//------------------------------// // That awkward ride home // Story: Why Bother? // by Discorded SheepcityUSA //------------------------------// “Come on now Rosemary, you don’t want to keep me waiting do you?” the tall and slender pink unicorn princess called out with a warm smile as she waited at the entrance to the Crystal Faire, where the festivities and sounds of happy, cheering ponies could be heard from miles away. Not far behind said crystal unicorn princess was a small, pink, crystal earth pony filly with purple hair and a lack of a cutie mark. “NO NO I DON’T YOUR HIGHNESS PLEASE WAIT!” the filly squeaked loudly as she galloped towards her as fast as her short legs could carry her. Incidentally this, along with a lack of attention, caused her to trip over a crack in the path and she fell over flat on her face, only inches from the princess’ hooves. “Owieeeee.” The filly groaned in pain. Understandably, the princess was quite distressed by this. “Oh dear, Rosemary are you okay? You aren’t hurt are you?” she asked, quickly helping the filly stand on all fours again. Rosemary was obviously shaken by this, as she looked to be quite dizzy after the accident and she had a small crack growing on her cheek. “Princess Amore it huuurts.” Rosemary whined in addition to a pained whimper. “Oh you poor thing, hold still honey.” Amore’s horn lit up with magic and in turn, the injured area on Amore’s cheek glowed with the same magic. After a few seconds, the injury closed itself up and completely healed as if it had never happened. “Feel better now?” Amore asked softly. Rosemary looked down at her healed cheek and back up to Amore with a smile. “Mhm! Thank you Princess! I’m so sorry if me hurting myself was inconvenience to you.” Amore gently petted Rosemary’s head. “Oh hush now, don’t you go worrying so much about me when you’re the one that was hurt. I’m just happy that you’re alright. Do try not to panic so much and be more careful okay? Today is a day for fun!” Rosemary’s face blushed red in embarrassment. “Okay Princess, I can try. I’m just nervous.” “I know dear, I know. Big crowds can be frightening. But you need to do things outside having your face buried in your books. I know you want to impress me but gracious, have some fun once in a while. You are quite young after all, you have plenty of time to grow.” Amore said to her with a warm smile. “Oh, oh! I wanna be a princess like yo-” Rosemary caught herself before she went on any further. “…Ehe, a Crystal Earth Pony princess, wouldn’t that be something?” She asked with a sheepish smile, a bead of sweat forming on her brow from her slight anxiety. Amore giggled a little. “It could happen. Whatever you do, I’m sure you’ll be wonderful at it. Now come on, I saw a ring toss game up ahead that looks your speed. And it has a stuffed rabbit with your name on it!~” Rosemary’s ears perked up a little at that. “You have my attention your majesty.” Luxure laid back comfortably in the bright gold sky-carriage she sat in, a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes and a wad of bubblegum in her mouth as she stared out ahead of her, not bothering giving her attention to anything else. She absentmindedly took a deep breath and blew a bubble with her gum which grew to a decent size before it popped and splattered on her face. Not seeming to care, she peeled the wad off her face and dropped it onto the ground miles below the carriage. Fluttershy, who was hoisting the carriage with the assistance of Rainbow Dash, looked at her passenger. “Are you enjoying the ride so far?” She asked with a warm smile, though obviously a tired one from having to carry this heavy carriage. “It’s acceptable.” Luxure retorted, not taking her eyes off the path ahead. Rainbow Dash however, was not taking to this as well as Fluttershy was. “Rrgh. Remind me again why we’re carrying you when you can take the train like the others?” She growled a little in irritation. “Public transportation is for heathens.” Luxure replied in a way that made it seem like she was deadly serious. “And what about your magic? Can’t you just teleport, wouldn’t that be easier?” Rainbow asked again, deadpanning. “Too easy. Wouldn’t get to see the sights. I assume a lot’s changed outside the Crystal Empire over my imprisonment.” Luxure said, making a glass of cider appear in her hooves with her magic and proceeding to drink out of it. “Besides, your frustration at having to go through the Frozen North was amusing to me. You mortal ponies are so sensitive with your frostbite and your hypothermia.” Rainbow’s anger grew even more at that. “Oooh you want frustration do you? I’ll give you frustratio-“ Rainbow Dash was halted by Fluttershy’s hoof on her shoulder. “Now Rainbow, please don’t go picking fights with Luxure. We don’t want her getting upset with us already. Poor thing probably feels awful enough as it is.” Fluttershy asked softly of her friend. Rainbow