The evening was so magical that Flurry Heart had second thoughts about its ruination. Things had slowed down to an almost sedate pace and the dancing was of a more socially acceptable variety—but was still beautiful to watch. Flowing, frilly gowns swooshed and swept over the floor, creating an exquisite display that delighted the eyes. The dance floor was populated with couples, trios, and even small herds.
Standing neck to neck with Sumac, not really moving but rather just swaying, a sweaty Flurry Heart thought about what this night meant to her. She hummed with the music, knowing this tune, because it was the waltz that her parents always danced to on their anniversary. It was the sound that everything was right in the world.
But not everything was right in the world. Not right now. Pulling away from Sumac, Flurry noticed that her parents were gone. Of Sunburst, there was no sign, and it could only be assumed that Starlight had lured him away. A quick scan of the room revealed that Pebble and Silver Lining had vanished. Trixie and Lemon Hearts were nowhere to be seen, but Twinkleshine stood guard near the punchbowl, which was located near the doors.
“Sumac—”
“I know,” he whispered.
Flurry’s mouth went dry, her frogs went sweaty, and her wingpits felt swampy. So this was it then, the point of no return. The line. The edge. Once crossed, there would be no going back. Her throat felt like it was closing and she knew that she was in danger of losing her nerve. Reaching out with one hot, prickly wing that she could not bear to keep pressed against her sides, she pulled her companion close.
“Sumac, tell me I’m fearless—”
“Oh, but you are fearless.”
“Tell me I’m brave—”
“You are brave and your courage knows no end.”
It was just what Flurry needed to hear and she felt her spirit soar as she looked up at Sumac’s face. “Sumac, you know what must be done. Let’s do this and get it over with, shall we?”
“We shall,” he replied in a low whisper.
Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as Flurry maneuvered herself to stand in front of Sumac, who seemed taller somehow. Looking at him, she saw all of the signs of a terrified pony in need of rescue and Flurry wondered what introversion might feel like. All of this time she had been so focused on herself that she hadn’t given much thought to what Sumac might be feeling.
Upon reaching this understanding, Flurry resolved to be a better friend. After all, Sumac was sticking his neck out for her, and she had been so focused upon herself, her own needs, how all of this was going to affect her, and Sumac… he was suffering. Why was it that Sumac was the one who always suffered during her adventures?
“I have an announcement,” Sumac said as the lull between songs settled in. “I have come to my senses on the issue of marriage and it is with great pleasure that I announce my engagement with Flurry Heart.”
There was a swell of silence—could silence swell, Flurry wondered—but the silence was only the forerunner of the coming flood. Deafening applause filled the room, a sound so overpowering that Flurry went swimmy-headed and her vision fuzzed over. All around her was endless sound, a constant celebratory cacophony that made her alicorn ears ache.
Mascara ran and there were many joyful, tearful faces on those overcome by exultation. When Flurry looked up at Sumac, she saw a most worrisome sight indeed, as the colt appeared to be cracking under the pressure of having become the center of attention. As ponies looked on in blissful elation, in exuberant, excited exilience, Sumac seemed to be seized with some kind of terrifying manic delirium. He had a crazed aspect about him that was rather frightening.
Ooh, he had the same kind of face twitchies as Auntie Twilight before she snapped.
“I can’t wait until we are married,” Flurry said as she fought to keep control over her voice, as sheer terror made her throat feel tight.
“Then why wait,” Sumac replied in a voice stretched thin. “We can get married tonight, Flurry! We’re aristocrats! We have privilege! Well, I do, but you don’t! Technically, you could have been married at birth, so you’ve wasted a whole lot of your life not married! All those wasted years, Flurry!”
This wasn’t in the script. Flurry stood there with her mouth hanging open, helpless as she watched her best friend have a meltdown. She was unable to decide if this was for the best, or if this was the worst, but one thing was for certain; there would be no stopping this now. Professor Egghead had pulled out his most terrifying weapon: insanity.
“If I marry you tonight, I’ll have unfettered access to the Crystal Throne by morning, when I hang your bloody sheets out on the balcony!”
Taking a step away, Flurry didn’t have to pretend to be scared. “Bloody sheets?”
“Yeah, Flurry! Bloody sheets! Gotta give the commoners a good show! They have to know that you were broken in properly! And if you don’t bleed when we breed, I have a solution, thanks to that most wonderful book!”
“You do?” Flurry asked.
“I do!” Sumac shouted and his mania seemed to be growing. “I’ll roll you over and stick it in your pooper! It’s going right in if I don’t get enough blood on the sheets from when I first take you!”
