bag that clinked heavily from a spot by her bed.
"Thank you," I said, stashing the bag alongside Discord's. A few moments later I was leaving the inn and I swear every eye in the room was on me.
"What are you all staring at?" Delphine asked in a loud voice behind me. "Never see a special courier before? Fast as anything."
I chuckled to myself as I left the inn. Delphine, bless her, was normalizing my appearance by calling me a 'special courier.' The only problem would be if someone decided that I was worth robbing. Hopefully I would be able to outrun anything that came after me. I was still wondering about that as I retraced my steps and knocked on Alvor's door.
"Ah, it's the little courier," Alvor said, Nord hospitality to the fore as he opened the door and looked down at me. "Come in friend."
"Thank you for your hospitality," I said, then I saw a tall red-haired woman setting places at the table. "You must be Sigrid, thank you for taking in a weary traveller."
"Think nothing of it," Sigrid said, but I could see my courtesy pleased her. "When my husband told me that we would be guesting a courier, I didn't truly believe him when--"
"A pony!" a little girl shouted, tackling me and I hung on for dear life while the girl did a great imitation of an anaconda. "You got me a pony! I'll be so good to him. I'll feed him and take him for walks and brush him every day... "
"Dorthe--" Alvor tried to interject.
"... and water him and change his bedding and... " Dorthe kept on with all the ways she was going to take care of me.
"Dorthe--" Sigrid said, trying to get a word in edgewise.
"Oh, and just wait until I show Frodnar!" Dorthe boasted, and I could see her parents exchange a worried glance, trying to figure out how they were going to pry their daughter off of me.
"Hi there," I said, deciding to take a hoof in matters, and Dorthe let go of me, stumbling back in shock.
"He TALKS!" Dorthe shouted, followed by a delighted gasp so deep I was worried about the oxygen level in the room. Alvor, seeing his chance, swooped in and scooped his daughter up into his arms.
"You are the best father ever!" Dorthe squealed, hugging her father so hard I thought his eyeballs were going to pop out. Sigrid rolled her eyes in exasperation and shrugged at me. I smiled back to let her know I was fine and no harm was done. It shouldn't take long to convince the little girl that I wasn't some incredible pet her father had gotten for her, right?
Right? |
Mail Troubles | Acquired | Dinner had been surprisingly good. Basic stuff, but healthy and filling. Beef stew, swimming with chunks of vegetables, thick slices of bread with lots of butter, and the ever popular wheel of cheese made an appearance. Afterward I had asked about Hadvar's friend, who turned out to be a tall, dark Nord. At least I had a bit of a description to go on now. I also asked about how safe the roads were. Alvor gave me a big rundown, but it was summed up by two words. Not safe.
Afterwards, I was offered a bed and climbed into it gratefully. It did not take long however for me to have company though. Little Dorthe, snuggled right up against my back and pulled me in close to her. Alvor shooed her right out, having seen it all as the beds were all in the same common room. Three times Alvor shooed her out and three times she tried to sneak back in not five minutes later.
"It's not a problem," I told Alvor, and to Dorthe I said, "But no mane braiding. Deal?"
"Fine," Dorthe said, pouting a bit in her sack-like nightgown. "But I get to snuggle until it's time to get up, right?"
"Sounds good," I said, feeling myself pulled in tight, like a big stuffed animal. "Time for sleep."
"Okay, pony," Dorthe said, and I could feel her cheek against my fur. I've heard it said that kids emit some sort of subatomic radiation that makes adults sleep. "Sleepions" I think they were called. Regardless though, the food and the warmth had me nodding off in very short order. So, it was with little surprise that I found myself on a grassy field under a moonlit sky.
"Luna?" I asked, out loud realizing I was in a dream. "Is that you? Are you out here?" There was no response. I looked around in case one of those things that had tried to feed off my fear in the dream realm was coming after me again. Still nothing.
"Your princess of the moon isn't here, my bold pony," a honey warm voice said from behind me. I whirled in place, lashing out with my rear hooves, only to have my motion arrested in mid-spin as something as rigid as an iron bar grabbed my collar and refused to let go. I was pulled around slowly and saw the smiling face of Mara staring back at me. Once she saw that I had recognized her she let go of me with that deceptively slim arm of hers and stepped back a pace.
"Goddess Mara," I said, bowing low to the point where my nose touched the grass. "I didn't know you could be in dreams."
"Foolish mortal child," Mara laughed, and her well formed bust made interesting motions I tried my best not to watch. "All mothers dream of their children, and so, the dream realm is open to me."
"Oh, I guess that makes sense," I said, sitting up onto my haunches. "So, um, what brings you to my dream?"
"When last we met, you became my little pony," Mara said, chuckling. We both knew I'd been given no choice in the matter, but it was polite of her to pretend there was. "That comes with the obligation to do the bidding of me and my brethren while you walk the face of Nirn."
"Side quest time, eh?" I asked, and Mara laughed again as she moved both of her arms behind her back. "You're doing that deliberately, aren't you?"
"Of course I am," Mara laughed, leaning a little closer toward me, and I noticed that one of the strings holding her faux-Bavarian top was loose. "I am a fertility goddess after all."
"Um, thank you? I guess," I said, not wanting to insult a being who could squash me in an instant if she chose. "What did you need me to do?" Mara brought her arms back around in front, tossing a white sphere up and down. As she bounced it around, I saw that it wasn't round, but was shaped like one of those many sided dice gamers used. My heart sank as I recognized it.
"Meridia's Beacon," Mara said, pleased that I knew what she had in her hand. "You will take this and place it in the chest guarded by the bandit known as 'Hajvarr.' I leave the how up to you."
"Yes, Ma'am," I said, bowing low. "If I may ask, where can I find this Hajvarr guy?"
"He and his men have a stronghold in a cave system overlooking Whiterun, which I believe is your next destination," Mara said, with a sly smile that told me that either she or one of the others had been keeping an eye on me. "They call the place 'White River Watch.' A word of advice however."
"Yes?" I asked, cocking my head up at her.
"As the princesses of your realm would say, 'Make some friends'," Mara said, before fading away.
I woke up to find that Dorthe had woken before me and found her finishing off weaving a long ribbon into a braid she had made in my tail. I looked at her over my body for a long minute, before I spoke.
"I thought I said no braids?" I asked her, keeping my voice low to keep from waking the girl's parents.
"You said no braiding your mane, this is your tail," Dorthe said, smiling as she took a needle and thread, running a couple of stitches through the ribbon for some reason.
"Fine, done yet?" I asked, surrendering the round to the impeccable logic of a little girl.
"Yup," she said, giving the braid a light tug. "I don't like doing lady stuff, but it doesn't mean I can't. Now the ribbon won't come undone."
"I'm going to take a quick walk outside, okay?" I asked her, and immediately saw a look of hurt in her eyes. "I just want to take a quick walk around. I'll be back for breakfast."
"Okay," Dorthe said, mood restored as she gave me a hug that would put a python to shame. We slipped out of bed to the door and she opened it to let me out, giving me a quick pet as I walked past her.
I waited until I stepped out into the pre-dawn light to roll my eyes at the girl's method of affection. Not her fault that Discord had set me up as a cute pony and she meant well. For such a harsh world it was nice to see some pure happiness in it. No one seemed to be awake yet, other than a couple of guards at the upstream entrance to town.
I walked out the downstream entrance and stood by the river, just watching the water flow past and inhaling the crisp, clean air. Everything seemed to hold an extra degree of sharpness to it, feeling more alive than either back home on Earth or Equestria. It's probably why I didn't notice that I was being hunted.
I heard a quick whistle of air, followed by a sharp pain in one of my hips. I tried to react to the pain, to try to turn to see what had hit me, but it was like every muscle in my body had locked solid. At least my eyes were able to move as I fell to my side, one of my forelegs dangling in the river. Fast moving steps crunched up behind me and something was jammed into my mouth.
Straps were tightened around my head, and I realized that my attacker had bitted and bridled me. A second later and the paralysis that had seized my body released. I kicked out my back legs as hard as I could but hit nothing. The bridle pulled my head around and up, just as something else was jammed into my mouth, and I felt a bitter liquid splash against my tongue and over the bit that was keeping my mouth open. My limbs locked up again, and Faendal the Bosmer elf busied himself locking hobbles onto me while the potion he had force fed me held me still.
"Camilla will see that I'm the better man," the elf said under his breath. "Hadvar's friend might have fixed it so she likes Sven, but let's see how long that lasts."
The second dose of paralysis poison wore off just as he finished locking the last hobble onto me and pulling all four of my legs against each other. With a clink of metal I looked up at him and made a sound that I hoped translated to "What the fuck, man?"
"Stay quiet and still, or I'll dose you again. Understood?" he asked, and I realized that no one could see us where we were. Hobbled, with my mouth wedged open by the bit there was no way I could keep him from shoving more crap down my throat, so I nodded my understanding.
"Good," he said, then he knelt on my side, pinning me to the ground. There was a pulling motion followed by a sharp pain from my ass and I saw an arrow being thrown into the river. Then he hoisted me up onto his shoulders and carried me away like a deer he'd shot down.
"Not far to go," Faendal said, as he carried me around the side of town that fetched up against the mountainside. I looked around, hoping to see someone around, but no one was in sight as Faendal carried me into a small house that I assumed was his. I let out an explosive grunt as he levered me off his shoulders and onto a small bed.
"Whag ghe heww, mam?" I garbled past the bit. Now that I'd been forced to live with it for a few minutes I realized Faendal had adapted something meant for a full sized horse. Which meant, that if I had a few moments without him watching me I should be able to get some slack from the straps and slip free.
"Just a moment," Faendal said, pulling yet another potion bottle out of his belt and holding me down as I tried to thrash away. A couple of seconds later my tongue was covered in a warm liquid that tasted of pure honey, and I felt the pain in my ass cheek wash away in the healing flow.
"There you are," the elf said, running a hand over my butt and smoothing the hairs there. "Can't give Camilla damaged goods after all. Let's get you up." Faendal picked me up off the bed and stood me on my too close together hooves. Tying off the lines of the bridle to the foot of the bed, he started brushing me down.
"C'mom, wou bom'g have go bo ghif. We cam gawk aboug ghif," I said, trying to form words around the metal bar that held down my tongue. I could have been shouting in Klingon for all the good it did me. Faendal didn't even react.
"She'll see," he kept saying under his breath. "I'll show her I'm better than Sven when I give her the most unique creature in all of Skyrim."
Losing Camilla and having his fake letter revealed must have completely unhinged him, I realized. My best options were to either try to get loose and run for it when he eventually went to give me to Camilla Valerius, or to go along with things and get Camilla to free me after Faendal gave me to her. I was just damned lucky he was a good shot, otherwise his arrow could have killed me instead of just injecting me with that poison.
"There you go," Faendal said, several minutes later as he put aside the brush and curry comb. "Now you look good enough for the fairest woman in all of Skyrim." I moved my hooves a bit, trying to steady myself.
"I'm going to get your new owner for you now, are you going to be good?" Faendal said, and I nodded in response.
Which is when the bastard looped a noose around my neck and pulled it up tight off of one of the beams in the ceiling, leaving me not quite strangling. It was a crude but effective way to keep me in place. If I tried to move, I'd cut off my air. With my hooves fastened to each other by the hobbled I couldn't reach up to undo the noose or try to get the bridle off.
My only option would be to try to flip myself onto my back and pray that I could undo the noose before I strangled. Those were not odds I wanted to test, so I settled for concentrating on staying on my hooves. I was wobbling pretty good when Faendal came back.
"Camilla please, let me just show you what I have for you," he said, standing in the open door and looking back. "Owning him will make the Riverwood Trader famous. People will come from all around to shop and buy things from you and Lucan."
"Fine, but only a couple of minutes," Camilla said, walking in through the door past Faendal. "This had better..." Her voice trailed off as she saw me.
"Geg me ghe fuck oug of ghif," I gasped to Camila, and her mouth opened in a little "o" of surprise.
"Faendal, you idiot," Camilla said, pulling out a belt knife and cutting the noose that kept me in place. "This little pony is an Imperial Courier. Do you know the penalties for what you've done?"
"What?" Faendal said, trying to wrap his head around the fact that his "gift" wasn't turning out the way he planned. "Imperial Courier? What are you talking about? He's just an animal that's been trained to make deliveries and pretend to talk."
"No, Faendal," Camilla said, reaching down to undo the chains that connected my hobbles. "He actually talks. He made a delivery last night to Delphine and spoke to Ognar. Everyone in the inn heard him, people were talking about it all night."
"I... I haven't been in the Sleeping Giant since--" Faendal began, and I could see the realization begin on his face at what he had done.
"Since Hadvar's friend showed me the letter you wrote," Camilla said, interrupting him. "The one you tried to use to make me hate Sven."
"I just wanted to give you something special, something unique to show you how I feel about you," Faendal said, head hanging and shoulders slumping in defeat.
"I know," Camilla said, clipping a set of reins Faendal had handy, to my bridle, "and I thank you for him. You realize that I'm going to have to hide him until they stop looking for him?"
I looked at Camilla in shock as she looped the reins around one of her wrists and began to walk out of the house, pulling me with her. I could barely believe it. The woman actually intended to keep me as some sort of display piece at the Riverwood Trader.
"So, does this mean you love me?" Faendal said, the hope in his eyes almost more than I could bear and I realized what had pushed him into doing what he had done.
"It means that I'm willing to give you another chance," Camilla said, pulling me out into the early morning daylight. "This could be just what I need to convince Lucan to try to bring in some more customers."
"Awe wou beobwe aww cwazw?" I demanded, digging my hooves into the ground.
"Either you cooperate," Camilla said softly, into my ear, "Or I'll have Faendal slit your throat right here, right now. A stuffed pony won't be as good as a live one, but if you give me any trouble I have no problems with that." I gulped as I realized that she was dead serious, and I resumed a normal walking stance.
"Good pony, I can tell that we'll get along fine," Camilla said, and I followed along, with Faendal bringing up the rear. Luck was with me though as not five minutes later we ran smack into Alvor and Dorthe.
"You found him!" Alvor said, then frowning a moment later as it became obvious I was a captive. "What's going on here, Camilla?"
"Pony!" Dorthe said, shooting forward past Camilla to grab onto me. "I was worried when you didn't come back. Father and I have been looking everywhere."
"Dorthe, move away from them. Now," Alvor said, in a voice that brooked no dissent and he pulled a heavy blacksmith's hammer from his belt. Dorthe looked at me with surprise on her face, but moved away when I made a shoo'ing motion with my head.
"It's my fault," Faendal said, coming up to me and beginning to work the bridle straps. "I was so upset about Camilla rejecting me that I thought I could give the pony to Camilla as a gift."
"And that she would take you back," Alvor finished for the elf, before looking Camilla in the eye. "That doesn't explain why you're dragging him off like a Stormcloak to his execution."
"I... that is," Camilla sputtered.
"Camilla was going to use me as an attraction for Riverwood Trader," I said, as Faendal pulled the bridle free. "But not until the heat died down."
"Camilla, you're from High Rock," Alvor said, shaking his head. "So you might not know that this isn't how we do things in Skyrim. By Ysmir, I've a mind to give you a good thrashing. Pony, you're the one they harmed, what do you think we should do with them?"
"Nothing," I said. Alvor looked surprised, Dorthe smiled, Camilla looked speculative and Faendal looked like a beaten man. "When this gets out their reputations in Riverwood are going to be ruined. That's what I want done to them. I want people to know what they tried to do and why."
"You can't do that!" Camilla exclaimed, her face going pale. "You'll ruin me and Lucan. We'll be run out of town, in the middle of another war."
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to hold me captive and threaten to have me killed if I tried to resist," I said, anger in my voice. "Faendal, I can kind of forgive. What he did was bad, but he did it because he was blinded by passion, but you... you made a conscious decision to do something wrong. You had the chance to do the right thing and all you could see was a pile of gold coins."
"It wasn't like that!" Camilla protested. "Faendal made--"
"Do we need to get the guards and let the Jarl decide this?" I asked, and Camilla closed her mouth and slowly shook her head.
"I'll go pack my things," Faendal said, still not looking up. "You'll never have to worry about me again."
"I think the courier is being very reasonable," Alvor said, folding his arms over his chest. "You should be thankful he isn't insisting the Jarl be brought into this."
"I'll go tell Lucan what's happened," Camilla said, and we let her turn and walk away.
"Faendal, don't go quite yet," I said, as an idea came to me. "How would you like to make it up to me?"
"I'd like nothing better, but no one is going to forgive or forget this," the Bosmer said, spreading his hands wide.
"What if you weren't around for people to get mad at?" I asked Faendal. "What if people saw you doing the right thing?"
"What do you mean?," Faendal asked, finally looking at me. "What could I possibly do to make up for all this?"
"Skyrim is a dangerous place," I said, matter of factly. "I'm not a fighter, and there's a civil war going on. I could use a bodyguard and I know for a fact you're a good shot with that bow of yours." Faendal had the grace to look embarrassed
"I've got three deliveries left," I continued to the elf, who had that look of hope again in his eyes. "Keep me alive until I'm done my job in Skyrim is done and I'll consider us even."
"I'll do it," Faendal said. "From this point on, I'll guard your hide like it was my own."
"Alright then," I said, holding out a hoof which Faendal gravely shook. "Go grab whatever you think you're going to need and meet me back at Alvor's in half an hour."
"Tell you what," I said, seeing the sun nearly at its peak and knowing I was going to have to run to make Whiterun before dark. "Next time I'm by this way you can make something for me, okay?"
"Whatever you need," Alvor said, shaking my hoof, and then looking over at Faendal standing behind me. "You take care of my friend, understood."
"On my honour," Faendal said, hand over his heart. "The only way anything will hurt him is over my dead body." Alvor nodded, Dorthe tried to strangle me one last time, and Faendal and I set off down the road that headed toward Whiterun and other places.
It was a bright sunny day and I alternated between trotting and cantering while my bodyguard loped behind me in a surprisingly efficient jog. I probably should have just done a fast walk, but I still had that problem with my canter being off every few strides and I really wanted to even it out. Long Strides had been firm that the only real cure for it was practice, practice, practice. So that's what I did for the next few hours as I travelled along the uneven stones of the road.
The sun still had a couple of hours to go before it touched the far horizon, when we reached the point of decision. We could go cross the bridge to my left and head over to Whiterun. Pick up some supplies, maybe hire the wagon to get me to either Solitude or Riften with ease and safety.
Or, I could go follow the road ahead. A little further on, I knew there would be a path going up the steep hillside to a guarded cave entrance. Once inside, there would be an old blind guy, but everyone else would be armed and on their guard. I could probably bullshit our way through all of them, as other than excessively grabby ten year old girls and love sick elves, everyone seemed to respect my status as a courier.
However, that would take a lot of time, and considering what time of day it was we would be looking at night by the time we got out of there. Bodyguard or not, I did not want to be outside of a city or town after dark.