let out a quiet but aggravated grunt. “Rgh, I don’t know about this Flutters. I’m not a hundred percent on it, but I think if she actually WANTED to change, she wouldn’t be treating us like basically nothing.” Fluttershy frowned a little. “I know Rainbow. I don’t really approve of her attitude myself. That’s what I’m hoping to help her with. Even then though, I can still understand where she’s coming from. Admit it, you would probably feel just as bad if, for example, the universe always set you up to fail at getting into the Wonderbolts.” The uncomfortable thought of her dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt being crushed because the world was set completely against her gave Rainbow a tight and uneasy feeling in her stomach. “Okay yeah that really does sound bad.” She mumbled slightly nervously. “You see? So it would probably help if you didn’t try to get into fights with Luxu-“ Fluttershy suddenly stopped when she took a small glance at Luxure behind her, only to see she had already gone through about sixteen glasses of cider in the time her and Rainbow started talking. On top of that, she was drinking an additional one in her hoof. “Um, I don’t think drinking that much cider is good for you. Maybe you should stop now.” She suggested Luxure rolled her eyes with an annoyed frown on her face. “If I ask you to use your head would that be asking too much? I’m filled with powerful magic, I think I can live down a little cider.” She replied as she immediately took another sip. The splitting and unfamiliar pain now present in the Goddess of Lust’s head was nearly too much for her to bear as she stood up from her restless and uncomfortable sleep; the latter probably due to her having been sleeping on a coach that for some reason smelled of carrots and cat urine. “Rgh. My heaaaaad.” She whined. When she gathered the strength to open her eyes she looked up to see an unamused Fluttershy sitting on her haunches and looking down at her. “Now Luxure, you’re at home with me now, don’t try getting up. What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked, holding her unapproving expression. “Ggh, not so loud.” Luxure mumbled, rubbing her temples. “Uhhh lemme think. We were on the way to your town, your friend was being an annoying cunt, you told me not to drink so much and…ooh.” Luxure put a hoof to her face and groaned. “Luxure you drank sixteen glasses of cider and blacked out after one sip of number seventeen. You kept mumbling unintelligibly and yelling at just about everything. You even snatched one of the birds out of the air and started licking it.” Fluttershy said, shivering a little at recounting the event. Following that statement, Luxure conjured a bottle of mouthwash and swished it in her mouth before opening a window and spitting it out. “BLECH! I actually would have liked to NOT know what I do when I’m drunk thank you!” “Ooh, I’m sorry I just thought I should let you know.” Fluttershy shook her head. “Listen, today your reformation starts so I was hoping the two of us could get to know each other a little better before we try to help you with other ponies.” Luxure waved her hoof at her dismissively, the other hoof being on her forehead. “Rgh, yeah yeah whatever. Just let my hangover go away first. I didn’t even know I could get those before now.” Fluttershy put on a smile. “Alright. I’ll try to be quiet so I don’t disturb you.” Fluttershy said as she trotted into another room to give Luxure a little privacy. Now knowing that Fluttershy was gone, Luxure laid back on Fluttershy’s sofa, still cringing at the stench of the cat pee on it. Trying her best to ignore it, she instead took her attention to the ceiling and stared at it, trying to escape into her own thoughts and perhaps make some sense of her situation. If she was to always fail, could this supposed reformation even succeed? Probably not. Then again, she’d heard about what had happened regarding others like her that were swayed to the “side of righteousness, harmony and friendship” but one thought regarding the matter was eating at her. Was this REALLY meant to help her? Or did the ponies that sought to change her only do it for THEIR benefit and not hers? She had a really difficult time buying that anypony would legitimately want to be her friend, of all ponies. After all, the history books had surely made her out to be a completely merciless monster. Luxure shook her head. “You’ve had too long to think Luxure, just let your head heal.” She said as she made an incredibly thick book appear out of thin air and opened it. “Well when invasive thoughts come knocking, it means it’s time for distraction.” She said to herself as she looked at the words on the page. Unfortunately due to her massive hangover, everything in it turned out as complete gibberish to her. Annoyed at this, Luxure angrily shut the book and crossed her forelegs, pouting. “Everything sucks.” She grumbled.