“In my pooper!” Flurry squeaked, and she began backing away while looking at the crowd. Some looked mortified. Others seemed a little disgusted, but still hopeful, still happy. Some had no expression at all, only a cool sense of calm, and she knew why: disparaging your betters was rude. With her and Sumac being alicorns, she and he were the betterest ponies in the room.
“Yes, Flurry, right in your pooper! You have to be humiliated and shamed so you won’t be willful and insolent! After I hang out those bloody sheets as a trophy of my total domination of you, you won’t be able to look anypony in the eye ever again, because they’ll know that you’ve been properly broke in and made to know your place!”
Turning about, Flurry tried to register the shock and awe that she was seeing. Much to her surprise, a majority of the aristocrats gathered seemed rather repulsed, some were disgusted, and others had left the room. But there were a few that seemed utterly unmoved and showed no emotion at all. A few still appeared happy and hopeful. For those particular ponies, Flurry did her best to memorise their faces, because they were going on the list.
“Is this really what all of you want for me? To be humiliated? To be broken? I’ve heard the gossip about me being ‘tamed.’ Is this really want you want for me? To have all of my hopes and dreams shattered? Does what I want mean anything to you?” Flurry moved in a slow circle, turning about so that she might see the faces of those she addressed. “Does anything that I want even matter to you?”
Casting a glance at her coconspirator, she worried, as it seemed that Sumac was falling apart and she knew that she had to wrap this up.
“My hopes and dreams are all about protecting and serving all of you… but right now, I am reconsidering those dreams. How am I supposed to be strong enough to be your guardian, your protector, if I break under all of this peer pressure that you place on me?” Flurry sucked in a wheezy deep breath and tried to remember all of the words that Dim had said. “If I give in to your demands, how could I possibly keep you safe from outside influence? The enemies of Equestria are many, but how could I possibly be fit to fight them if I give in so easily to the likes of you… you worthless, foppish, weak, ineffectual… you disgusting primitives! Yes! That is what some of you are! Don’t think I didn’t notice how gleeful some of you looked when Sumac brazenly talked about sexually assaulting me! Harming me! Making me bleed for your satisfaction and amusement! Some of you are exactly like the one-thousand-year-old horrors that come back from Equestria’s past to haunt the modern day!”
More ponies were leaving the room now and Flurry wondered about their motives. Were they just not in the mood to be lectured by a filly? Did shame make them flee? Disgust? Anger? Were they off to plot revenge? She didn’t know, but she had to keep going. Yes, all of this had to keep going: the wound had been lanced and now the poison had to be drained out.
“I want nothing to do with any of you and your plans. I am not a doll to be dressed up and led around. I am a filly that will one day be a mare, and I will decide what will be done with my life, not you, none of you have a say in what I do. Not even my parents have that right! Ultimately, I will do what it is right for me, myself, and if I can’t turn to any of you for help, I will turn to my friends! I reject everything this cotillion stands for!”
Even the yaks seemed stunned.
“If the bloodied sheets meant to humiliate me are to be hung in the light of day, then I reject the day and I choose Luna’s sacred night!”
At these words, Sumac’s spell on her gown activated and the soft pastel rainbow of colours began to darken like an incontinent stormcloud. First, it greyed out, then with each passing second, it grew darker, first becoming shadowy, then downright Stygian, and it became like a starless night, a void that devoured light. Dark, heavy shadows slithered around her eyes as illusory mascara manifested around her eyelashes. Where once stood a princess born of day was now a princess engulfed by night.
“COME INTO THE NIGHT TO TROUBLE ME AT YOUR OWN PERIL!”
Having said what needed to be said, she grabbed Sumac with a yank and made good on her escape. The now-black gown swirled and swished with each step, radiating some terrible dark majesty, some dreadful enchantment that made the crowd around her scatter like chickens. Tendrils of dark shadow trailed behind her and Flurry looked very much as though she was wrapped in nightmares.
Sumac allowed himself to be led along by Flurry as he struggled to contain his panic. Each heaving breath was agony and made his lungs burn. His throat, tight and raw, was in dire need of a cool drink. The way his ribs and spine ached from anxiety was only made worse by his erratic breathing, but Sumac had no choice: he either kept breathing and hurting himself, or he suffocated.
Much to his relief, Pebble fell into place by his side, along with Silver Lining. Flurry led the way, trailing streams of illusory shadows that devoured the light of the hallway. The four of them continued down the hall and none dared to stop them. Even the guards stepped aside, saying nothing, doing nothing, perhaps because of the irate, angry alicorn leading the way, or maybe because of the enraged earth pony filly right behind her.