"We've got a delivery in the hills up here," I explained to Faendal, who just stood there, catching his breath. "But I don't want to be outside after sundown, any suggestions?"
"We could," Faendal began, pausing again to catch his breath. "We could stop in at Whiterun. There are rooms to rent at the inn there, we could even make a courtesy call on Jarl Balgruuf."
"Ya, I think you're right," I said, turning to my left. "Let's go visit Whiterun." |
Mail Troubles | Aggrieved Again | Whiterun was big. No, I mean really, really big. I remember playing the game, and from the spot on the bridge to the front gates it was like five minutes, tops, to get into town. It took us half an hour at a jog to make it around to the front gates. Which were protected by more than the two or three guards I was used to seeing.
Multiple groups, each made up of four big armored men and distinctive in their helmets and horsehead shields, watched us approach. There was a pretty big crowd on the road as well, who were either on their way into the city before the sun fell, or headed out to one of the dozens of small, sturdy, Nord homes that Faendal and I had passed on the way up here. It wasn't until we actually reached the gates themselves that we were challenged.
"Halt, state your business in Whiterun," a guard said. He was a big guy. Balgruuf seemed to hire for size in his guard force, like Napoleon did for his Old Guard. The large man stood between us and the city, just as the last of the sun began to slide off the buildings.
"We seek shelter for the night," Faendal said, being careful to keep his hands from his weapons and his tone of voice respectful. "We thought we could rent a bed in one of the inns. Is there any problem with that, guard?"
"As long as you keep your bow unstrung and the Jarl's peace intact," the guard said, stepping aside. "You and your pet are welcome in Whiterun. Make sure to clean up any messes he makes, eh?"
"Thank you, guard," Faendal said, making a show of unstringing his bow, then taking the bowstring and putting it away in his pack. "We will keep the peace."
"See that you do," the guard said, as a last comment before turning to a group behind us.
If the outside of Whiterun had been impressive while jogging around its outside, nothing could have prepared me for what was inside the walls. The place was packed with people of all sizes, shapes and colours everywhere. Elves, humans, even a couple of Orcs, milled around in what sounded like a dozen languages. Over it all, I could hear the distinctive sound of metal being worked from the forge that I knew had to be just up ahead and to the right.
"Hey, I'd like to order something from Warmaiden's," I said to Faendal. "Won't take a second."
"We should try to rent a room in an inn first," Faendal said, frowning a bit. "With night coming there'll be a rush on. Unless..."
"Unless what?" I said, pausing in my mission to head to the famous blacksmith. I wanted to find out if she really did sound like Susan Ivanova.
"We could always pay a visit to Dragonsreach itself and see if the Jarl would guest us for the night," Faendal said, rubbing his chin while the crowd moved and flowed around us. It was kind of nice that no one seemed to be freaking out that the elf was talking to a pony, who was talking back.
"That's not a bad idea," I said, thinking out loud. "In fact, it's a pretty good idea. We can plead my status as a courier. From what I hear the Jarl is a pretty decent sort, and we would definitely be safe for the night. Let's go."
"What did you want to get from the blacksmith's?" Faendal asked, as we turned aside to walk up the hill.
"Oh, I was wanting to commision or buy a couple of pieces of jewelry," I said, as I pictured Derpy wearing a ruby necklace and Luna with a silver cuff bracelet.
"Oh ho," Faendal said, a smile crossing his face. "I've seen that look on my own face before. You've got a special lady in mind. Or, is that a special mare?"
"Mares, plural," I said, still seeing the smiles on their faces as I gave the gifts to them. "I'm good friends with both of them. Beyond that, things are still kind of complicated. Besides, it never hurts to give a lady something pretty."
"Not unless it's an amulet of Mara," Faendal replied, as we made our way into the market circle at the top of the first hill. "Especially if she doesn't return the sentiment."
I felt a phantom hand slide down my mane and along my spine at the name of the goddess who had staked a claim on me. My body twitched in a involuntary full body shake to throw off the feeling. If anything though, the feeling of hands on my body intensified as the phantoms traced the outlines of an immaterial harness being strapped to my body.
"Harnessed to my purpose," a voice whispered in my ear, and I was about to reply when the feeling of tightening belts left my body. I looked up, to see Faendal looking back down at me in concern.
"It's nothing," I said, reassuring the elf. "Mara likes to remind me occasionally that she has plans for me."
"You'll have to tell me about that," the elf said, as we pushed up the hill to the upper areas of the city, and as we did I was sure I could hear a feminine giggle.
We emerged up onto a large, round plaza that was dominated by a massive tree. The sucker had to be at least a hundred feet tall and a solid ten across. I recognized Gildergreen in an instant, even though I was once again taken aback by how big everything was compared to how it had been in the game. Even that crazy Talos preacher wasn't alone, but instead was the head of a group of evangelists. I laughed out loud as a thought hit me.
"What's so funny?" my companion asked, staying in front of me to clear a path for us.
"He's preaching about Talos," I said, and Faendal made a 'go on' gesture. "He's a Talovangelist." I laughed some more, and my bodyguard looked at me like I was a crazy person.
"We should get a move on if we want to get there before dinner," he said, trying to restore some sanity to our relationship. I sobered, nodding in agreement and we both stepped forward briskly through the crowd while I did my best to stop rubbernecking at everything.
"It's almost supper," complained the guard at the door to the entrance to Dragonsreach, when we got there about fifteen minutes later. "The Jarl isn't hearing any more petitioners today."
"My companion is a courier," Faendal said, as I trailed in his wake. "We've come to request the Jarl's hospitality for the night."
"That's a pony, not a courier," the guard said, displeasure in his voice. "Off with you and your cheap tricks, elf."
"I am a courier," I said, piping up and I could see the guard's eyes bulge, even through his helmet. "Are you going to be the one to have to explain why you turned away such an unusual creature as myself from the Jarl's court?"
"Not sure if you're pulling a fast one, elf," the guard said. His voice was still dour, but he put his hand on the door to open it. "But even if you are, the Jarl would be interested in seeing how you're doing it. Okay, you can go in. Talk to Avenicci and he'll assign you a place."
We went on in, and the place wasn't all that full. Almost immediately Faendal and I were noticed by two separate individuals with very different agendas.
"A pony? I want him!" declared a young girl wearing very nice clothes. "Steward, fetch me that pony."
"I believe he already belongs to someone," said a tall man, who I recognized as Proventus Avenicci. The guy had only given my character about eight thousand quests to kill bandits, so his features were pretty familiar to me. Ignored, the little girl stomped off in a huff to complain to someone else about not getting what she wanted.
"This is a courier who seeks the Jarl's hospitality for the night," Faendal said, indicating me. "With the war and everything else..." He let his voice trail off.
"As long as you don't mind sleeping in the Great Hall, we have room for you," Avenicci said, misunderstanding my bodyguard's comment, and checking some notes. "Please take a seat at one of the lower benches."
Faendal and I looked at each other and we both sort of gave a "whatever" shrug, while the steward turned to talk to some other people. We were just settling ourselves at the table when a mountain of a man stepped in front of us.
"What's this then?" said the bearded wall of armored muscle. "I knew security here was terrible but this isn't right. My brother doesn't allow pets in his hall."
"Faendal may be an elf," I said, deciding to put a stop to this whole thing here and now. "But he's no pet."
"By the Nine, it talks," Hrongar said, taking a step back and putting his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Walks, talks, slices, dices and makes julienne fries," I said, and with deliberate calm I picked up a heel of bread and took a bite. "Anything I can do for you?"
"What seems to be the matter, Hrongar?" Jarl Balgruuf said, from the high table. I tried to keep calm as guards began to surround us, taking their cue from the Jarl's brother.
"I don't, I can't believe it, brother," Hrongar said, leaning forward. "There's a little pony here at the table. Sitting, eating and talking like a regular person."
"Talking? Irileth, bring this new wonder of the Age forward," Balgruuf said. The housecarl came down the line of tables to stand beside Hrongar, half drawing her sword.
"Are you going to come with me, or do I have to make you?" the grumpy Dunmer asked, staring at me.
"Come on, Faendal," I said, putting down the piece of bread. "Looks like we get to meet the Jarl." Escorted past the diners who looked and pointed at us, we quickly found ourselves standing in front of the Jarl of Whiterun.
"By Ysmir, it's true. A talking little pony, here in my hall," Balgruuf said, gesturing with an eating knife. "Do you really speak, or is this some sort of trick by the elf. No offense, elf. If it is a trick, it's a good one."
"I'm a courier, noble Jarl," I piped up, bowing low to the man. "As such, I have the powers of speech and reason. Faendal here is my protector."
"Protector?" Balgruuf said, raising an eyebrow even as he waved most of the guards away. "Couriers don't need protection. If there is one thing the Empire and the Stormcloaks agree on, it is that the person of a courier is not to be touched."
"As you may notice, I am not a person. In the strictest sense," I said, indicating my furry chest. "I'm a pony. There is a war on, dragons in the skies, and there's been at least one attempt to chain me to a stall for the rest of my life." Faendal tried to hide his embarrassment, but Balgruuf picked up on it.
"What say you, elf?" Balgruuf said, his tone sharpening. "Did you have something to do with what this po--courier is telling me." Faendal looked like he'd been hit with the Jarl's axe as he stood there, open mouthed and trying to find something to say in his defence.
"He did, great Jarl," I said, and I saw a storm gather behind the Jarl's eyes. "But he did so out of misguided love for the wrong woman. When he realized how wrong his actions were, he asked my forgiveness and offered to protect me in my travels, even if it should cost him his own life. I accepted his offer and his apology."
"And now he travels with you, paying off his debt of honor like a true Nord," Balgruuf said, nodding as the rising fury behind his eyes dissipated. "I can respect someone working to overcome their past. Very well, come and sit here near me. I'm sure you have many stories to tell of your travels, and I'm sure my court would like to hear them. Proventus, see to it that our friends here have a bed tonight. Wouldn't want anyone to think they're part of the common rabble now."
After that things went pretty well. The food was great. The meal at Alvor's had been plain, but hearty. This was rich and savory food, and I even got to try a sweet roll. Holy crap, those things were good. Conversation ebbed and flowed around us as the meal progressed, but things got a little dicier though when the topic got to the civil war.
"Who do you think has the right of it?" Farengar asked me. He'd been looking at me in a weird way all through the meal. I don't know what it was, but something in the look screamed, "THREAT" to every one of my pony instincts.
"May I tell a small story?" I asked, looking at my host for permission.
"We Nords love stories and songs," Balgruuf said, smiling. "Go right ahead, little courier."
"The land I live in now, is ruled by two immortal pony sisters," I began, noticing a woman writing down my words. "Light and dark. One rules during the day, the other by night. All their lands benefited from their wise and loving rule. But the sister that watched over the night did not get the praise and honours she thought were her due. Enraged by what she saw as disrespect, she rose up in rebellion against her sister."
"Wait, you said they're immortal. Are they Divine?" Hrongar asked, looking somewhat offended.
"Some call them goddesses, but they don't call themselves that," I said, mollifying the big Nord. "They are however, very powerful. Being blessed with the greatest strengths of all three of the pony tribes."
"Three tribes?" came from Farengar. "There are three different kinds of your people?"
"Yup," I tossed back. "There are pegasi, whose wings give them the power of flight and control over the weather. Unicorns, whose horns give them the power to cast spells and use magic at will. Finally, there are Earth ponies like myself. We draw power from the earth, giving us great strength and endurance."
"A good attribute for a courier," Balgruuf said, nodding sagely.
"Exactly so, Jarl Balgruuf," I said, continuing. "So, as you can imagine, when the Sisters fought, their battle nearly tore the sky itself in half as they fought with hoof, wing and horn."
"They fought a duel, then," Balgruuf said, a small smile touching his lips. "Kept everyone else out of it, and worked it out between themselves. Good for them. What happened?"
"Fueled by her fury and rage, the younger sister began to overcome the elder, determined to bring Night Eternal to their kingdom. At last, she who ruled the day had no choice but to summon the seven most powerful magical artifacts in all the land to her side," I said, knowing I was stretching the story a bit. "Using their power, she banished the Night Princess to the moon for a thousand years, until a magic could be created to cleanse the anger and jealousy from her sister's heart."
"It sounds like almost a perfect ending," Hrongar said. "No one got hurt, other than the one sister and things were over quickly."
"Not quickly," I said, seeing eyebrows twitch in surprise. "You see, the younger sister had a point. She really hadn't been getting the respect she was due, and it was only after everything was said and done that the older sister realized that much of the blame for what had happened lay at her hooves as well." I took a breath.
"And at every sunrise and sunset, she sang a song of sorrow and regret to her sister, trapped on the moon so very far away," I said, and then I gave them the words to the lullaby that Luna had heard coming up to her from Equestria, every night for a thousand years.
"Why don't you sing it yourself, pony?" the woman who had been writing down everything I'd been saying.
"I'm a pony," I said, laughing. "I can't sing worth beans. If I tried it would just come out as braying." I didn't want to admit that pony or person, I couldn't carry a tune in a basket.
"Do I have your permission to try? You said it was a lament, yes?" she asked, and I nodded my permission. The whole hall went silent as the woman began to sing.
"Did I get it right?" she asked, in the silence that followed after the last notes of her voice.
It was all I could do to nod. She hadn't just gotten it right, she'd gotten it perfectly. Every note had been coated with Celestia's sorrow and regret over what she had been forced to do. Every person in the hall had felt the pain of the Solar Sister as she had risen and lowered the moon, each day for a thousand years.
"So, you are no brute beast after all, something of a poet perhaps," Farengar said, breaking the silence. "I see the point you were trying to make through the song, however. There is always pain when brother fights brother, or sister fights sister in the case of your people."
"This is why my side is the side of Whiterun," Balgruuf rumbled from his chair, his voice pitching to carry through the hall. "You've done us a service pony, by reminding us why this damn war needs to end, and soon."
"Courier," the woman said to me, approaching the table. "May I have your permission to perform this song in the future, for others?"
"Ya, um... yes, you have my permission," I said, mainly because it would have been a crime to deny her after that kind of performance.
She inclined her head in thanks, and a strange expression crossed her face. Happiness, and greed combined, along with something else I just couldn't recognize. As she went back to where she had been sitting, I noticed that several of the diners had begun to get up and start to leave. Apparently, the song had been a cue that the meal was over and now was the time for after dinner things.
"Courier," Balgruuf said, addressing me. "I would like to have a word or two with you. Your protector may come as well."
"Sure," I said, getting up from the table. Faendal and I fell in behind the Jarl, who waved Farengar over to join us. The four of us made our way over to the court wizard's work room and office.
"I have a job for you of my own, little courier," the Jarl said, once we were somewhat private. "I'd like you to deliver a letter to Ulfric Stormcloak and General Tullius of the Legion, inviting them here to discuss a truce, maybe even the start of negotiations. Whiterun isn't High Hrothgar, but it is central to all of Skyrim and we've kept ourselves apart from both sides, so far. I'll make the task worth your while."
"I don't know, Jarl," I said, thinking it over. "It's not that I don't want to help you, but I still have deliveries to make, and I'd like to get home sometime soon."
"Which of the Nine do you look to, pony?" Balgruuf asked, sounding a little irritated that I hadn't accepted the job right off the bat. "I can only think that a follower of Arkay would deny a chance at ending the fighting."
"Arkay is a bit of a suck up to his daddy," I said, remembering my meeting with the Divines, and I got the weirdest sensation on the back of my neck. Like someone was trying to pull me backwards, but I ignored it and pressed on. "It's just that I have someone waiting back home for me. Besides, it's not like Nirn is the only game out--"
My words were cut off as a sudden voice thundered in my head, "YOU SHALL NOT REVEAL THE NATURE OF THEIR REALITY TO THEM. ONLY OUR CHOSEN PROPHETS SHALL DO SO."
I had a sudden flash of insight. Those bastards. The assholes at Bethesda hadn't ever needed to create lore for the Elder Scrolls series. The assholes had been taking fucking dictation the whole time from the gods of this world. No wonder the history in game was so rich and in-depth, and the whole concept of the Divines using the game devs like that just pissed me off in a huge way.
"Hey, I passed your trial, and I have free will, so you can fuck right off," I said, in the vaults of my mind to the voice, thoroughly annoyed. Aloud, I said, "Just so you know, Nirn is actually--"
"IT SEEMS YOU NEED A LESSON IN HUMILITY," the voice thundered, and I felt straps wrapping around my head, muzzling me with excessive firmness. "PERHAPS WHEN THE DAWN COMES, AND SPEECH IS YOURS AGAIN, YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT SO LONG AS YOU WALK IN OUR REALM YOUR WILL IS SUBJECT TO OUR OWN."
"What just happened?" Balgruuf asked in surprise, looking to the other two in the room while I pawed at the muzzle with zero effect. There was no slack at all in the piece of tack, and my mouth may as well have been welded shut by the straps that clamped my mouth closed.
"Look at the noseband," Farengar said, pointing to my face. "That's Akatosh's symbol. If I had to wager a guess I'd say our young friend here managed to annoy one of the Divines just now."
"Don't feel too bad, little pony," Balgruuf said, a hint of laughter in his voice. "We're all pawns in the schemes of the gods. Now, what say you about my proposal?"
I made a lot of "mmph"ing sounds combined with waving my hoofs around trying to say, "Are you serious? I just got Godsmacked, and you want me to play mailman for you?"
"Jarl Balgruuf," Faendal said, interjecting as he saw Balgruuf start to frown. "My employer here was trying to commision or purchase some jewelry earlier for some special women, I mean mares, in his life. Perhaps that..."
"Hah!" Balgruuf laughed. "It seems the life of a male is no less complicated whether you are a man, an elf, or a pony. Farengar, might you have something from your enchanting work that would suffice?"
"I believe so, my Jarl," Farengar said, going over to his enchanting station and rummaging a bit before coming back with a pair of large silver circles. "These are a pair of circlets I've added a couple of minor enchantments too. Nothing major, but perhaps suitable?"
I heard the question in his voice and turned my gaze to the circlets. Both were made of silver, one holding what I recognized to be a large moonstone, and the other had some form of cloudy quartz, I think. They would make great presents for Luna and Derpy. Call it fate, kismet, a pushy Jarl, or even the will of the Gods, something was driving me to make this run for Balgruuf. I shrugged my shoulders and nodded. What could go wrong with a simple delivery to the heads of the most powerful factions in Skyrim.
Yeah, I didn't believe that either.
"Thank you, courier," the Jarl said, clapping me on the shoulder. "These things from the gods usually don't last long, or only until you do what they want you to do, so I'm sure that muzzle will come off in time." I nodded, which was about all I could do.
"Excellent," Balgruuf added, while everyone else stood around like idiots, including myself. "Proventus will see you and your guard to your rest. Meanwhile, I'll have those letters ready for you by morning, along with some food for the road. Good night, and fast journey little pony."
About twenty-odd minutes later, I was curling up on a straw bed just off the kitchens. There had been only the one bed, and I'd tried to offer it to Faendal. With my size and floof I didn't really need a bed, although having one was nice. Faendal, was tall and had been on his feet all day, but he'd waved me off when I tried to use my limited ability at charades to get him to use the bed.
"I'm fine, I'll just lean against the wall," he said, but he didn't object when I lobbed the pillow his way. "Wouldn't be right for you not to have the bed." I rolled my eyes, lay my head down and was quickly asleep.
I sighed as I looked around the grassy meadow that was full of the scent of wildflowers, the hum of insects, and the warmth of summer. Another freaking dream visitation. This could not be good for my REM cycles. I swear, if I went crazy from lack of proper sleep, I was going to sue somebody.
"Good evening, James," Mara said, sitting in the tall grass a couple of dozen feet away, the very image of a mother goddess with her flowing white dress and a crown of flowers in her hair. "Come and sit by me."
"Screw you," I said, still pissed about the muzzle thing. My bad mood went up a couple of notches when I realized I hadn't said anything coherent at all. The damn muzzle was stuck onto my dream self as well. I growled, the only sound really left to me that could indicate just how annoyed I was getting.
"Come here, James," Mara said, the humour leaving her as one of her hands dropped into the grass around her. "Now, please."
"Pony not like smiling God lady," my growl might have translated as. "Pony say, 'screw you too'."
"James, you can either walk over here like a civilized being," Mara said, and her hand drew taut the lead that ran between her hand and my collar. "Or, I can drag you over here like an animal. Your choice."
I growled again, but stomped over to the fertility goddess, my hooves leaving deep divots in the loam as I came over. I noticed as I did, that the lead between us never slackened, as it shrank of its own accord while I closed the distance before coming to a halt in front of her.
"Oh James," Mara said, reaching out to ruffle my mane a bit as my obedience restored her good humour. "You have the fire of youth, but it's impetuous nature as well. What did you think was going to happen when you tried to defy a being with the power Akatosh has? You need to learn a little discretion, my pony."
I grumbled loudly, but inside I knew Mara had a point. Okay, so maybe Akatosh was using game devs as cheap prophets. What business was it of mine? It hadn't hurt anyone as near as I could tell, and was it really cheating if the lore wasn't really from the imagination of other people? I whuffed out a breath and lay my head down at her feet in acceptance of the situation.
"Good boy," Mara said, petting me, and as she did I could feel her power roll through me in cleansing waves. "Your ability to remain open to ideas and concepts is one of the things I like about you. It also makes you a danger." I made a questioning noise as I raised my nose off the ground to look the goddess in the eye.
"You are an outside influence," Mara said, a small secretive smile on her face. "A force of self-willed chaos in a realm that except for three occasions, has been strictly governed by ordered prophecy." Considering who my employer was, that made sense in a strange sort of way.
"It's why many of my fellow Divines look upon you as a threat, and the true reason we intercepted you on the edge of our realm," Mara said, the smile fading away to the most serious look I'd ever seen her wear. "What Jarl Balgruuf has asked of you is just a small fraction of the changes, you could bring into being. Many of the gods fear these changes. I do not. Life needs the challenges a little chaos brings, so it can grow tall and strong." Impulsively, I leaned my muzzled face against her leg in thanks.
"I wish I could keep you, as my own pet pony. Much as Clavicus keeps Barbas," Mara said, and I wasn't sure if that should make me happy or scared. "You are certainly better to have around than that mongrel, but time runs short, and your greatest trial approaches. There are three things you need to know." I gave Mara my full attention.
"First," Mara said, pulling me close so that our faces were mere inches apart. "From now until you leave Nirn, your fellow Equestrians will not be allowed to intervene in any way. Second, I cannot help you either, except to insure that the only agencies acting against you are mortal ones. Finally, if it all goes wrong, remember the ball of power I put inside of you." Everything around us began to shake, as if the land was being struck by an earthquake.
"You are being woken," Mara said, ruffling my mane one final time. "Good luck, my little pony." My eyes creaked open a moment later, to see Farengar shaking my shoulder. It was still dark out, and I was still muzzled.
"You need to get up and get out of Whiterun," he said, urgency plain on his face. "You are in terrible danger." |
Mail Troubles | Aela | As Farengar gave me his warning, my heart rate went from resting to about 8 billion in half a second. I don't know what could be a threat to me here, on a bed in Dragonsreach except maybe... My adrenaline found a whole new gear to ramp my system up as I jumped off the bed and started shaking Faendal awake.
Short of a full scale invasion, there was really only one thing that could threaten me here. A dragon, and Akatosh was the "Dragon God of Time," to quote the line from the RPG. He must have sent a dragon to come over and lay the smite down on me. It had just taken awhile for one to get here.
"What?" Faendal said, grabbing me as he came to. "What's going on?" Still muzzled, I pointed to Farengar.
"We have to get you out of Dragonsreach, and Whiterun, right away," Farengar said, and I could see he wasn't his usual natty self.
"What's wrong?" Faendal said, getting up and quickly getting his boots on and checking his gear.
"The Companions came to see the Jarl a little while ago," the wizard said, leaning back to look back up the corridor toward the main hall. "It seems someone has placed a bounty on our courier here and the Companions mean to collect. They want the pony, and they want him now."
"I take it the Jarl isn't about to hand us over to them," Faendal said, finishing getting his gear together and checking to make sure I had everything.
"No, he's not," Farengar said, leading us down some stairs to a lower level of the keep. "Jarl Balgruuf, I'm proud to say, is a true nord. You broke bread with him, and that obligates him to protect you while you and the pony are under his roof."
"Then why are you taking us to the dungeons?" Faendal asked, and I noticed his hand was on his belt knife.
"Warriors," Farengar muttered, while rolling his eyes. "Always thinking their blades are the only thing that needs to be sharp."
"I swore to protect James, and that's what I mean to do. If you, or the Jarl intend--" Faendal began.
"The Jarl has obligations as a host to the pony, but he also has obligations to the Companions," Farengar said, his hand on the handle of an iron bound door. "He is balancing his need to honour guest-right, while not offending warriors who have performed several favors in the past for Whiterun. Warriors who would make an excellent auxiliary to the guard if they can be swayed to the Jarl's service."
"Oh," Faendal said, and I could see him relax as he understood the politics at play. "What are we doing down here then?"
"I'm taking you out of Dragonsreach through one of the side doors," the wizard said. "From there I've arranged for one of the guards to let you out the city gates with no one the wiser."
"Sorry," Faendal said, grimacing. "It's been a rough few days."
"I imagine it has," Farengar said, opening the door and leading us through the dungeon until we came to another door. "On the other side of this door is the guard who will get you out of Whiterun. Good luck." As he made to open the door I put a hoof against his leg and looked up at him.
"What is it, pony?" the wizard asked, and I pointed to my saddlebags while raising an eyebrow in mute question.
"I had completely forgotten, thank you," Farengar said, and reaching into his robes he pulled out a few things. "Here are the letters the Jarl would like you to deliver, plus some coin for your trouble and some food for the road. Along with the circlets for your... mares." I nodded my thanks while Faendal divided up the load between us.
"Thank you," Faendal said, as Farengar opened the door.
We hurried out the door, to where a guard was waiting as promised, and we could barely see him in the pre-dawn gloom. He motioned us forward without a word and Faendal and I followed him around the side of the massive building. It was a clear night, with just a sliver of a moon to see by. The cold night air penetrated my fur, and I did my best to ignore it.
A far deadlier chill ran up my spine though as we reached the long stairs back down toward the plaza that held the Gildergreen. Looking back along the walkway to the main entrance of Dragonsreach, I could clearly see the balance of the Companions standing by the big double doors in a pool of torchlight. It made me wonder just how much the bounty on me was, if it had drawn out all of the warrior band.
"Is there someone with that guard?" I heard a woman with a bow on her back ask, and a cold sweat broke out along my spine. Every instinct I had, both human and pony, started screaming at me to run, but I held myself to a walk knowing that running would be like holding up a sign saying, "Here he is." Thank god our guard seemed to have picked up on things and started hurrying us down the wide stairs.
"I've set up a diversion," the guard said, to us as we neared the halfway point. "It won't slow them down for long, but it should give us a bit of a lead."
"I think I see them," a deep throated male voice called out from the top. I was just about to shit a brick and switch to four wheel panic mode when another voice made itself known.
"Greetings, brother!" Heimskr said, stepping in front of the tall warrior who had spotted us. "Talos told me you would be here, and so you are. You are here to hear the words of the mighty Talos! Talos the unerring, Talos the unassailable!"
"Out of my way," the warrior said, even as Heimskr's acolytes surrounded the Companions.
"Listen to me, brother," Heimskr said, and I could hear that smile in his voice. "Talos is a god of warriors, for he fought many battles when he lived among us as a man. Would you, a warrior, risk the wrath of the God of Warriors? Would you risk the anger of powerful and mighty Talos? Before whom all of us are mere maggots, crawling in the earth."
There was more, and not even the muzzle of the gods could keep a small chuckle from escaping me as we continued on our way down. The Companions were neatly stuck in place until Heimskr finished his sermon to them. As I could attest from ongoing experience, one does not tick off the gods of Tamriel without consequences.
"I wrote off some of his fines for being a public nuisance," the guard said, as we passed the Gildergreen. "We need to hurry though. The old wound from when I took an arrow to the knee slows me down a bit."
"I've been wanting to ask a guard about that ever since the detachment came to Riverwood," Faendal asked, as we strode along the nearly deserted streets. "Why do so many of you have old arrow wounds in your knees?" I knew that somehow at that moment, there were a thousand thousand pairs of ears listening in for the answer.
"Simple," the guard said, who was beginning to develop a limp. "Most of us used to be soldiers, and a soldier holds the line and keeps his shield up over his body. Knees are the target most unprotected that you can survive getting hit in."
"Makes sense, I guess," Faendal said, as we neared the gates. "How long until sunrise?"
"About an hour, I think," the guard said, who paused to talk to his fellows at the gate. "Damn, you've got to move. The Companions aren't more than five minutes behind us. Get out of here, and we'll slow them down as much as we can."
"Thank you," Faendal said, clapping the guard on the shoulder.
"Just help the courier do his job and help the Jarl keep the peace," the guard said, as the big gate creaked open just enough to let us through. "Besides, this is better than breaking up drunken fights or dealing with petty thieves."
The two of us set out at a jog, and I wondered what we were going to do. The Companions were probably at least as fast as us, and Faendal was more of a hunter than a warrior. Not to mention we were outnumbered at least four to one. I was trying to think of options when my nose bumped into Faendal's butt as he came to a sudden halt.
"Khajiit has wares, if you have coin," said the voice of a Khajiit merchant who was sitting in front of one of their low, long tents at the side of the big road that lead up to the gates. I had no idea who he was, but he sat there radiating confidence and the desire to help us empty our coin pouches.
"Does Khajiit have a place we can hide?" Faendal asked. "There are some unpleasant people after us."
"All things are possible, with coin," the merchant said, lifting the flap of the tent behind him. "Ten gold will rent you time in my tent."
"Ten now, and ten later if you do a good job of hiding us," Faendal said, and the cat's eyes seemed to glow.
"Your custom is as welcome as the warm sands of Elsweyr," the cat said, motioning us in and we wasted no time getting into the tent and laying down. Another couple of Khajiit ladies put blankets over us, while a couple of crates went in front to make sure there was no line of sight between us and the opening of the tent.
The blanket was welcome for it's warmth, and I had to fight not to go back to sleep in the warm darkness. A clawed hand sliding along my mane under the blanket brought me back to full awareness in an instant.
"Do not worry, elf," said the Khajiit, in a soft, furry voice even as she stroked my mane and neck. "Ri'saad will keep his bargains until all the sugar in the world turns sour. I will keep your pet calm for you. You are wise to have kept him muzzled so he begin to whinny or give you away to those who follow you."
Oh, how I wanted to fire back at that remark. In a pig's eye I was calm. If the situation wasn't so desperately crazy... My train of thought derailed as some interesting messages from my body made it to my brain. The cat's clawed hands weren't just gliding over my mane and body, she was also pushing at distinct places along my neck, head and spine in a deliberate sequence.
In spite of my wanting to stay keyed up and ready for action if we had to make a run for it, I could feel my body betraying my mind by sliding slowly into a deeply relaxed state. All volition came to a grinding halt as her strong paws rubbing at the base of my ears sent me into a totally submissive state of mind. I was awake, I was aware, but I had no intention of doing anything other than just sitting there in the state of mental and physical relaxation I'd been placed in. It was a form of physical hypnotism so powerful I didn't even react when several pairs of booted feet came running up.
"You there, Cat," a woman's voice said. "Have you seen an elf go running past?"
"Ri'saad has seen many elves," the merchant purred back. "A specific one perhaps?"
"We're wasting our time," a man's deep voice said, gruff and angry sounding. "Thieving cats only care about money."
"Maybe this will sharpen your memory," the woman said to Ri'saad, ignoring her companion as a coin made a pinging sound. "We're looking for an elf, he would have run past in the last while. He would have had a talking pony with him."
"A talking pony?" Ri'saad asked, rhetorically. "Khajiit has seen no such creature. However, he did see a running elf with a small colt not long ago." I could feel Faendal stiffen beside me, and my handler stopped playing with my mane and started doing something with my fetlocks.
"A colt?" the angry man asked. "Which way did they go? Answer me, you godsdamned cat."
"Easy, Farkas," the woman said, and the hands on my fetlocks drew something snug around them while I lay there calmed and at peace. "The hunt does not go to the angriest hunter, but the one with the most patience. Merchant, was the colt brown, and was the elf a Bosmer?"
"Your eye sees the past, Huntress," Ri'saad said, pleasure in his voice. "They were such as you say."
"Which way did they go?" the woman said, and Faendal froze as he lay beside me.
"Down the road, with much haste," the merchant said, and Faendal's body relaxed. "It was not long ago."
"We can still catch them," Farkas said, and I heard him running off.
"If you see them again," the woman said, to Ri'saad, "Head to Jorrvaskr and tell my fellow Companions. There will be more coin."
"Why do you seek them?" Ri'saad asked, with the curiosity of a cat. "Did they wrong you in some way?"
"There is a bounty of 2,000 gold for whoever can catch the pony and bring him back alive," the woman said, confiding in the Khajiit. "I'm willing to share some of that with you if your information is good."
"The Khajiit will keep their eyes open," Ri'saad said, and my handler started playing with my head and neck again. "May you find what you seek." I heard another set of feet leave and go running off.
"I thought you were going to hand us over to them for a second there," Faendal said, relief plain in his voice.
"Quiet," Ri'saad hissed. "The huntress is still nearby. "Atah, how is the pet?"
"Secured and safe," my handler said, still doing that manual voodoo with her hands. "He is not a problem."
"Good, we will be as we appear for a time," Ri'saad said, in a very soft voice. "Boxes under blankets should not move or speak for now."
Faendal got the hint and shut up. We lay there under the blanket for some decent period of time, and I drifted off into a light doze. So it was with some surprise when the blanket was pulled back and I was able to look up and see the lightening sky.
I lifted my head, a clattering sound from behind my ears making me freeze in place for a moment. Tossing my head, I saw that someone had done up my mane in several braids and woven a series of clay beads into them, which accounted for the clattering sound. The real surprise was when I went to shift my legs to bring them under me and discovered that I had been hobbled.
A set of leather bands had been buckled around each of my fetlocks and had been secured to each other by leather straps, holding me in a loose hogtie. If I jumped up and started pronking I could move, but other than that I was immobilized. I started to get pissed off, but then I saw Faendal, his body covered by a long flowing robe, talking calmly with Ri'saad and I mentally played back the events with the merchant.
The Khajiit had never heard me speak, had never seen me interact with anyone. Their only impression of me was in those first few moments when we had met, when Faendal had found a way to save both our asses. They had to have assumed I was just an oddly coloured and shaped horse. A "colt" Ri'saad had referred to me as.
I kept following the logic trail, a shocking concept even to myself. If I was a colt in the eyes of the Khajiit it meant they thought I was Faendal's pet, which would in turn explain why the young Khajiit woman had done what she had to me. She had been keeping a potentially skittish and spookable animal calm so as to not give the game away. I'd been hobbled so she could stop handling me for a bit if she needed to. Speaking of which.
"Hello, little one," said the Khajiit, whose name I think was 'Atah'. "It is okay, none will harm you. You are safe."
She kept repeating those words to me in a soft, gentle voice as she sat down beside me. I tried to hold out a couple of my hooves to her in a "get these off of me" gesture, but the moment I did a hand of hers pulled on a strap and all four of my hooves were drawn close together, while her other paw went right to the base of my ears again.
I tried to fight it off, but she had obviously figured out what worked best on me. This time it only took her seconds to wipe out any thoughts I had of doing anything other than just lying there. My brain and body sunk back into neutral bliss, as she rubbed my ears in gentle circles.
"Your pet is obedient, but wilful like all colts when he wants to be," Atah said, over to Faendal who was walking over with a very mixed expression on his face. "This one would be willing to train him for you. He would be hard for the hunters to find if he was always on the move with our caravan. In time, he could even be bred to a mare of your choosing." Faendal bit his lip, and I couldn't tell if he was trying to avoid laughing or avoid showing anger.
"That won't be necessary," Faendal said, his face inscrutable. "But thank you for the offer." Right then, the sun finally cracked the edge of the horizon and as its light spread over the land it touched Akatosh's muzzle, turning to smoke in the wind.
"Please," I managed to gasp out, as the muzzle's constant pressure melted away from my head. "Stop... that." Atah's fingers stopped only for a moment, but then kept on going and turning my will into putty.
"That is a very good trick," Atah said to Faendal, who knelt beside us. "This one has been caring for horses all her life and never gotten one to sound like a person."
"That's because he is a person," Faendal said, beginning to pull at my hobbles. "He's also the person I've sworn to protect, so please stop what you're doing to him. Although it does look like he's enjoying it." Atah stopped with her ministrations, and in the time it took Faendal to get the hobbles off me, my brain had managed to reboot itself.
"Holy shit," I said, right off the bat. "What the hell were you doing to me?"
"Atah has a gift with horses," Ri'saad said, coming up as well. "It is, but is not magic."
"How did it feel to you, little colt?" Atah asked me, her nimble paws slipping back into my mane before I had a chance to react. "Hold still, so your mane can be finished."
"Like my mind had been dipped in warm honey, and finished what?" I asked, holding stock still as my mind decided to paint a nightmare scenario for me. Faendal overwhelmed by the caravan while, Atah overwhelmed my will with her skills before I was bound up and delivered to whoever wanted to pay that huge sum for me.
"We will braid long hairs into your mane and tail using the beads as anchors," Ri'saad said, putting a paw on my leg. "Long, dyed hairs that will change your colour and shape. It is your best opportunity to avoid the huntress on your trail."