Stumbling a bit, Sumac felt Pebble press up against him and he was glad to lean up against her. She was solid, reassuring, and was just what he needed at this moment. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to be cuddled up against her, like they did when they were foals. He longed for a return to those simpler times, those times when he could sleep in the same bed as her without worry or shame. Maturity had robbed him of his innocence, it had taken something dear from him, and had caused awkwardness between him and his very best friend.
Little did Sumac know that maturity had compensation waiting for him for all that it had taken.
Reclining supine on a chaise lounge, Sumac offered no struggle as Silver Lining undressed him at Pebble’s command. The clothing was just too hot, to restrictive, but he was in no condition to pull it off himself. They had retreated to the same parlour that they had planned in, and Flurry now paced the floor, muttering words to herself that Sumac could not make out.
“I stood on the other side of the doors and listened,” Pebble said as she stroked Sumac’s sweaty neck. “Things didn’t go as planned. I’m sorry I wasn’t there, but I made a tactical retreat with Silver. It seemed wise.” The filly offered no further elaborations for her actions, but went silent.
There seemed to be nothing left to do now but wait for the consequences. Sumac stared up at the glittery ceiling and grunted once as Silver Lining tugged his jacket out from beneath him. Each laboured breath ached, but his anxiety seemed to be easing. Pebble’s soft touch against his neck calmed him, the slow back and forth motion soothed his panic. Now, Silver Lining was working on removing his shirt.
The door opened and a looming pink figure filled the doorway. Sumac lept up from where he lay, his shirt tore free of his body, and the ripped remains hung from Silver Lining’s trembling talons. Baring his teeth, Sumac put himself between Flurry and her mother, standing in bold defiance.
Flurry, whimpering in fear, backed herself into the corner, getting as far away from her mother as she could.
“Sumac Apple Lulamoon,” Cadance began, “do you really think that you need to protect Flurry from me?”
It was a struggle to even remain upright, but somehow, Sumac managed. Tilting his head back, he gazed up at Cadance’s face and was confused when he saw a warm, loving expression, and not the rage he had expected. Filled with terror, he stammered out his reply: “I… I don’t… I don’t know what to… to expect… I made… I made a promise… I made a promise to Flurry to… to see this… through… to the very end. C-c-consequences t-too!”
“You adorable little rogue, I knew you would do something, but I didn’t expect this.” Cadance let out a soft chuckle, the door shut behind her, and locked with a metallic click.
“You knew?” Flurry’s voice was as squeaky as a yearling’s.
“Of course I knew,” Cadance replied, “and when Sumac talked with your father, he pretty much revealed everything. We knew something was planned—”
“W-what?” Trembling, Sumac still stood in defiance, but his legs threatened to betray him.
“Oh, you silly little colt… my husband and I are survivors!” Cadance’s voice made every ear in the room perk. “You are not in the provincial backwater of Ponyville, Sumac, where everypony is vulnerable to your charms. My husband and I, we shield ourselves from your suggestions. After dealing with changelings, master manipulators and mind controllers, did you really think that Shining and I weren’t prepared for you?”
Flummoxed, Sumac could not reply, and he heard Pebble sigh.
“We are utterly immune to your charms, Sumac, and when Shining Armor sensed that you were trying to influence him, he came and had a talk with me—”
“B-b-but you left!” Sumac cried, and then he let out a startled squeal when Cadance lifted him from the floor.
As she sat him down upon the chaise lounge where he had been laying, Cadance said, “Of course we left. Isn’t that what you wanted? You attempted to magically coerce Shining Armor into having a little romantic interlude with me, and I’m not even mad. I appreciate the gesture, because all of this has been quite stressful. Shining and I decided to step away for a while just to see what would happen… and something certainly happened!”
With a pained sigh, Sumac realised the futility of it all. He had made a gross underestimation of his marks and their abilities. The grift had not gone as planned, and if anything, he had been played. It stung—failure in any form hurt—and Sumac closed his eyes to shut out the outside world.
“Mom, I’m not sorry.”
In Sumac’s ears, Flurry’s voice quavered in fear and he rolled over onto his side, miserable about this outcome. Things had not gone off as perfectly as he had hoped. The knowledge that Cadance and Shining Armor were fully aware of what he was capable of unnerved him. It wasn’t often that Sumac tried to get his way—in fact, after a few foalhood incidents, he swore off trying to do so—and now that he had suffered spectacular failure, he was aware that some ponies were more than ready enough to deal with him and his charms.