"Thank you," I said, relaxing. "You didn't have to do all this, but I appreciate it. And Faendal, you really came through for me. You could've just left me behind, saved yourself, and no one would have known any different. I owe you one."
"I promised to protect you," the Bosmer said, smiling proudly. "What's our next move?"
"I think we should stay off the main roads as much as we can," I said, ignoring Atah as best I could while she began work on my tail. Damn thing kept flicking around with a mind of its own. "One of my deliveries is to a bandit encampment near here. That will get us off the roads and out of sight for awhile."
"I have always had a soft place in my heart for those who travel with courage instead of weapons," Ri'saad said, smiling down at me. "May you journey safely in this hard and cold land. Know that our fires will always be warm for you and your companion." |
Mail Troubles | Aelinna | When Faendal and I left the Khajiit camp hours later it was as a very different pair of individuals than the two who had run in during the pre-dawn hours. Instead of a Bosmer archer with a small brown pony carrying some saddlebags, there was a Vigilant of Stendarr leading a shaggy black packpony down the road.
We headed down the road that headed east, leaving behind us new friends and a fair bit of coin for their troubles. Atah, for all her skill with equines, never seemed to quite catch onto the idea that my ability to speak and reason wasn't some clever elf trick with a smarter than usual pony. At least I hoped that's why she kept offering Faendal increasing amounts of gold to have me "cover" one of the smaller mares of the caravan.
Faendal had to put his foot down when she literally stuck the rear end of a mare into my nose trying to get me to react. To her delight, my body did indeed get ready for mating while my head swam from the perfume filling my brain with things other than coherent thoughts. Not even Mara's help with my libido was able to shut off pure pony instinct. Lucky for me, Faendal was able to pull me off and into clear air before things got too... interesting.
"Okay, where are we supposed to be going?" Faendal asked me, as we crossed the bridge over the river that went along the east side of the big city.
"Turn left, head up the road a bit, and watch for a trail coming in from the right," I told the big elf. "Expect some trouble on the road before we see it, though."
"How do you know that?" Faendal asked, curious.
"Oh no," I said, laughing a bit. "I just finished getting a muzzle off of me. I am not, repeat not, looking to have another one slapped on me." I felt a phantom hand slide down my back in an ethereal caress as the words left my mouth.
"He can be trained," said the laughing whisper in my ear.
Fuck off, Mara, I whispered back in the vaults of my mind. I don't know if the goddess heard me or not, but I did get a sense of her retreat. I still wasn't really sure why Mara had taken such an active interest in me. All I knew for sure was that there was no way it could be good.
"Fine," Faendal said, having missed the entire byplay. "I'll keep an eye--" The lean Bosmer stopping talking as a long and rangy wolf leaped out of the bushes just ahead. The wolf turned and began to charge toward us, only to get an eye to arrow view of its death as Faendal's shot cleanly entered the hungry beast's skull.
"Nice shot," I said, impressed.
"Thanks," Faendal said, as he bent down and made an attempt to retrieve his arrow. "Hey, I think I see that path you mentioned up ahead." I tried not to sound too smug when I replied.
"That should be the one. For some reason there's always a baddie hanging out in the area down here," I said, moving beside Faendal and looking up the slope. "Whatever you do, remember that we're here to do a job. Not engage in fights or condemn these people for what they've done."
"Get in, get out," Faendal said, standing up again and putting away his bow. "Got it."
We headed up the rough path leading up the slope until I could just see the beginnings of some rough structures. The sun was out and shining and we were pretty visible and out in the open. It was time to see if we could talk our way in and out of things.
"Hello, the camp!" I called out, feeling very, very exposed to any random arrows that might come our way. Sure enough, one zipped down to plant itself in the ground not two feet away.
"You picked a bad time to get lost, traveler," a man's voice growled from above. "How about you hand us about 200 gold for directions?"
"I'm a courier, I've got a delivery for your boss," I called back up the slope. "It's for him only."
"Did that pony, just talk?" a woman's voice above asked her companion.
"Yes, he did," Faendal yelled, calling back up the slope. "He's a courier and I'm his bodyguard. We've got a delivery here."
"Never heard of a courier needing a bodyguard before," the male voice said, and I could hear the creak of a bowstring. "Just hand over that 200 gold before I get myself some fresh horse hide."
"Maybe you folks might have seen the, oh I don't know, the FREAKING DRAGONS in the sky?" I yelled back up the slope. "And that's on top of a damned CIVIL WAR."
"Okay, okay, don't get your bridle in a knot," snarked the female bandit standing up. "If you've got a delivery, come on up. But no tricks or you're for the stewpot."
"No tricks, Oh Jarl of the Rocks," I said, snarking right back. "I just want to make my delivery and head to my next job. There's a nice salt lick waiting for me back home." Both bandits laughed at that one and they waved us up.
Faendal was asked to unstring his bow, which he did without protest, and we were led into the depths of the bandit cave complex. As we were led past the old blind guy whose name I never could remember, I was forcibly reminded that this wasn't a game anymore.
The smells in the place were awful. Unwashed bodies, the stink of crap and piss coming out of honey buckets, and everywhere the smell of mold. I actually had to stop a couple of times to sneeze repeatedly while my system tried to clear out my nose. It didn't work of course.
There were freaking mushrooms everywhere in this cave. Anyplace that those little buggers could grow had been colonized. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Mushrooms needed food, water and darkness, and this cave had all three in spades thanks to the number of bandits here and how messy they were. Bits of discarded food and drink made for great landing spots for mushrooms spores after all.
Then there were the bandits themselves. Most of them were dirty, smelly and repeatedly eyed me up in ways that made my hooves itch. More than a few of them made open threats to Faendal, who wisely kept quiet, especially in how badly outnumbered we would be if an actual fight broke out. I started to get worried when two of the bandits started following us and studying us carefully while looking at a parchment.
They were just starting to move forward when we reached the far end of the cave system, emerging back out into the light. Faendal and I stood there for a moment blinking as our eyes re-adjusted to the light.
"Who the hell are you?" growled a big, big man in heavy armor. The guy was huge. He looked like he could eat me like a bucket of KFC and then pick his teeth with Faendal's bow.
"Septims is what they are, Chief," said one of the bandit bastards, stepping around us to wave the parchment he was carrying. "Look at this." I heard the scrape of a blade leaving its scabbard and I froze in place while keeping my mouth shut.
"We're just couriers here to make a delivery," Faendal said, spreading his hands wide.
"Delivery?" the big, bad bandit asked. "What do you have for me?"
"Tribute," I said, stepping forward. "We were hired by a merchant to bring this to you." Reaching back to my saddlebags I pulled out a small cloth sack that jingled nicely. What Hajvarr didn't know was that along with a handful of gold coins, Meridia's Beacon was also in the sack.
"I don't have any merchant friends. Why would a merchant send me something?" Hajvarr asked, looking at the sack until he found the attached scroll with a snort of surprise.
"To the bandits in the mountains near Whiterun," the bandit chief said, reading the words I'd written earlier. "Please accept this tribute in exchange for safe passage. My caravan will travel past Whiterun in two days flying blue flags. If this is acceptable to you, I will make similar tribute every time I pass near Whiterun."
"So, when we gonna jump them, boss?" asked the bandit behind me.
"You idiot," sneered Hajvarr to his minion. "Don't you see, this is perfect. We don't even have to leave here anymore. The gold and loot will come to us."
"I don't get it," said the bandit, and it took a force of will the size of Everest to keep me from facehoofing.
"We've got the beginnings of a protection racket, only on a big, big scale," the bandit chief laughed. "Now, take these other two with you and get back to your positions. Our front door's been left unguarded long enough."
"But what about..." the minion trailed off as his boss glared at him.
"Get. Back. To. Your. Post," Hajvarr said, enunciating each word with enough malice for a dragon. The four bandits left, while Faendal and I breathed a sigh of relief. Right until the big man in armor spoke again.
"As for you two," he growled, slapping the pommel of a huge sword with the flat of his hand. "I know who and what you are."
"Uh," I said, trying to think of something to say.
"If you're trying to hide, you really need to learn to keep your mouth closed," Hajvarr said, looking the two of us up and down. "Don't worry though, I have plans for you two that don't... What in the Nine?"
The sound of metal on metal echoed out from the entrance back into the cave complex, along with shouts of anger, followed by cries of pain. Hajvarr looked at us for an explanation and saw only confusion there. The sounds of battle drew closer, and the big bandit put on his full face helm and drew out his massive sword.
Faendal and I moved over as far as we could to one side of the rocky shelf that was the bandit chief's favorite spot. Both us knew that there was about to be a fight and both of us knew that we were safest as spectators. Faendal crouched down and threw an arm over me as the body of the bandit who had recognized me flew out of the cave to land at Hajvarr's feet in a bloody heap.
"Who the fuck are you?" Hajvarr asked as the camp's attacker burst out of the cave, sword in hand. She was a tall lean woman, clad in a sort of leather armor with steel plates over her vitals. In one hand she carried a gleaming green blade, and her black hair streamed out behind her like a war banner.
"I'm the Thane of Whiterun," the woman said, aiming a slash at the big man's head. "You've pissed off my Jarl and now I get to play."
"The only playing you're going to have is on the end of my cock," Hajvarr snarled, blocking the strike with the crosstree of his sword and coming at the woman with a huge overhand blow of his own.
"The only cock that gets near me has feathers," the dark haired Nord taunted, parrying both the verbal slash and the physical one with her sword at an angle. Hajvarr's huge blade struck sparks as it bounced off the rocks that made up the fighting surface.
"Fucking bandit," the woman said, hair flowing as she whirled and flung out a beautiful horizontal strike at the big man's ribs. Hajvarr grunted in pain at the blow, and while there was some blood his armor turned most of the sword's deadly accuracy. He went to one knee though, so he must have been hurt more than he looked.
It was a feint. As the Thane closed in to strike at the back of Hajvarr's neck, he brought his sword around far faster than a man of his size should have been able to. Certainly faster than anyone had a right to move a mass of metal that size. The blade whistled up from down low in a rising swipe toward the belly of the woman. Who had only enough time for her eyes to widen in surprise as the strike caught her full in the belly, sending her flying.
Hair again streaming, only in the wrong direction, the tall lean woman flew through the air to impact on the living rock of the mountain itself. It was her turn to collapse to her knees now, blood dripping from her stomach. Her armor had done its job though by turning an instantly fatal wound into something survivable, with treatment. Hajvarr stalked towards her, two handed sword held in a single hand as he lifted the visor of his helm.
"Good try. Now throw that pig sticker down and I'll let you live," he said, with a smile that promised a thousand indignities. "'Course, you'll have to earn my mercy keeping my dagger well polished. What's it going to be? Death, or a good fucking whenever I feel like it?"
"I've got only one thing to say to you, asshole," the woman gasped, one hand supporting her while the other fumbled at her belt. "FUS RO"
The edges of the Shout battered Faendal and I, but it had to have been way worse for the bandit chief. The power of the ancient Nord art blasted into him, knocking him back a few paces and staggering him. As the bandit chief recovered his footing, the Dragonborn pulled a pair of slim bottles out of her belt and downed their contents. Almost instantly colour returned to her cheeks and vitality to her limbs as she bounced back up, and leaped back into the fight.
Hajvarr had barely set himself back onto his feet before he was forced to block the next blow from the verdant blade the woman carried. He tried to resume the offensive, but his foe wasn't having any of that. Head, throat, ribs, knees, all came under assault. Most of the time Hajvarr was able to block the blows, or let his heavy armor take the strike, but enough of slashes and stabs got through to vulnerable points that the big man was in trouble.
"Wait," he yelled, holding up his hand. "I yield. I have coin, treasure. I can buy my life. I surrender, Thane."
"Really?" the Dragonborn said, cocking an ebon eyebrow with suspicion. "I've had others try to surrender, and then go for my head when I accepted it."
"No tricks," Hajvarr said, lowering his sword and taking off his helmet. "I'll even tell you a secret. Something no one else in Skyrim knows."
"Talk," the woman said, still on her guard but not as ready to chop the big guy into sausage either. "I'm still learning about Skyrim, so you've got my attention."
"It's that pony, and his elf companion there," Hajvarr said, pointing at where Faendal and I were still huddled together in a crack in the rockface. "That's the talking pony everyone is looking for. He's worth 2,000 septims."
"Two--," the Dragonborn said, turning to look at me and the elf. As she did, Hajvarr stepped forward and raised his sword so that he could chop the woman in half from behind. Sadly for him, he must have let her know what he was doing somehow. Maybe she saw his shadow, or heard a pebble crunch, or maybe she just expected an asshole to be an asshole.
Either way, she was ready for him. Even as his sword began to descend once more in it's deadly, gleaming arc she spun back toward the bandit and with a single, flowing motion drove her blade clean through his stomach and out the other side.
"Every, fucking, time," the Dragonborn said, as Hajvarr began to collapse over her blade. "FUS RO DAH!"
The power of the full Shout exploded from the throat of the woman and quite literally blew him off the end of her blade. Like a gory comet streaming blood, Hajvarr flew out into the empty space off the side of the mountain, before gravity took hold and began to carry him to the road, far below.
"Thank you," Faendal said, getting up as the woman began to go over what was left lying around.
"Don't fucking move," said the Dragonborn, swinging her sword over to cover me and Faendal. "I don't know who in Oblivion you are, and frankly I don't care. As long as you stay out of my way and don't look like a threat I'm willing to assume you aren't bandits. Got it?"
"Excuse me," I said, addressing the Dragonborn and I could see her eyes go wide. "I'm a courier. I've got a delivery for you. Is it okay if I come over there and hand it to you?"
"Like you've got hands," she said, and I snorted and smiled. I liked her. She was a tall woman, dark hair in an ebon wave down to her lower back, neither scrawny nor overly built. She wasn't exactly beautiful, nor was she ugly, but she carried herself with a power and a purpose that I couldn't help but like.
"Okay, good point," I said, stopping just out of sword range and tucking my hooves underneath me as I sat back down. "There's a box in my left saddlebag. That's for you."
"Fair enough," the woman said, stepping behind me. My breath caught for a minute as I felt her grab hold of my mane with one hand, while the other went into my saddlebag. Her hand left the bag a moment later and the hand in my mane shifted from holding me down to giving me a gentle stroke along my neck.
"You're a brave one, I admire that," she said, and I found myself being submerged in her golden eyes. "What do they call you, pony?"
"Ja--James," I stammered out, obeying the driving force of will coming off of the woman. "You are?"
"Call me Aelinna," she said, and as she opened the box her face went from kind, to confused, to angry in as many breaths. "Who sent this?"
"I don't know," I answered, suddenly very aware of how close the woman, and her sword were to me. "Why? What's wrong?" Aelinna, the Dragonborn, the now very angry Dragonborn who had a sword less than six inches from my tender and much loved hide pulled out an ornate necklace from the box and shook it at me.
"Who, in all the hells, would send me an Amulet of Mara?" she demanded, yelling at me with such volume and fury Faendal started to go for his bow, unstrung as it was. The schling of an unsheathing blade sounded behind me and I saw the front half of Aelinna's blade over my head. "Unless you want a second mouth you better drop the fucking bow, elf."
Faendal was smart and did as he was told. He made a show of also dropping his quiver, his belt knife and his own belt pouch on the ground. The display seemed to calm the woman standing over me a bit. I was still getting pretty freaked out though as she used her sword to punctuate her next words.
"Tell me the godsdamned truth, pony," she demanded. "Who sent this to me?"
"An extradimensional Spirit of Chaos," I blurted out, and I saw confusion in those golden eyes that were making me think of a hungry wolf. "He didn't tell me what I was taking with me, just who the deliveries were to."
"That has got to be the biggest load of horse crap this side of the Bard's College," the Dragonborn said, and I breathed a sigh of relief as she put her sword away. "But for some reason I think you're telling me the truth."
"Good to see you again," Faendal said, still not moving. "Just so we know, are we to be your prisoners, your victims or something else?"
"Oh get up," Aelinna said, rolling her eyes. "I was just so fucking pissed. Every time anyone sees me it's not as a warrior, or the Dragonborn, but as a mare to be broken and bred. Pisses me the fuck off. And now I'm getting bloody letters with Amulets of Mara in them. Next thing I know the shit eating bards are going to be singing about me everywhere I go. Argh!"
The woman stalked away with an inarticulate cry of frustration and distracted herself with the loot from a chest, loading herself up. I kept my mouth shut as I saw her pick up the bag that held Meridia's Beacon though. This was not the time or place to mention another obligation she was about to be shackled with. It also became clear why I'd been directed to get the Beacon here. The gods had known Aelinna was going to be coming this way, and they had maneuvered me like a piece on a game board.
"FUCK!" shouted the woman several minutes later in disgust.
"What's the problem?" Faendal asked. He'd restrung his bow and gathered up his stuff, making sure that Aelinna knew what he was doing as he did it.
"I broke down and bought some property a little while back," Aelinna said, dumping out her impressively loaded pack to go through all its contents. "It's fucking harder than a city guard in a whorehouse to find enough coin to buy all the things I need just to get the place up and running. I'm just glad that creep Belethor is willing to pay for anything I bring him."
"Um," I began, reminded of the huge bounty on my head.
"I don't deal in flesh," Aelinna said, coming over and giving my mane a ruffle. "Particularly not that of someone willing to stand in front of me without a weapon when I'm pissed. If you like, you can stick with me for awhile. You and Faendal both."
"You sure?" Faendal asked, frowning a bit. "You and I didn't exactly part on good terms when you left Riverwood."
"Fuck it," Aelinna said, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm willing to give you a second chance. Besides, with Lydia staying at the house as my housecarl it will be nice to have some company on the road again."
"We should probably lay low for awhile too," I said, nodding. "At least until all the uproar over me dies down a bit. I'm not really sure how to thank you though."
"Well, with Lydia back at the house I could really use some help carrying all this loot around," Aelinna said, and her eyes were studying my body to the point I began to blush. "You are a pack pony, right?"
"Well, I can do the dance if you play the tune," I said, still confused about that look. Could the Dragonborn swing that way?
"Good," she said, picking up a bundle of leather strips from Hajvarr's table. "Come here."
About an hour later, the three of us emerged from the lower entrance to White River Watch, and things had changed a bit. I'd managed to make two deliveries in a single go, but I was going to have to hide for a few days. The biggest change was that I now wore a harness and was hitched to a cart piled high with loot from the cave. Thanks to me, Aelinna's smithing ability with leather and Faendal's sharp elven eyes, we had cleaned the place out and were hauling away all the valuable bits. All of them.
As we paused for a bit near the road Aelinna came back up alongside me, and tightened the harness in several places I'd worked it loose and it had begun to slip. The harness started with a broad collar on my neck and shoulders. From there it flowed down my chest and along my spine to meet at a wide band that wrapped my middle tightly. The last bits were the sections that carried on down my spine to my tail, and the side portions that gathered around my hips.
It was an efficient, utilitarian design that had been engineered long ago to get the best performance possible out of the equine wearing it. I was pulling easily four or five times my weight, but what worried me though was that the harness felt good on my body. It somehow filled a void inside me to be a beast of burden, and it didn't help that as the Dragonborn readjusted the harness yet again a little voice in my head said, Get used to this. You're going to be in harness for a very long time. My little pony. |
Mail Troubles | Armaggedon | It seemed like I had just closed my eyes, when I heard the clink of metal on metal. I snapped my eyes open to discover I was standing in the middle of some sort of magic circle. I assumed it was anyway, from all the weird runes and candles around the edges. I backed up and instantly discovered where the clinking sound had come from.
Someone had locked a short length of chain to my collar. The other end of the chain was attached to a metal stake that had been driven deep into the ground and I had about a foot of play to work with. Straining at my leash, I tried to see anything in the gloom outside of the circle of candlelight and after about a minute, I was rewarded with seeing three figures step forward.
Derpy, Luna and Mara moved out of the gloom around me. They were each wearing dark cloaks with weird symbols on them that glowed golden in the candlelight, spreading themselves around the circle so that they surrounded me evenly, not saying a word.
"Um, ladies?" I asked, nervously. Something was rotten in the state of Denmark and it wasn't fish. "Can I get an explanation here?"
The three said nothing, at least not to me. Instead they started circling me in a counter-clockwise direction, and began a chant that was a cross between scary sorcery and lewd as hell.
Bind him in both steel and leather,
Make him ours, now and forever.
Get the ropes and use the hobbles,
Let's fuck him 'til his knees wobble.
Use the bit and the bridle,
Never let his shaft be idle.
Close the fetters, shut the lock,
Make him use that juicy cock.
Make him cum in all our holes,
Fill our bellies with lots of foals.
Get the harness, pull tight the strap,
At our pussies he will lap.
Touch him, stroke him, make him holler,
Break him gently to his collar.
He will service us for hours,
Remind him that he is OURS.
It was kinky, it was lewd, and either worst or best of all, it was effective. Like some weird orgy summoning magic, every time the trio named a particular object of gear, it appeared and fastened itself to me. Every second line felt like someone was running a hyper powered vibrator down the length of my horsecock.
So, in very short order I was collared, harnessed, hobbled, bitted and bridled in steel and leather. Every buckle and fastener was closed with a lock marked either with bubbles, a crescent moon, or Mara's sigil. My shaft was dripping I was so eager for sex, and I swear it felt like something was trying to milk me, trying to pull an orgasm out of me.
I held out as best I could, but my bonds ensured I wasn't going anywhere. The final blow was when my three... owners, stopped their chant to run their hands, hooves and wings all over my body. Lust overwhelmed my... well, everything, and I exploded. I came so hard I saw nothing but stars for several minutes, and when my vision cleared all the bindings were off of me and Mara was sitting in front of me with a glowing jar. Derpy and Luna were nowhere to be seen.
"Mara," I said, gasping a bit as I caught my breath. "You are a goddess and I'm a mortal, so please bear that in mind when I say, 'What the fuck?'"
"Liked that did you?" Mara asked with an impish grin. "I'd wondered if you might have some submissive in you."
"Look," I said, trying to dial down the snark as I spoke to a being that could squash me like an ant. "I'm young, I'm male, I have hormones, and they work. So long as there's consent all around, there isn't a whole lot I won't do to have sex. So, to repeat my question again, a little more politely. What the hell was that all about?"
"My backup plan," Mara said, holding up the glowing jar. "James, within the next week you shall either have finished your task and be gone from Skyrim, or you will lie dead upon its soil. I have been taking steps to make sure that at least part of you survives, no matter what."
"Oh," I said, getting a small chill at that, though there was something about this whole situation I was missing. "Well, um, thanks for that. But did you have to go about it that way? I mean, just a regular sexy dream would have probably done the job."
"Maybe it was more fun this way," Mara said, running her finger over my muzzle. I could feel my hormones surging all over again, but I held them off long enough for my brain to make some connections.
After I'd initially applied to work for Discord and realized what I was getting into, I'd spent a bunch of time watching horse videos on the internet. Especially stuff to do with training horses how to move and walk with gear. A video of this one guy taking an untouched horse and getting them to allow a rider on their back inside of fifteen minutes flashed into my head.
"You BITCH!" I exclaimed, as the lightbulb went off in my head. "This whole time... all those little side comments. You haven't been teasing me, or playing around at all. You've been gentling me! Getting me used to the idea of being owned by you!"
"In part, yes," Mara admitted, changing her clothes into an equestrian outfit of knee length black boots, tight beige pants and a red blouse that did nothing to hide her cleavage. "To save you, I want to make you my herald. As my property, you would be untouchable."
"Sorry lady, but my name isn't Norrin Radd," I said, firmly. "Besides, I'm already spoken for. Twice as a matter of fact."
"Derpy and Luna are excellent, wonderful females. But they cannot help you now," Mara said, and from somewhere she pulled out a curved piece of steel. "Pledge yourself to my service by accepting my collar, and you will avoid the fate destiny has in store for you."
I just stared for a long moment at the open collar, trying to figure out what Mara was up to with it. The collar was glowing a robin's egg blue, and she was holding it open at just the right height for me to take a couple of steps forward and place my neck into its adamant embrace. A pendant from one of Mara's amulets dangled from the collar, swinging back and forth. I started to lose myself in that glowing blue motion. That soothing, undulating movement that offered safety, security and surety of purpose. I took a step forward.
"NO!" I shouted, ripping my eyes and my body away from that seductive motion. I had been annoyed before. Now, I was furious. I didn't care if she was a goddess and I was less than a worm. This was my head and my life.
"Fuck you, Mara," I said, raging. "Even after I said 'no.' Even after I tell you I'm onto your little game. After all that, you STILL try to pull a fucking jedi mind trick on me?"
"Is it so wrong of me to care for the life of a pony I've come to like?" Mara asked, leaning forward deliberately to let me see down her shirt. My anger overrode my libido with ease.
"Don't give me that shit," I volleyed back, having picked up some saltiness from my time with Aelinna. "You don't care about me. You've got something else up your sleeve. I know it."
"Maybe I just like seeing you in tack?" Mara leered, leaning forward a little more, her torso almost horizontal now.
"Like tack do you?" I yelled. "Then try this." And I flung my hoof in Mara's direction, my anger blazing outward like a comet toward the goddess.
In that moment, three things worked in my favor. First, and foremost, we were in a dream in my own head. Luna had taught me that if I was strong enough I could use my will to shape my own dreams. Second, Mara wasn't expecting me to lash out at her. Not with anything other than words, at least. And third, I was pissed, and anger has a way of letting make the impossible, possible.
My comet struck Mara head on, wrapped around her, and covered her in a brilliant light. When my eyes cleared a moment later, they were greeted with a sight few have seen.
Mara, Goddess of Fertility, had been knocked back onto her haunches and was now sitting there stark naked. No, not naked, not entirely. I had been thinking about tack, and when my will lashed out that's what it had done. Mara was now bound in leather pony tack.
A harness of straps criss-crossed her naked torso, framing her full breasts. One strap was pulled tight around her waist, cinching it in. Another strap dipped down from there, diving between her legs so that it clove deep past the lips there. Struggling with the new and sudden sensations, Mara half rose and twisted to one side. Whatever I had unleashed on the goddess had also bound her arms behind her in some sort of leather pouch, and had created a tail for her that went under the strap between her legs and... oh my.
"So full," Mara purred, looking back at me wickedly and not even remotely upset. "I never realized you were into dominance. Well, if that's what it takes--"
"Oh, shut up," I said, and a bridle complete with bit appeared around Mara's head, garbling her words. Even through the bit I could hear Mara laugh as she stood up and began to prance around me singing the "Barbie Girl" song, only with the words changed to, "I'm a ponygirl, in a pony world."
Clearly stronger measures were called for if I wanted to get Mara to leave me in peace, and seeing as we were already in the bondage theme, I figured I may as well go all the way. I created a set of curved metal pieces that Mara took one look and went white.
"That's right, Lady Mara," I said, still bubbling with anger. "A chastity belt. I can't think of a worse thing to lock a fertility goddess into. Now, I'm going to unbind you, after which you are going to leave. If you don't, this goes on and stays on for as long as I can manage it." Mara nodded her head in understanding, and with an effort of will I dismissed her bindings.
"Well done, young pony," Mara said, inclining her head. "I will leave you in peace, until you are either resting in peace, or call upon me."
"If you can talk to me when I'm dead, I'll rethink my position," I said, anger beginning to dissipate. "Now go away, and don't come back."
"As you wish," Mara said, as she began to fade away. "But remember this, mortal pony child. Once your fated end begins, I cannot help you. But even then all will not be lost, for death is a spectrum, not a line."
With that, I was alone in the dreamscape and left to ponder Mara's departing words. Their meaning was obvious, but the maddening thing was that I knew I'd heard them someplace before. A sudden jolting gripped the dreamscape, and I knew it meant that someone was shaking me awake.
"Are you alright?" Faendal asked, looking down at me with concerned eyes, his hand on my shoulder.
"Yeah," I said, groggily. "Why? What's up?"
"What's up is the damned pony sex show you've been giving us for the past half hour," Aelinna said, working on some breakfast and I could see it was just after dawn. "What the fuck was that all about?"
"Uh, sex show?" I asked, brain still spinning up to speed. "Wait, you guys saw Mara?"
"No," said Faendal, stepping back and looking embarrassed for some reason. "We saw... um. That is we saw..." Aelinna snorted in derision.
"Bloody bashful Bosmer," the Dragonborn snorted. "We watched you humping the air for about thirty minutes. Pony, I like you, but tonight you're getting leashed to a tree. There's no way I'm taking the chance of you coming over in the middle of the night and sleep fucking me."
"Oh god," I said, hiding my face in my hooves, absolutely mortified.
"I'll admit, it was a hell of a fucking show," Aelinna said, relishing the discomfort of the males in her party. "And you've got quite a bit to be proud of down there. What really impressed me though, was how you made all that cum of yours disappear afterwards. Must be a pony thing."
"I came?" I asked, wishing the rocks would swallow me up. "In front of you?"
"I could have drowned in the puddle you made," the dark haired Nord said, stirring a pot of porridge. "Like I said, impressive. Especially when it all glowed purple and then just disappeared. Must make cleanup easy for your mares."
"Wait, purple glow?" I asked, looking up. "There was a purple glow?"
Aelinna nodded and I proceeded to tell them about my meeting with Mara in the dreamscape while we ate breakfast. It became clear that the purple jar that had been sitting beside the goddess in the aftermath was my harvested seed. Mara had milked me like a prize stallion in order to collect my orgasm. She'd been working on multiple agendas the whole time.
"Holy shit," I said, making Faendal stop while he was harnessing me to the cart. We had swung by Falkreath the day before and Aelinna had gone into town and had a harness custom made for me. It fit so much better than the one the Dragonborn had cobbled together I barely noticed it when it was strapped on.
"What's wrong?" Faendal asked. "Did I pinch you somewhere?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I just realized that Mara was quoting Mab."
"Who's Mab?" Faendal asked.
"Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness," I said, quoting. "Ruler of every wicked fairy and dark spirit in existence. Who always has multiple plots running at the same time, so that if one fails, another has a chance. And Mara was quoting her."
"Hey, we ready to go yet?" Aelinna asked, as she finished checking her weapons. "I want to check out some caverns off in the hills not too far from here."
"I've almost got James in harness," Faendal said, cinching tight the last straps. "Done."
"Good," Aelinna said, drawing herself up to stand beside me and the tall elf. "Despite the danger of my dying from Bosmer bashfulness or being sleep fucked by a pony, I've gotten to like you two. So, let's stay off the main roads and see if we can't manage to screw over Fate. Okay?"
The three of us spent a good chunk of the day heading into the hills that formed Skyrim's southern border, the ones to the south of the big lake. There we found a tomb cut into the base of a stony hill, that was also well hidden by lots of trees. It was the perfect place for both Aelinna to find some good loot and for me, and Faendal to remain out of sight of curious passers-by.
We'd had to travel along the main roads for awhile, of course. During which time my disguise had been enhanced with a halter and a lead rope. I'd complained about them, but both Faendal and Aelinna pointed out that all cart horses wore them, no matter how well-behaved they were.
"And maybe it will remind you to keep your mouth shut around people," Aelinna said, lifting my jaw to make me look her in the eye. "That sputum stained, shit-brained, tin can bandit chief might have ended as a dishonorable stain on the ground, but he was right about one thing. If you keep talking, no one's going to believe you're a simple pack pony."
"Yes ma'am," I said, meekly. One does not argue with the Dragonborn.
"Good," she said, tapping my nose with a finger. "Because the next time you talk around strangers I'm putting a bit on you. Do it again, and it's the muzzle."
"Eep!" I said, with a mock shudder. Aelinna chuckled, and with that we set off.
Aelinna had gone into the tomb to explore and loot, and had already come out twice loaded down with weapons, bits of armor and a few pieces of jewelry. Before she'd gone in for her third trip she told us not to expect her back for a few hours. So with nothing better to do, Faendal and I fell to talking.
"Once you finish your deliveries here in Skyrim, do you think you'll ever come back?" Faendal asked. "Just to visit?"
"I doubt it," I said, having stripped off most of my disguise so I could cool down. "Don't get me wrong. Skyrim is beautiful, but it was a pain in the ass to get here, and I've gotten involved in some things I'd really rather not."
"Like Mara," Faendal said. "And how the Nine seem to be taking a special interest in you."
"I'm an interloper in their realm," I said, shuffling a bit in the little hollow in the ground I'd made. "They want me gone as soon as possible, and I'm not sure, but I'm either overdue or nearly overdue to be on my way home by now. I've lost track of the days."
"Skyrim can truly be a timeless place," Faendal said, in agreement. He frowned and studied some trees off to one side for a moment.
"What?" I asked, noticing his intent gaze and looking over in that direction.
"Thought I spotted something," the tall Bosmer said, shaking his head. "It's nothing. By the way, when we were by Falkreath I did a little asking around about the bounty on you."
"Oh?" I asked, feeling my ears perk up as an odd breeze ruffled them. "Find anything out?"
"Not until I mentioned I was working with the Dragonborn, who it turns out is also the Thane of Falkreath," Faendal said, shifting his quiver so it sat more comfortably on his back. "Anyway, once people knew who I was with, they told me that the original bounty came on a scroll marked with the seal of the College of Winterhold."
"The wizards?" I asked, puzzled. "What the hell would wizards want with me?"
"Well, not necessarily--," Faendal began. Then his face became alarmed and he shouted, "James, MOVE!"
I was just getting up when pain bloomed in my rump and every muscle locked up, freezing me in place. Someone had just shot me with a paralysis poison and I was locked in place for at least the next few seconds. Faendal rolled to one side, and as an arrow passed through where his head had been a split second earlier, he came up with his bow out.
"You!" he yelled, at someone I couldn't see. I tried to turn my head to see who our attacker was, but the poison still held me in its alchemical grip.
Faendal notched, drew and fired so fast his hand was a blur, and his arrow streaked outwards just as I started to move again. Two arrows impacted their targets almost at the exact same time. Faendal's arrow hit our attacker, eliciting a grunt of pain. While their arrow hit me square in the back of the head, neatly stunning me and destroying both my sense of balance and ability to walk.
My legs now strands of rubber for all the good they did me, I flopped heavily to my side. Lying there, I managed to briefly focus my spinning vision on our attacker and I realized we were in deep trouble.
Aela the Huntress, an arrow now protruding from her leather armor, moved sideways as she drew another arrow. I assumed she was the one who had shot me, first with the paralysis poison, and then with whatever it was that had my head spinning. I tried to get up again, weaving my way to my knees before collapsing back down to the ground.
"Stay down, James," Faendal ordered, training his bow on Aela for another shot, but holding his fire.
"Yes, stay down, pony," Aela said, mirroring Faendal. "Don't make me shoot you again. I'm not used to capturing prey live, so I may hit something vital with my next shot."
"What did you hit him with?" Faendal demanded, eyes shifting to see if Aela was alone. "And how did you find us?"
"Something to put him down, and then a blunt to stun him," Aela said, a thin smile on her lips. "You did a good job changing what he looked like, but you forgot his shoes and hooves. I just followed the hoofprints." Faendal cursed.
"So, how do you want to do this?" he asked, focusing on our enemy.
"You, me and our bows," Aela said, while I tried to not barf from dizziness. "No potions, no magic, just skill."
"And if someone tries to interfere?" Faendal asked, not having spotted anyone with the Companion, but not willing to take a chance
"They stay out of it," Aela said, and I had to close my eyes to stop the ground from spinning. "I'm alone and I know that tomb. Your other friend is going to be quite awhile. Whenever you're ready, elf."
"Fine," Faendal said, letting out a breath. "Let's go."
I forced myself to open my eyes and lay as still as I could so that I could watch the classic archery duel. Arrows hissed and flew back and forth, each archer scoring hits while trying to dodge return fire from their counterpart. As my head and vision began to settle, I tried to belly crawl away. Only for another blunt from Aela to streak past my head and hit me in my left shoulder, numbing the joint and ending my ability to do anything more than be a sitting duck.
The battle raged on, and I could tell that Aela was starting to outshoot Faendal. The tall elf was bleeding from half a dozen hits and I could see his bow arm start to shake. In the game, Faendal was less experienced than Aela, being a woodworker as well as an archer. While Aela, was a warrior and worked at it all the time.
Then I saw Aela start walking sideways in a classic strafing motion. Faendal stood in place, rotating to track her in a turret-like fashion and I realized what was about to happen. By walking sideways, Aela would simply walk her aimpoint into her stationary target, while Faendal had to keep readjusting to track his moving one. Both archers let fly once more.
Faendal missed, while Aela did not. Her arrow struck the elf in the shoulder, passing through the muscle there and pinning him to a tree via the yard long shaft. Yelling, I bounded up to my hooves, and began to three-legged hobble my way over to my hurt friend. I shouldn't have.
"Oh, no you don't," Aela said, tackling me to the ground. I tried to fight back, but in my condition I couldn't put up anything like a proper resistance, and it only took her seconds to have me hogtied and lying back on the ground.
"Get away from him, you bitch," Faendal said, in a pained gasp.
"Can't do that," the warrior said, getting up and drawing a wickedly sharp blade. "You fought well, elf. So, I'll give you a quick, clean death instead of a slow suffering one from bleeding out."
"Please," I begged, helpless on the ground. "You've won, you don't have to kill him."
"I leave him like that and his wounds will slowly kill him," Aela said, still advancing on Faendal. "This is an honorable death, for an honorable warrior. Sovngarde will welcome him."
"There's healing potions in the pack by the fire," I said, and Aela was within reach of Faendal now. "Leave one out for him. He'll make it. I know he will." Aela looked back at me.
"Why would I leave behind a witness to the battle?" she asked, sun gleaming from the deadly edge of the blade she held. "One that could point your other companion in my direction."
"If you give him a chance at survival and he succeeds, he'll head straight back to Riverwood," I said, lifting my head off the ground. "The Dragonborn will never know what happened unless she figures it out on her own."
"The Dragonborn?" Aela said, sucking in her breath. "Your companion is the Dragonborn?"
"You might have been able to take me," Faendal said, voice tight with pain. "But you're no match for her." I decided to use the opening my friend had given me.
"You do the honorable thing, by letting Faendal have a chance, and I give you my word not to fight you," I said. My heart sunk as I said the words, knowing I was condemning myself to an unknown fate for my friend. But I was Equestrian as much as human now, and both parts of me were in accord on this.
"You're hardly in any position to fight me," Aela said, with a snort. "But I admire your spirit."
"I can bite, I can buck," I said, my voice resolute. "I can struggle, leave a trail. I can slow you down in a hundred different ways. Especially because I know you want me alive, and there's one other thing."
"What?" Aela asked, and I could tell she was willing to accept my offer even before I gave the clincher.
"Despite what some may think, you aren't some raving, snarling beast," I said, knowing about the curse of Hircine and the Circle. "You are an honorable warrior. All I'm doing, is asking you to do the honorable thing." Aela didn't react, but I knew my words had struck home.
"Elf," Aela said, turning to Faendal. "If I leave a healing potion out for you, will you do what the pony says?" Faendal nodded, knowing it was his best chance to survive.
"Give me your word, pony," Aela said, sheathing her blade. "You will be my prisoner, and obey me as best you can."
"You have it," I said. "I will be your captive, and make no attempts to escape or draw pursuit down on you."
"Okay then," Aela said, digging in the packs by the fire until she came up with not one, but two potion bottles and set them on the ground a few feet away from Faendal. "A word of advice, elf. Break off the shaft as close to the wound as you can manage, then slide yourself off. It will hurt, but it's the best way."
Not trusting his voice, Faendal nodded and watched as Aela lifted me up, bound legs and all. She settled me over her shoulders, with the ties around my hooves in front, just like I was a piece of game she'd shot down in the woods. Faendal and I shared a last look of farewell before I was carried off to meet the fate Skyrim had in store for me. |
Mail Troubles | Apocalypse | Aela set a punishing pace, moving along at a swift lope through Skyrim's forests. She ran like a deer among the trees, ignoring both roads and trails. Her speed completely unaffected by either the terrain or the burden she carried over her shoulders. Under usual circumstances I'd be impressed by her skill and speed.
These weren't normal conditions, considering I was the bound and trussed burden on her shoulders. I'd squirmed a couple of times as I tried to get used to the jouncing ride, only to be threatened with being knocked over the head. Considering how my head was still reeling from the blunt Aela had shot me with, I decided to lay as still as I could.
It wasn't until the sun began to set that Aela started to slow down and hunt for a place to stop for the night. She dumped me without ceremony onto the ground and a dagger was shoved into the dirt next to my throat. Edge just touching my skin. I began to try to move away when I felt a second dagger slide against the back of my neck.
"Don't move and you won't get cut," Aela said, in brief warning.
I'm not a complete idiot and so held myself very still while the huntress set up a small camp. She was mercifully quick, but my instinctive need to move away from danger had me jerking my neck back and forth in about a half inch worth of space. The cuts my movement caused had my blood wetting the ground by the time she came back.
"Idiot," Aela muttered, jerking her knife out of the rocky soil with a curse. A quick slash of the blade later and the bonds on my hooves parted. I began to get up only to be slammed back to the ground as Aela sat herself on top of me. I heard a clinking sound and felt her wrapping leather hobbles around my fetlocks. Another moment later and the huntress had expertly flipped our positions so that she was now under me, with my back against her chest.
A quick squeeze at the points of my jaw had my mouth opening and I felt a liquid being poured in before my mouth was clamped closed again. One hand kept its grip there while the other worked at my heavily nicked throat, trying to get me to swallow the overly sweet liquid in my mouth. It was all I could do to stop myself from gulping down what was likely a poison of some sort.
"Swallow, pony," Aela said, holding on as I began to thrash reflexively from lack of air. "Stop being stubborn. I've handled more than one problem horse, and you're barely foal sized."
Lungs burning, I gave in and swallowed. The honeyed warmth of the potion hit my stomach and its fire radiated out to my limbs. It felt like the time I'd tried some of Dad's moonshine, only without the burning or the vomiting afterwards. Almost immediately the stinging feeling on my neck went away, and I felt very hungry.
"Eat," Aela said, taking her hand off my muzzle and holding an apple in front of me. I lunged my head forward and nearly took her fingers off in my sudden need for sustenance. Two more apples later and the gnawing in my belly began to ease off.
Able to think rationally again, I took stock of my situation. I was lying at the feet of one of the more formidable hunters in Skyrim. My hooves had been hobbled in a strange diagonal fashion which would allow me to walk, but only just. Aela had also taken advantage of my mindless eating to loop a rope around my neck several times and tying it off to a high up tree branch as a sort of crude collar and leash. In a nutshell, I was screwed and making a break for it wasn't an option.
"I gave my word not to try to escape," I said, jerking my hooves with deliberate emphasis.
"Not everyone is a Companion," Aela said, gnawing on some trail bread. "This way, your word is kept whether you want to or not."
"Speaking of Companions," I said, getting to my hooves and very slowly moving over to the base of the tree my leash was tied to. "I saw your reaction when you found out who me and Faendal were working for. She's one of you, isn't she?"
"Yes, Aelinna's a Companion," Aela confirmed, "and I will cross that bridge when I next meet my shield sister. No more talking, unless you want to be muzzled."
Muzzles were permanently on my top ten list of things I did not want. So, I shook my head, finished making my way to the tree and plopped myself down in a hollow at its base. Aela nodded in approval and put a rough blanket over me. I fell asleep thinking of how that strange hunger I'd had must have been connected to the healing potion somehow. Maybe that's why you can eat all those damn wheels of cheese in the game.
The next day was almost a carbon copy of the previous.
Aela bound my hooves together, threw me onto her shoulders and began moving at that odd lope that was a cross between walking and jogging that ate up miles very quickly. With my head no longer reeling, and boredom setting in, I tried to strike up a conversation again. Only to have my efforts halted by a leather strap that Aela wrapped around my muzzle to keep me quiet.
The miles flowed by, and we only stopped twice during the entire day. Once at midday for a drink and to allow me to empty my bladder, with a second stop at the end of the day. Once again, Aela made camp in the middle of nowhere. Once again, I was leashed to a tree, and once again I was fed as the sun began to go down over a much colder part of the landscape than yesterday.
I tried reaching out to either Luna or Derpy through my dreams, but nothing seemed to respond. Everything was filled with an odd sort of blankness and without any sort of stimuli, my lucid dreaming soon fell into full dreaming and a deep slumber. A slumber that was broken by Aela rousing me as dawn broke over the mountains.
"We will meet the man who is paying for you in a couple of hours," Aela said, and I hear regret in her voice. "For whatever it is worth, I'm sorry, but the price on your head was just too high to resist."
"It is a lot of gold," I replied. "I just didn't think the Companions were involved in the slave trade."
"We aren't," Aela shot back with a grimace of distaste. "There are things more valuable than gold. Worth enough for me to do... well, this."
"Justify it however you like," I replied, angrily as Aela stepped towards me, strap in hand. "You're still selling someone who has done nothing wrong."
"I know," Aela said, wrapping the strap around my muzzle again. "I know."
We set off again, through the increasingly snowy forests and Aela barely slowed down at all. Even a pair of wolves jumping out from behind a group of trees scarcely made her pause as she killed them with a couple of almost lazy swipes of her sword. The predicted two hours of travel found us at the base of a snowy cliff face into which there was set a broad cave opening. There was a small brass bell which Aela rang after setting me down on a cold stone slab.
A minute or two later a middle-aged man with greying hair came out of the cave flanked by a couple of undead. At least I hoped they were, because no one should look like they did and still be alive. Overall, the man looked like the classic Skyrim wizard. Robe, sparky bits and so forth. The only really odd things were that his belt had multiple potion bottles hanging from it and that he even wore a bandolier with several vials strung along its length.
"Well, is this it?" he asked, gesturing to me.
"It's him," Aela confirmed. "Now hand over what you promised me."
"There is a test I need to perform first," the wizard said, walking over to me and undoing the strap around my muzzle.
"You better fucking let me go right damn now, you piece of shit!" I yelled, the split second I could open my mouth. "Otherwise you're going to have a horseshoe shoved so far up your ass you'll be tasting horsehide for the next decade. You festering piece of rotting cow cock." What can I say? You pick things up when you're around the Dragonborn.
"So, not some mere brute, but a thinking animal," said the man, with a chuckle. "Yes, yes. He's everything I'd hoped for."
"Give me what you promised in exchange," Aela growled, hand on her sword. "Or I'm talking him back."
"No need to be so hasty, Companion," the wizard said, motioning one of his minions forward. "Or should I say, Daughter of Hircine?" Aela sucked in a breath and drew her sword.
"I should gut you where you stand for that!" she declared.
"Ah yes," the wizard said, utterly calm as his minion reached him carrying a small chest. "You could kill me, or you could have this."
"Is that..." Aela said, lowering her sword.
"Yesss," replied the wizard, drawing out the word and patting the chest for a moment. "The locations of every known encampment of the group called 'Silver Hand,' plus a complete list of their known members. As well as everything the College of Winterhold has on the locations of the fragments of Wuuthrad. Does this payment satisfy your precious 'honor'?"
Aela's eyes glowed as she took the box from the risen dead. "No, it does not," she said, looking me in the eye, "but it does make what I have done justifiable. The pony is yours. I never want to hear of you again."
"You bitch!" I screamed at Aela. "You fucking bitch! You're going to regret this!"
"I already do," Aela said, walking away, and I had the feeling she never expected to see me again.
"That will be enough out of you," the wizard said, pulling out something that looked like a bridle out of his robes. "Hold him."
One of the undead grabbed me in their cold, bony grip and I tried to thrash and fight back, but I was both bound and pinned in place. As a final act of defiance I closed my mouth in an attempt to keep the bridle's weirdly shaped bit out of my mouth. The wizard got around that by punching me in the gut and shoving the bit into place as I gasped for breath.
"Hgck... glth," I sputtered, as the wizard finished buckling the bridle into place. The bit both held my tongue down and my mouth open, making sure I couldn't make anything that sounded like words. Straps around my muzzle forced my jaws down against the bit, keeping me from getting some slack to get rid of the damned thing.
"My work will cause you enough discomfort as it is," the wizard said, motioning to what looked like a draugr to pick me up. "Cooperate and I will ease as much of it as possible."
My response was to move all my hooves together in a single motion to boot the undead carrying me, right in the face. I had the satisfaction of seeing the draugr's jawbone go spiraling off into the distance. The wizard's response was more effective than mine. The son of a bitch hit me with a paralysis spell that froze me solid.
My resistance dealt with, the wizard had me carried into the cave and strapped me to a padded metal frame. I say "strapped" but it was more a case of "immobilized." There were straps cinched down tight above and below every joint in my body. There was even a clamp holding my tail in place. I could barely even fidget, never mind move.
"Now that the subject has been rendered unable to block our purposes," the wizard said, to an undead that was taking notes, of all things, "we shall conduct a thorough baseline examination."
Then every part of me was examined, measured, described and categorized. Samples were taken of my saliva, urine, sweat, and even cum. I cursed and swore during my violation, bucking against the steel and leather that held me captive, but my best efforts merely made the straps creak a bit. I should have saved my strength for the real horror to come.
"An excellent amount," the wizard said, holding a beaker filled with my sexual fluid up to a light. "You should be proud of being able to produce such a prodigious quantity. With luck, I'll be able to inseminate three or four mares to produce more of your kind."
I sort of lost it that point. Growling, screaming, and throwing my body around so that even strapped down as I was, I managed to shift the metal frame holding me a few inches to one side. This fucker was about to create a race of half-breed ponies from me. I didn't know why he wanted to, but it was certain he was going to view them as his property. I should have stayed quiet.
"Easy there, pony," the wizard said, laying his hand on the back of my neck in an attempt to calm me. "What's this?" My blood froze as I realized that by complete chance the wizard had put his hand directly onto my collar. The collar that held my humanity safe for me.
"You're wearing a collar," he said, his voice intent. "How could I have missed seeing this before? Wait, there is some sort of enchantment on it, isn't there? Yes, now that I concentrate I can see the collar clearly, but only if I focus on it. This must be how you hid from the huntress for so long. Clever."
"Hurk grcka," I protested eloquently.
"Yes, and the clasp is enchanted as well," the wizard said, drawing out a knife. "No matter."
"Oooo," I howled in protest, feeling the blade slide between my neck and the collar. A quick flick of his wrist, and the collar parted a second later. Followed by a burst of energies as Discord's magic was let loose from the sundered leather. The wave of plaid power picked the wizard up and threw him against the nearby wall of the cave with a resounding thud.
Even if I hadn't been immobilized, the shock of what had just happened would have frozen me. My humanity, the stuff that made me James Allens, human of Earth, was gone. Just like that. Gone. Destroyed by an asshole who saw me as nothing but some kind of science experiment. What was I now?
My anger and sadness was broken into by the sound of the wizard climbing out of a pile of broken furniture and pottery shards. I felt grim satisfaction as I noticed that he was definitely worse for wear. He had several cuts across his face and he moved with the stiffness of someone who had pulled a back muscle or two.
"The course of progress is difficult at times," he opined, before gesturing to a pair of his undead minions. "You there, feed the pony using the method I've shown you, then make sure he is secured in his cage for the night. I need to use a few healing potions."
The reason behind the strange bit in my mouth became clear as one of the draugr slowly fed a rubber like hose down my throat through a gap in the bit, and poured a watery mass of ground oats down into my gullet. I would be fed and watered whether I wanted to eat or not, it seemed. After that I was finally released from the holding frame and dragged into a small steel cage.
Despite everything that had happened to me, I found myself getting sleepy very quickly. The sudden tiredness overriding my desire to check my prison for any flaws I might exploit. As my nose touched the ground, two thoughts echoed in my head. First, my food had been drugged to make me easy to manage. Second, no one had all this kind of stuff ready to go, and was this good with it, if they haven't already done it a few times to someone.
Day two found me again strapped to the frame, and this time the wizard had pulled up what I recognized as an alchemy table. He started light. A shaving of hairs here, a sliver of a hoof there, some scraping from various parts. Each bit was meticulously prepared and then tested for its alchemical properties.
After lunch came... pain. He cut into the delicate frog of one of my hooves, and proceeded to cut off the entire sole of one hoof. It hurt even more than it did when he cut my tail off by the dock in a single, clean motion. I gritted my teeth as best I could and kept myself to small whimpers. It wasn't until he gelded me that I finally broke into screams of agony.
Through it all the wizard never flinched or showed an ounce of compassion towards me. I was a whimpering, blubbering, bloody mess by the time he had finished preparing and sampling all the bits. Then he poured a pair of healing potions down the tube into my stomach and barely a minute later I was restored. Everything back where it was, and the pain merely a fading memory.
The physical pain was gone, but mentally I was a broken wreck. It wasn't the pain that had broken my will. It wasn't the mutilations or the cavalier method in which he had cut parts of my body off. It was the realization that with healing potions at his disposal he could do this over, and over, and over again. I distantly felt the bridle and bit being removed for the first time in two days.
"Eat," the wizard said. "Magic needs material to work with. Eat."
"Just kill me already," I begged him. I could only imagine what tomorrow was going to bring, and my imagination terrified me. "Please, I'll do anything you ask. Just don't hurt me anymore."
"Then eat," the wizard said. "If it's any consolation, I can only test parts of you once. After that, they are contaminated with residue from the healing potion."
"Just don't hurt me anymore, please," I begged again. I'd do just about anything to escape that level of pain.
"I regret that you must be the one to pay the price of progress," the wizard said, before grabbing the back of my head and aiming at the bowl in front of me that was filled with vegetables of various sorts. "I will do my best to be as efficient as possible in the future. Now eat, or I will have your food poured down your throat again."
I ate mechanically with a mind numbed from the horror of knowing what was coming. The wizard didn't say it, but I knew that tomorrow he was going into me for parts to test, and I likely wasn't going to survive it. This was it. I was going to die a horrible death by vivisection, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. I finished the food in front of me and was promptly re-bridled and locked back into my tiny cage. As the lights were put out, a blanket was thrown over the cage, further enshrouding me in darkness.
Luna, I called out in my mind, praying for a response. Luna, Derpy, please. I need help! Silence reigned.
Mara? I asked, into the silence. You said you would help in my hour of greatest need. I need you!
I am here, young pony, said the welcome voice of the goddess. But I did try to warn you that once this had begun I could not stop it. I cannot prevent what is to happen to you, but I will be with you through it all.
If you can't save me, then I want a promise from you, I said, fear icing my gut but something like my old determination coming back to me. Tell Derpy and Luna what happened to me. Tell them I'm gone, an.. And that I love them both. Okay?
On my honor, it will be done, Mara said, and I could "feel" her hand on my metaphorical neck. Your mares shall know of your fate and that your thoughts were of your love for them. Now, let me give you the one gift I can give you. A night without nightmares, free of fear and terror. Sleep James. Sleep, my little pony.
A pulse of warmth spread over me from Mara's hand and in moments I was asleep. Assured that those I cared for would at least know what had happened to me. |
Mail Troubles | Side Chapter: Aela and Aelinna | Aela jogged through the trees like a deer with a wolf on her trail. For in truth, there was one. A wolf of her own making. A warrior like none other, and a Shield Sister of the Companions to boot. Aelinna the Dragonborn was hot on her trail and determined to catch up with her.
Crouching low as she crested a ridge, the huntress risked a glance behind. There, crossing a clearing about a mile back, was her friend. Aelinna's strong body was outlined by the steel and leather armor she favoured, and the bow she liked was strapped to her back. The dark haired Nord must have sensed Aela's eyes on her, for she stopped suddenly and looked directly at her quarry.
Aela didn't need to see the determination on her friend's face to know that the Dragonborn wasn't going to stop until they confronted each other. Aelinna had already confronted daedra, dragons and worse. A little thing like a betrayal would barely slow her down, so Aela did the smartest thing she could think of. She ran.
She ran down the hill and toward a ravine that she knew of nearby. There was an old rope bridge across it. All Aela had to do was get across and cut the bridge before Aelinna caught up to her. Once that was done, not even the Dragonborn would be able to catch her before she got back to Jorrvaskr, where any sort of confrontation would be in Aela's favor.
The bridge swayed alarmingly as Aela ran across, but years of learning how to keep her footing in all sorts of weather kept her moving and she was across in moments. Aela turned, drew her sword and cut the bridge ropes with a half dozen quick slashes. Just in time, as a few breaths later her shield sister emerged from the wood on the opposite side.
"We need to talk, Aela," Aelinna said, from the far side.
"Yes, but not here, not now," Aela called back, well aware that she was inside of easy bow range. "Meet me back at Jorrvaskr and I'll try to explain things to you. There are some things you aren't ready to know quite yet."
"I am sick and tired of people telling me what to do and when to do it. I think it's godsdamn time I got my answers when I want them, not when people think I'm ready for them," Aelinna said, just before Shouting, "WULD NAH"
The form of the Dragonborn blurred as she rode the power of the Thu'um over and across the gap separating the two women. As the Shout dissipated it deposited Aelinna safely on Aela's side of the gap.
"Well, that's something new," Aela said, drawing her sword in automatic response. Few people knew that the Dragonborn needed a break between using Shouts. The longer the shout, the longer the break. If she attacked now it would be down to steel and skill, and while Aelinna was good and getting better by the day, Aela still had a small advantage over her. Aela tensed for a moment, and then dropped her sword to the rocky ground beneath her. The clatter of steel on stone caused Aelinna to stiffen, and it made her pause in sudden surprise.
"You've probably gone and nicked the blade," Aelinna said, walking forward, hand resting on the hilt of her own sword. "Eorland is going to have a fit when he sees what you've done to his work. Why didn't you attack as I landed? You might have been able to take me right then."
"I've already wronged you, Shield Sister," Aela said, as she sat herself down in a cross-legged fashion. "I wasn't going to make it worse by attacking you as well."
"Then give me some fucking answers," Aelinna said, moving to sit near the red-haired huntress. "Is something making you do this? A Daedra? Why in all the hells would you take one of my followers and go sell him off like a piece of meat in the market?"
"Because it was the only way to get what I needed to save the lives of many Companions, and possibly even the soul of our Harbinger," Aela said.
"What's Kodlak got to do with this?" Aelinna demanded. "I know he's sick, is that why you sold the pony? For a cure?"
"No," Aela said, shaking her head. "The wizard I sold your pony to had knowledge and information the Companions desperately need."
"What information?" Aelinna insisted. "What is worth the hell that wizard is going to put that pony through? Tell me, or do I have to raise my voice again?"
"I can't tell you," Aela said, quickly carrying on as Aelinna's eyes flamed in anger. "Not here, anyway. When we get to Jorrvaskr I'll tell you everything. My word on it."
"Do you know what wizards do to people they get their hands on?" Aelinna said, growling the words. "I did some asking around near Winterhold about the bastard. He's an alchemist, a master alchemist. That wizard is going to take apart that pony piece by piece to see what he can make potions out of. You'll tell me right fucking now what I need to know or I'll make you wish it was you the bastard is cutting up."
Aela blanched. She was a powerful Nord warrior, and one of the best fighters among the Companions, but she had seen Aelinna in battle. Seen her fury, her growing skills, and the power of the dragon blood within her. Aelinna wasn't quite her equal with a sword, but when you added in the power of the Voice and fire of her rage, Aelinna was more than her match.
"I can tell you where to find them," Aela said, keeping her face and voice stoic, "but you're probably too late already. I met with the wizard yesterday, and not even you can cover that much distance that quickly."
"Don't bet on it," Aelinna said, with another dragon-like growl as she stood back up and towered over Aela. "Now, tell me where that festering pus stain is lairing. After I deal with that toadlicker, I'll come back and talk with you. Pray to whichever god you like that I find the pony alive, because if I don't..." Aelinna didn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to.
"I look forward to our conversation, Shield Sister," Aela said, standing up as well to face the Dragonborn. "Good luck."
"No more fucking secrets after this," Aelinna said, before deliberately putting her back to Aela and again Shouting, "WULD NAH."
"Perhaps it is time the Circle opened to allow a new member," Aela said softly, as the echoes of repeated Shouts began to fade into the distance. "I'll see you at Jorrvaskr, my sister. No more secrets, I swear it." |
Mail Troubles | Apotheosis | The pain was so bad that I couldn't even scream. I just panted, trying to draw air into my labouring lungs. I saw the wizard reach his bloody hand in once more, and he pulled on something that should never be pulled on. Whatever he had grabbed tore free from inside of me, there was a spike of searing agony, followed by a blissful wave of numbness.
That sudden bliss washed over me, and seemed to lift me up. It kept on carrying me upwards, and I could look down and see the wizard's back as he bent over my body. As I watched, my view began to retreat as I continued float upwards. Higher and higher I flew, until I lost sight of the wizard, and the land began to blur until I was looking down on the world of Nirn itself.
"Welp, I guess this is it," I said, drifting toward the stars. "Time to see what's next, I guess."
As I floated through the heavens I noticed flashes of light off to one side, and my motion seemed to follow my interest, moving me toward the sparkles. I was sort of wondering why a pony shaped Grim Reaper hadn't shown up, when I felt myself being drawn towards a nearby hunk of rock. I tried to steer away but the tugging grew into a relentless sucking force that pulled me down at high speed. I hit hard.
"Oof, anyone get the number of that Winnebago?" I asked, a few moments later as I got myself back onto my hooves. I felt a strange tingling tightness over my body and I took a look at myself to check for damage.
"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!" I exclaimed, as I saw what was on me. I'd been harnessed. Specifically, I had on a tight harness of black leather straps that were ornamented with glowing white crystals every couple of inches. A slight tugging at my chest had me turn to one side.
Sitting there, the very picture of serenity, was the goddess Mara. She had seen better days though. Her face was dirty and her clothing was ripped in a few places, not to mention that I could see a steel shackle around one of her ankles that was chained to the rock she sat on. The captive goddess also had a steel cuff around one wrist with another chain that went straight to the chest strap of the harness I was bound in.
"Hello James," Mara said, smiling at me. "How do you like your soul cage, my little pony?"
"Soul ca--" I began to ask, and a chill spread over me suddenly. I realized that the harness I was wearing was studded with soul gems/, and Mara had called it a "cage". She had quite literally captured my soul with it.
"Yes, soul cage," Mara said, twining her cuffed wrist around the linked chain to pull me a little closer. "Had I not anticipated this need, your spirit would have drifted into the aether. There to float aimlessly until it slowly dissipated in a vain attempt to reach either of the afterlifes you are eligible for."
"So, I'm dead?" I asked, trying to pull back a bit, but Mara's strength was far beyond mine.
"Not entirely, but you are close enough and your body in more than sufficient agony that your spirit has left it," Mara said, pulling me to within a few feet of her. "Now, be a dear and sit at my feet. Like a good pet pony should."
"I am not your pet, Mara," I said, pointedly refusing to move closer.
"Oh child," Mara laughed. "You were mine from the moment you accepted my power into you. We are linked by a chain which cannot be broken." She jangled the silver links binding the two of us together briefly.
"You mean this whole time? Everything I've gone through..." I sputtered, scarcely believing what I was hearing. "It was all a setup?"
"Of course. You are a force for change. A literal agent of chaos meant to disrupt Order. Such alteration of what is to be is anathema to Akatosh. He is the God of Time, and breaking the line of time breaks the Dragon, and weakens Him," Mara said, lips twitching into a brief smirk as she pulled the chain leash taut. "I have guided things so that you and the possibilities you represent are mine to command."
"Possibilities?" I asked, leaning against the pull with my mind racing trying to think what Mara was driving at. Beyond just having me as her personal pony toy, that is. Then it hit me. My seed. She had collected a portion of my essence. I looked Mara in the face and my realization must have showed.
"Yes, my dear James," Mara said, and the smile was wide now. "A new race of creatures across the face of Nirn, beholden only to myself. Giving me and only me the power of their worship and devotion. Combined with you causing small, but repeated breaks in the timeline to weaken Lord Akatosh, and I will have sufficient power to become the chief goddess of Nirn. Either that, or strength enough to journey to Equestria to become its ruler. Celestia and Luna would look lovely harnessed to my chariot."
"I'll never serve you," I said, defiance in my glare. "Neither will Equestria."
"Of course they will," Mara said, and her eyes and voice hardened. "Sit at my feet." To my horror, my body took the last few steps over to her and I sat myself down where she had told me to. Mara's cuffed hand came down and started lazily stroking my mane.
"What? How?" I asked, shocked at my body's betrayal.
"Silly pet," Mara said, leash clinking. "My power is a part of you, and I would be a poor goddess indeed if I could not control my own power. You, are mine. To control, to command, to be the instrument of my will."
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings," Talos said, stepping out of the shadows with his sword drawn, "and it is not right of you to try to take James' freedom from him."
"He is mine," Mara insisted. "I've paid the price for not letting Akatosh kill him outright. He accepted my power into himself, and he has obeyed my commands. He is mine."
"You deceived him, you did not tell him the consequences of his choices," Talos countered, advancing. "You used him and abused his trust. Your actions show why Men can never trust the Gods."
"And what do you intend to do about it? Kill me?" Mara asked, thrusting out her impressive chest.
"Akatosh ruled you are to be confined here for a time, and I will not overrule my lord's decision," Talos said.
"Talos, why are you even here?" I asked, tugging at the black straps of the harness holding me. "I'm not even human anymore. I'm not a man."
"James," Talos said, and I swear there was a twinkle in his eye. "Let me tell you a secret of the universe. We are, who we believe we are. If you believe you are a man, then your spirit is that of a man. If you believe you are a pony, then you are a pony. And if... if you believe you are both, then that is what you are."
"So I'm..." I trailed off, not really able to say the words.
"You are alive," Talos said, clasping a hand to my shoulder. "Everything else is negotiable. A good man said that in another place and time, and he was right. You carry within you the spirit of Men. The will to defy kings and gods alike is your heritage, and so I am here. To defend that heritage."
"So what now?" I asked, still sitting at Mara's feet as she stroked my mane and back like I was some sort of pet. Which it was looking more and more like I was.
"We watch the fireworks," Talos said, manifesting a chair and sitting on the opposite side of me from Mara; who rolled her eyes at the warrior god's refusal to sit near her.
"What fireworks?" I asked, looking up, and hating the clinking sound of my leash already.
"Look, up there," Talos said, pointing with a gauntleted hand.
I looked up into the dark sky to where the warrior god had gestured and as I did, my vision seemed to expand and flow. My eyes saw things that I knew should not have been visible to mortal eyes, but, praise be to Talos, I was seeing them anyway.
I had met the Diarchs of Equestria. I even had a personal relationship with one of them, and I knew them as compassionate beings who used their power with as much care and wisdom as they could. I had been at Luna's side as she had wielded her might in the dream realm. I'd seen her power, her majesty, and her love and care for all her ponies. What I had never seen was Luna and her sister using everything they had in all-out, balls to the wall battle.
Luna and Celestia burned with the might of their fury and outrage. They shone like suns come to war in a celestial battleground and their banner of fire was declaration of intent to the gods of Nirn. Who were all too eager to pick up the gauntlet that had been thrown down, and I saw five equally blazing suns roar towards the Diarchs.
Luna and Celestia were outnumbered, outgunned, and were on someone else's turf. Their defeat should have been certain, but the Diarchs had something going for them that the five against them couldn't match.
Harmony.
Akatosh, Julianos, Arkay, Kynareth and Stendarr attacked the Sisters as soon as they were close enough to do so, but their strikes were uncoordinated and unplanned. In contrast, the Diarchs fought back as if they were a single being, each moving in smooth compliment to the other. Where one was weak, the other was strong. Where Luna was cunning, Celestia was wise. They were in complete balance, and their tactics showed it.
When Arkay tried to cloak himself in the shadows, it was Celestia's light that revealed him. When Akatosh launched a strike at Celestia's blind side, it was Luna who anticipated the shot and pushed the Dragon God off-course just enough. Luna and Celestia may have been outnumbered five to two overall, but at each clash of power they were always two to the other's one.
Even as Kynareth screamed in pain at Celestia's solar fire burning through her shield, and Luna warded off a counter-blow by Julianos, I could tell I was missing something. Luna and Celestia were putting up an amazing fight, but they couldn't keep it up forever. Sooner or later one of them would make a mistake and then the fight would be over. There had to be something I wasn't seeing, some reason why the Diarchs were fighting as openly as they were.
"Ah, you see it as well," Talos said, and I could hear the approval in that low voice. "Let me show you what you are looking for. I think a little music is appropriate."
From out of nowhere drums trilled and trumpets blared, and a moment later I realized that I knew that music. I must have seen the old cheesy movie it was from a dozen times, but it surprised me is that Talos knew it as well.
"Klendathu Drop?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"
"I am also a god of battles, and your people make excellent martial music," Talos said, reaching down to guide my sight. "Look there! There she is!"
Once again I stared out into the abyss, squinting my eyes and trying to focus on what Talos had noticed. Finally, I spotted it. A grey speck, dropping unseen through the middle of that titanic battle in the cosmos. Talos twitched his hand, and the speck grew in my vision until it resolved into the image of a grey pegasus. Derpy, my Derpy Hooves, was flying through it all, her wings arched in the classic pose of a diving falcon as she flew towards Nirn.
"A diversion," I breathed. "It's a diversion."
"Of course it is," Talos said, and again there was that pleased sound in his voice. "The Diarchs know they cannot defeat Akatosh and the others, not on their home ground. I do not agree with the actions of the other gods, so I have chosen to stand apart from them, and let them fight without my experience."
"She'll ruin everything!" Mara yelled, getting up from her seat, her shackle jangling. "AK--" A muzzle suddenly came into being over Mara's mouth, silencing her.
"That will be enough out of you," Talos growled. "I have had enough of your wiles, enough of your schemes for power. Have the decency to accept that this part of your plans has failed. With grace, as a goddess should." Muzzled, Mara said nothing, instead sending a fulminating glare at Talos that threatened to reduce him to ash on the spot.
Some part of Mara's cry must have reached Akatosh's ears though, because the Dragon God suddenly wheeled in flight shouting, "Children! We are deceived. GET THAT PEGASUS! DESTROY HER!"
The Lords of Nirn hurled themselves in pursuit of my Derpy, and Celestia moved to follow, but Luna held back. Instead of charging in pursuit, the Princess of the Night instead summoned a silver bugle to her lips and began to play. The notes were high, soaringly high and wild, triggering something in me that was neither wholly human nor pony. A strange exhilaration filled me, a need to take up a weapon, to drive forward and fasten my teeth in the throat of my enemy.
It wasn't until I glanced at Talos and saw my feelings mirrored in his expression that I realized what Luna was doing. She was sounding the charge, and it hurt that bound as I was I could not follow the command of my liege lady, but then again I was not the only pony on that battlefield.
All ponies have a special talent. A special ability that is theirs and theirs alone, and is symbolized by their cutie mark. Sometimes the relationship between Mark and Talent is obscure, sometimes it is obvious and blatant. In the case of Derpy Hooves, everypony assumed that the bubbles on her flank stood for her happy and bubbly nature.
They were wrong.
At the sound of Luna's trumpet, power flared from the wings of my pegasus as she drew on the innate power of cutie mark magic, and for the first time in years, let loose her special talent. Those weren't bubbles on Derpy's flank, oh no. They were shockwaves.
Spheres of raw kinetic power dropped off Derpy's wings to detonate behind her in one concussive explosion after another. She rode those shockwaves with all the skill of a champion surfer, the blasts accelerating her already incredible speed into something that began to defy description. The display triggered a memory in me. Something my tenth grade science teacher had mentioned. Something about why you never let rednecks play with nukes, and my eyes went wide as the memory clicked.
"Orion," I said, in amazement. "She's a living Orion Drive."
"So it would seem," Talos said, as we watched Derpy blast forward.
The Lords of Nirn charged in pursuit of Derpy, and despite having to deal with both the shockwaves from the wrong end and Derpy's amazing speed, they slowly began to close the gap. It was starting to look bad, right up until the Sisters played their ace-in-the-hole card.
Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadance winked into existence above and below Akatosh. Taking a brief moment to orient themselves, they unleashed everything they had at the old drake. Twilight and Cadance were very much the junior princesses of the group, but they had both the Power of Love, and the Element of Magic at their command. Their hammer blows of force struck the Dragon God on the crown of his head and bottom of his jaw with sickening crunches.
Akatosh reeled like a ship caught in a sudden storm, stunned from the blows. The other four gods, hearing the blasts, turned away from the pursuit to come to the aid of their lord, fury in their eyes. Cadance and Twilight wisely ran from their ambush to join up with Luna and Celestia. The fight was now four to five, and even I could see Akatosh was hurt. Derpy was in the clear.
"Now then, James," Talos said, standing. "You have a choice to make. You can stay here, and be Mara's pet. Your spirit will live on, and I will do my best to keep her excesses with you to a minimum, but she will own you, make no mistake."
"Or?" I asked, still feeling Mara's command to sit on my body.
"Or," Talos said, drawing his silvery blade. "I can sever your connection, here and now. Your spirit would return to your body. Which is likely going to die, and this time, your spirit will probably not survive it. But, you might still live, and if not, you should have time to say goodbye, at least."
I'd made my decision a long time ago. The same decision my ancestors had made, the same decision the founders of my country had made over 200 years ago. I looked Talos in the eyes and said, "My people have a saying, 'Live free or die.' Get me out of here."
"And that, Mara, is why I will always champion the Cause of Men. Because Men have a nobility the gods lack," Talos said, and he brought his sword down to cleanly sever the silver chain binding me to Mara. A moment later I felt my body come back under my command, and I opened my mouth to thank Talos, but sudden vertigo swept over me and I fell.
I fell through the stone beneath me, through the rock, and through space down to distant Nirn. I fell all the way down to my poor, abused body and I nearly shrieked at the pain I felt as body and spirit rejoined. The agony I my body was in should have held my attention, but that was taken by the tableau near me.
My beloved Derpy had come through for me, but she was still Derpy, and had obviously misjudged her landing; if the fresh crater was any indication. Unfortunately, she also just as obviously been a little dazed on impact and the wizard and his draugr had taken advantage. Derpy stood there with no less than four lassos on her, holding her in place.
"Oh, this is excellent," the wizard said, looking at the captive mare. "I still have some of the first pony's seed. I can breed the mare and produce more--" The wizard's monologue cut off, and he looked down at the foot of steel that suddenly protruded from his chest.
"That will be fucking enough out of you," Aelinna said, wrenching her sword out of the wizard's back. "You cowardly shit stain. You should be thanking me with these last putrid breaths of yours. If I had my way I'd stake you out for Alduin and let that prick shove his dick so far up your ass, your skull would pop off the top of your neck and dangle around like a bony cock ring."
The Dragonborn kicked the man forward and he collapsed to the ground; half turning so that he could see his killer. His last expression was a comical mix of shock, outrage and disgust before his face relaxed in death. A sudden smell told me that other parts of him had relaxed in death as well.
"A shit stain 'til the end," Aelinna pronounced, turning toward Derpy and the draugr. "Let's get you out that, girl."
There followed a fight that was as fierce as it was brief. I couldn't see all that much of it, but I could hear sounds of sword and hoof hitting undead flesh. It only seemed like moments later that Aelinna was cutting me free and Derpy was gathering me into her hooves like I was Dinky.
"Oh James," Derpy said, tears in her eyes as she saw the terrible wound that was my belly. "Let's get you home."
"Wait," Aelinna said, pouring a healing potion down my throat. I felt the now familiar warmth blossom in me, but it seemed unable to deal with the cold in my guts.
"Dammit," the Dragonborn started to curse, as she poured a second and a third potion into me. "Fuck."
"What's wrong?" Derpy asked, trying to hold me and wrap an improvised bandage around my middle at the same time.
"Healing potions aren't working," Aelinna said, tucking a few more into my old saddlebags. "They're doing something, but not enough. Keep feeding him these and get him home, okay?"
"Okay, thank you," Derpy said, before reaching out and handing the Dragonborn one of her feathers. "Thank you for doing your best, and for being a friend. Equestria never forgets friendship."
"Just get the fuck out of here," Aelinna said, giving Derpy a fierce but brief hug. I got the feeling that not too many people actually thanked the Dragonborn for all the shit she went through on their behalf.
Derpy smiled her lopsided smile, and lifted off with me in her forehooves. A few moments later she did that orthogonal turn Discord had taught her and took us between dimensions.
"Saw the fight," I said, breathing through the pain that was my constant companion now. "You were awesome. How come you don't do that all the time?" Derpy's face was a mask of emotion.
"Concussion syndrome," she said, as we began to move away from Nirn. "Using my special talent is like getting hit in the head over and over. When I was a filly I was okay, for awhile. But it just got worse and worse the more I used it. It messed up my eyes, my balance, and just about my life."
"Sorry," I said, reaching up to touch her face with a hoof.
"Worth it," she said, smiling. "Shush now, I need to concentrate."
The rest of the trip back was something of a blur, but at one point I had the impression of four rays of light falling into escort positions around Derpy and I. The next serious moment of coherency I had was when Derpy levered me onto a bed at Ponyville General. A bunch of doctors started checking me over, and their looks weren't encouraging.
"We're sorry, Princess," one of them said to Luna, trying to be discreet but failing miserably. "We can make him comfortable, but that's about all."
"What do you mean?" Luna asked, not being subtle at all. "Heal him. I command it."
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," the doctor said, cringing, "but there are entire parts of him that are just... missing. There's nothing more we can do."
"It's okay, Luna," I said, trying to sound all macho and shit so Derpy wouldn't cry. "I made my choices, and I've had a good run."
"NO!" Luna exclaimed, cold smoke beginning to roll off of her. "Discord! I summon thee!" A moment later my boss appeared. He didn't look happy either.
"Before you ask," Discord said, holding up a paw. "The answer is 'No'."
"Why?" Derpy asked, not having moved from my side. "I thought you were our friend."
"Dear Derpy," Discord said, a sad smile on his face. "I am your friend. But James already avoided his fate once thanks to us. I can't do it again."
"What?" Derpy asked. "What does that mean?"
"It means, that James was supposed to die in that alley. Back in his hometown," Discord said. "His getting involved with us let him side-step that destiny, because then you were watching him and were there to save him."
"The others?" I croaked, knowing the answer already.
"All had their own fates to meet," Discord said, and I couldn't help but wonder about those I'd sat with back at that interview, so long ago. "It's one reason you could do what you did. You were outside of Fate's view, a non-entity. I'd hoped you would have had longer, maybe even a whole lifetime, but I guess not."
"S'okay," I said, looking between Derpy and Luna. "I got to meet some amazing folks. Got to do amazing stuff."
"Discord, please," Luna begged, a moment after digesting the exchange between me and Discord. "Save him. Name thy price and I shall pay it. I shall be thy toy, thy plaything, and right willingly so, if that is thy desire."
"I... can't," Discord said, shame on his face. "I defied the Fates once on James' behalf. I can't do it again. There are rules that even I can't break."
"Rules?" Luna asked, with incredulous anger in her voice. "Fie on rules! Since when does Discord, Lord of Chaos, care one whit about rules? Thou art THE rulebreaker! It is what defines thee, as much as anything can." Discord's expression became thoughtful.
"Anything I want, eh?" Discord asked, and his eyes were literally whirling as he thought. "Even if I wanted to put a bridle on you and ride you bareback around the castle?"
"Even that," Luna said, with a slight tremor in her voice. "Or any other perversion your mind can conceive."
"Alright," Discord said, clapping paw and talon together. "I'll do it, but this is my price. One day, I will come to you, Luna. I will ask you for a favor, and you will grant it without hesitation. It may be to chain you to a breeding rack and make you my broodmare so I can make some little Discords, or it may be to get me a simple glass of water. Either way, you will grant me that favor when I ask for it. Have we a bargain?"
"We do," Luna said, holding out a hoof. "I will make a Faustian pact with thee."
"The Bargain is struck, the Deal is made," Discord said solemnly, touching his paw to Luna's hoof. "Thus Fate's rules we evade."
"Okay then," Discord said, turning away from Luna and looking around the room, as I felt myself start to fade a bit. "Template, template, I need a template."
"Why not just make him human again?" Derpy asked.
"Can't. Not without a template to fit his form to. With his collar gone, his human form would be temporary, at best," Discord said, and his eyes focused on Derpy with sudden intent. "Yes, that will work. Derpy, come here."
"Okay," Derpy said, standing up from my bedside. "What do you--urk!"
Discord had grabbed Derpy by the throat and held her up into the air. I was about to protest, but a moment later he did the same with me. It hurt, a lot. It was weird, but I could actually feel Discord's paw inside of me, and looking over at Derpy I could have sworn she was translucent now, with Discord's paw buried inside of her.
"Sorry, no time to be gentle," Discord said, his attention on something only he could see. "Yes, this is going to work. Might be a little shocking to you, but you'll be alive to be shocked. Heh, might even be funny."
There was a roaring in my ears. Not only was I dying from evisceration, but now I was being choked to death on top of that. The roaring grew louder, my vision went to plaid, and then everything went dark and quiet. Either a moment or an eternity later I came to and opened my eyes. Derpy lay on the hospital room floor a few feet away, quiet and still.
"No!" I shouted, getting to my hooves and charging over. It was weird, but my voice sounded higher pitched, with a weird sort of lilt to it. My hips felt wider too, but none of that mattered as I scooped Derpy up. My belly felt a little odd, but I put it down to Discord putting everything back together down there.
"Oh," Luna said, eyes very, very wide as she looked at me with a hoof over her mouth. "Oh Discord, thou art a fiend indeed."
"Don't worry, Lulu. I can get you a supply of R63 potions," Discord said, with a wide grin. "I would suggest that later on you get yourself over to Rarity's, and have yourself measured for a saddle and bridle."
"You seek your payment already?" Luna asked, her voice stoic and nodding determinedly. "Very well."
"Oh, that's not my favor," Discord said, and my heart leapt for joy as I felt Derpy beginning to stir in my hooves. "I'm just suggesting you do that, as a friend. I'll let you know when I'm actually calling in my marker." Luna gave Discord a glare as she realized just what her deal with Discord was really going to be costing her.
"Oooh, that wasn't good," Derpy groaned, opening her eyes. "James, you look... different."
"Considering I've been taken apart and put back together twice now," I said, smiling as Derpy's hoof began to trace its way down toward my cock. I smiled, as her hoof descended, then frowned as her hoof didn't touch my stallion parts, but instead bounced off a couple of very nice feeling mounds way low down on my belly. I looked down, and was shocked at what I saw.
"Discord!" I shouted. "What the hell, man? What did you do to me?"
"I reshaped and remade your body using the template I had available," Discord said, still smiling. "Derpy was the template. She's a mare, and now you are too. Hey, look on the bright side, all your male troubles are behind you now."
I took a long, long look at Discord, and began to laugh. I laughed long and loud, and I didn't care who heard me. I'd beaten the odds, defied Fate, and rewritten my own destiny. All it had cost me was my obvious humanity and my guy card. Then again, I was alive, I was free and who said I couldn't rewrite my destiny a third time.
Like Talos had said, I was who and what I believed I was. I believed I was James Allens, late of Earth and now of Equestria. I was alive, and everything else, was negotiable. |
TALES OF THE DESERT RAT | pre | The griffin looked at the gun that was pressed into his face, and weighed it against the gun he had pointed at the drifter. All he had to do was squeeze. But, if his opponent fired first...
"Alright. There's a gambling den on 51st street. Check around there for anything you want to know," the griffin said.
It was not what Desert Rat wanted to hear, but he at least had some semblance of a lead. And with a huff, he left the bar.
The giant griffin watched him go, debating whether or not to shoot him in the back. He knew that one would only turn their back on an armed enemy if they were either very dumb, or were completely certain of their ability defend themselves from any attack. After seeing what the drifter had done, he was certain of it too.
51st street wasn't far from the F. U. Bar. After only walking a few streets over, Desert Rat found his way to his destination. After the first few steps down the sidewalk, he kept his ears open for the usual sounds of gambling revelry.
In the distance, he heard the distinct shout of victory coming from a building that looked like a cheap hotel. Behind him, he caught a smell of cheap tobacco.
"Been following me since the F. U., have you?" Desert Rat said, as he turned around and looked down to see the very same colt who had been picking the police officer's pocket earlier.
The colt, a unicorn with a white coat, spotted with yellow, and a loosely rolled cigarette in his mouth, stood tall and proud as he presented himself.
"Yeah. But, it's not like I want anything you got. I just want to know something," the colt said.
"What's that?"
"Are you Desert Rat? Because you look a hell of a lot like the hero from the pulps. But, the books say you're a unicorn."
For the second time that day, Desert Rat rolled his eyes at the notion of being wildly distorted by folk depictions.
"Yeah, it's me. But, as you can see, I ain't no unicorn," he said, lifting his cavalry hat to reveal his two horns. "Now, how about you. I gave you my name. So, it's only fair you tell me yours."
Once again, the foal presented himself proudly.
"Name's Lucky. Best pickpocket this side of the Manehattan!," he boasted.
"Best pickpocket, eh?" Desert Rat dismissively huffed. "Is that really true? Or is that just an embellishment you came up with after only choosing marks that are sleeping?"
"Aw, suck a gutter. You ain't seen nothin' yet. You watch me at the derby. I can get away with a bigger haul than any of the pigeons bettin' on any races," Lucky said.
"We'll see if your bragging holds up. I might need a pickpocket where I'm going," the drifter said.
"Really? Where?" Lucky said, with an undertone of eager enthusiasm.
"Gambling den. Somewhere over there. I'm looking for a pony who might know where another pony's hiding."
"And that was worth making enemies with the screaming eagles over?"
Desert Rat huffed lowly, and went toward the direction of the noise he heard earlier. Behind him, Lucky trotted after.
"Eagles only scream before they die. I'm not too worried about making enemies," Desert Rat said.
Though the outside of the gambling den looked cheap, the inside was deceptively well-furnished. Complete with a fountain in the middle of its dimly lit game floor.
Paying no mind to the bouncer at the front, Desert Rat walked in with Lucky close in tow.
Shortly after entering, the bouncer quickly left his post to stop the two newcomers.
"A half-breed's money is worth just as much as everypony else's. I don't see any reason for trouble," Desert Rat said.
"Not you. The colt. No foals allowed," the bouncer said, pointing to Lucky.
"Ya can't throw me out. I'm his good luck charm," Lucky said.
"Read the sign, punk," the bouncer said, indicating a sign on the wall. "No weapons. No minors. No good luck charms. Between the two of you, you violate all three rules."
Across the way, a cat in a freshly pressed pinstripe suit and top hat noticed the trouble by the door. It wasn't so much the situation that attracted his attention, so much as the pony involved in it. If it was who he thought it was, he knew he was in for a greater profit than he was already fleecing the house for.
With a devilish glint in his eye, he walked forward.
"I'm not asking you again: get the hell out!" the bouncer said demanded.
"I ain't too keen about listening to scrubs like you. I'm walking in here, whether you like it or not," Desert Rat replied.
Lucky recoiled when Desert Rat and the bouncer both drew their guns.
"Well, tar and feather me, and call me a turkey. Is that Ke-Woh-No-Tay? I haven't seen you in a dog's age," said a voice.
Desert Rat looked and saw the well-dressed cat quickly approaching. A familiar black tabby from a steamboat robbery some time back in New Horsleans.
"I've been waitin' for you for hours. How'd ya get here? By way of Prance?" the cat turned to the bouncer, "Thanks for doing your job and all, but these fine gents are with me. I'll let this little incident slide, so long as you don't hold up my appointments anymore." He turned back to Desert Rat, "Come along, friends. Let me take you to my private booth."
That was the end of the altercation. Desert Rat defiantly holstered his guns, and he and Lucky followed after the cat.
"Friend of yours?" Lucky asked.
"Hardly. Doc Furaday's a professional gambler by trade. Last time we saw each other, he cheated me out of half my pay for the bounty he had almost no hand in," Desert Rat answered.
"He stinks like hell!"
"Guy's a niphead. He says those catnip cigs he smokes are for his cat scratch fever. But, I ain't seen him have so much as a sniffle since I met him."
"Is it true he took twenty magnum slugs to the gut?"
"It was one shot with a derringer. In the tail. I know, 'cause I'm the one who shot him."
The two ponies followed Doc to his private booth, which was immediately attended to by a waiter.
"Prompt service, sport. I like that. Get me and my associates a bottle each of your finest wine within the minute, and I'll quadruple your tip," Doc said.
"You got it!" the waiter eagerly said, before he ran off.
"Winning big, huh?" Desert Rat said, as he lit up a cigarillo.
"And how!" Doc Furaday said, as he presented the contents of a gigantic sack of cash. "Far be it from me to be stingy. Spend as much as you like on whatever you want here. Fine dining. Entertainment. Female company. It's all on me."
"Don't mind if I do," Lucky said, taking a hoofful of coins and presenting them to a passing whore.
The mare scoffed slightly at the sight of a colt, who could not have been more than thirteen years old, but was not about to pass up a paying customer.
"This is where I stop being a colt," Lucky said, with a lustful enthusiasm.
The mare laughed at him.
"Honey, you're not going to stop being a colt for a long, long time. But, for the time being, you and me can talk about what it takes to get there," she said, before leading Lucky to an empty table.
"Since when is Desert Rat, famed bounty hunter, a foalsitter?" Doc Furaday asked.
"Since about three minutes ago. Met the kid outside the den. Says he's a pickpocket," Desert Rat answered, taking a puff on his cigarillo.
"Ha! And they say I make a dishonest living. Taking a pickpocket to a gambling den? What's next? Poison to a horse race?" Doc laughed. "So, tell me: what brings the scourge of frontier no-goodniks to the big city?"
"Got a new job. One that's paying real big," Desert Rat said.
He had said the right word. Doc Furaday's brow rose slowly, and a smirk crawled onto the corner of his mouth.
"Ya don't say. How much?" Doc asked.
"Sorry. I don't say."
"I suppose that's fair," Doc said, with only a hint of disdain. "Can you at least tell me the nature of a job that takes you all the way to my neck of the woods?"
"I'm looking for a pony. A guy called Rail Spike. He's pissed off a lot of creatures around here. And I'm findin' him," Desert Rat said.
"Must be a real high roller to pay enough to haul you out of the dust."
"He's not. But, he's got the Black Hoof Syndicate backin' him up."
Doc Furaday paused for just a moment.
"Well...That's a real high stake venture, right there. So, what's the plan? Find one of the Black Hooves, and ask them where this Rail Spike is hiding?" he asked.
"More or less," Desert Rat answered.
Doc Furady could not stop laughing at what he heard. But, he stopped the moment the waiter arrived.
"Your drinks," he said, sweating slightly.
Doc took a pocket watch from his coat and examined the time.
"Fifty-seven seconds. Not bad, sport. Here. As promised. And take one of these bottles to the colt at the booth behind me," he said, shoving over the waiter's massive tip.
The waiter eagerly took the money, ready to retire early from the sheer amount. After stuffing his pockets, he delivered the bottle to Lucky, who was the only colt sitting at a table full of mares, each one offering their advice about how to treat a lady.
"That little shit's going straight to the races after this," Desert Rat said, as he watched the waiter skip off.
"When he does, I'll be right there to profit off of his losses," Doc said. "Anyhoo, how exactly do you plan to get the Black Hoof to tell you where this Rail Spike fellow is?"
"Simple," Desert Rat said, smirking as a cloud of smoke enveloped his face, "I'll ask 'em real nicely." |
Anon Bangs Cloudy Quartz | pre | "I don't think I gave you permission to release." Cloudy seemed almost mirthful now, clearly satisfied that she had her new toy in check. "And you must obey."
"P-p-please..." Anon groaned, his eyes shut tightly against the waves of raging need crashing against him.
"MMMMMMMMMMHMMMMMMMMMMMM! OH F-F-FUCK LIME... I'M CUMMING!"
The throaty, animalistic cry and violent shaking of the bed got Anon to open his left eye, peering over at the ongoing, shaking orgasm of the shy wallflower that was Marble. He'd never heard her actually utter a word before... and to hear her scream such filth was shocking. Just as shocking was the fact she was peaking from her sister's tongue in her butt... the pleasure of her backdoor being assaulted clearly having grown on her over the past few minutes. Flashes of her pink inner-lips as she winked over and over, sending little arcing fountains of marecum into Lime's mane completed the image.
"Well... I think you're both ready then..." Cloudy grinned, finally ceasing her pumping of Anon's shaft, then ever-so-carefully removing her hoof from his testicles, as if she were stepping off of a loaded mine, primed to explode. "But let me christen this union with a little something from me..."
Cloudy reached her recently removed hoof between her own legs, then brought it back to Anon's cock. He felt the wet, warm, sticky liquid of whatever Cloudy had retrieved from between her thighs coat his red, throbbing head.
"There... now, do your duty, Anon." Cloudy's hoof hooked under his armpit, easily lifting him up to his knees as is he weighed less than a feather.
In a haze, Anon shuffled over toward Marble, still laying on her back in a pile of pillows, her pupils dilated to different sizes, her tongue lolling out, her hair a frazzled mess, as she gasped incoherent ramblings under her breath - a total mess of a mare.
All he could think of was how much he wanted to bury his cock into something, anything. And to release. Oh God, to release. Those pink, peeking, lips, the winking of her Marble's tight slit, was so inviting, like a warm hug just waiting for him to fall into.
But he was terrified of disobeying his new mistress. His thoughts were jumbled, confused. He knew he couldn't just fuck Marble's pussy, but he couldn't think clearly enough to remember why. So he froze, panting and groaning like some feral wolf, staring down at the poor lamb that was Marble Pie. |
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