The knowledge was crushing.
“I am actually proud of both you—”
“Oh good, you’re not angry,” Flurry gasped.
“Wrong, Flurry, I’m furious.” Cadance began to cluck her tongue, and Sumac heard Flurry begin to whimper again. “Neither one of you have any idea how upset I am, but believe me, under all this seeming calm is an ocean of fury. This foalish little stunt of yours upset a lot of ponies… guests… what you did was completely uncalled for—”
“Wrong, Mom!” Flurry stomped her hoof and it was like a thunderclap in the small room. “None of this would have happened if you had left me alone and not forced me to go! You made this happen! This is your fault!”
“Flurry, life is all about having to do unpleasant things. Awful things. Yes, you had a dreadful chore… you had to go and eat delicious food, wear a nice gown, and dance with your best friend. It was terrible, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it just dreadful? It was so bad that you had to go and ruin it for others! Poor little Flurry Heart, born into a life of privilege, having to give something back to the ponies that make her lavish lifestyle possible.”
“That’s not really fair of you to say, Cadance,” Pebble said in a voice that wasn’t quite a deadpan.
Fearing trouble, Sumac opened his eyes and focused upon Cadance. Before she could say anything in return to Pebble, Sumac managed to sneak in his own words: “Cadance, don’t. This won’t end well if you do. I don’t think you can out-angry Pebble and I am sick with worry and I can’t deal with anypony fighting right now.” He didn’t know what Cadance was thinking, or feeling, but she was chewing her lip and she appeared thoughtful.
“Perhaps you’re right, Sumac.” Cadance’s barrel expanded to considerable girth as she drew in a massive calming breath and held it.
This unexpected reply made Sumac feel better, and he realised that he had accomplished this without the use of his magic, just by choosing his words with care. Trouble had been avoided, for now at least, but was bound to return at some point. Pebble was breathing hard and Sumac could hear the faint snorts coming from her no doubt flared nostrils.
“Flurry, this was all about you… you… this was supposed to be a magical night for you. It wasn’t for them, it was never for them, and I know what most of them wanted. I am fully aware of their desires as they petition me almost every day and express their opinions.” After a sigh, Cadance kept going, but now to Sumac’s ears, her voice was thick, husky with emotion.
“I’m hurt, Flurry… I’m hurt real bad and I’m so angry with you and the situation that you didn’t trust me enough to protect you from them. I just wanted to give you a magical evening… I wanted you to feel like the princess that you are… Twilight said that you truly earned the title and I trusted in Twilight’s judgment. Flurry…”
At this point, Cadance’s calm broke and tears began to fall, which made Sumac turn away.
“Flurry, do you think that I’m such a terrible mother that I’d let those ponies have their way? Do you really think that I would give them what they want?” Cadance’s voice was the next thing to crack in her calm facade, which caused Sumac’s ears to collapse under their own weight, and they came to rest against the sides of his face. “Flurry… you just don’t understand… I have to play nice with those ponies. Their wealth is our wealth. Our empire flourishes and grows because of all of the hard work they do. While I engage in constant give and take with them, you were the one bargaining chip that was never on the table.”
“It doesn’t feel that way sometimes!” Flurry blurted out, and Sumac cringed as every muscle in his body went tight from the pain in her voice. “I can’t stand the gossip and the talk and the pressure and all those whispered words! I hate them! I hate them!” The last few words became shrieks and she had nothing more to say as she too, began to cry.
Sumac’s misery multiplied like compound interest.
“You don’t even understand what you’ve done,” Cadance said, sighing out the words. “You probably can’t even begin to comprehend the damage that you’ve done at a time when unity is needed more than ever. This foalish outburst is going to have long term consequences, Flurry, and I don’t want to be mean and make assumptions that you don’t care, but it is my fear that right now, you don’t. I understand that it probably felt good to lash out, but there will be long reaching aftereffects from this and trust me, you will care.”
“Mother... I…” Flurry’s words died on limp lips that hung slack in a wounded frown.
“At least you have good friends to see you through the aftermath of all of this. I wasn’t lying when I said that I’m proud of you. I recognise how much courage this must have took, and I acknowledge that all of you were quite brave to have organised all of this.” Bowing her head, Cadance sat there, weeping, and Sumac could not recall ever seeing a pony looking so distraught.
“You know what is needed right now—”
Sumac, panicked, had an interjection: “Pebble, please, don’t pick a fight, I can’t deal with that right now!”
“—is some tea and sympathy.” Pausing for a moment, Pebble gave Sumac a meaningful stare and then continued, “All of us. Together. I think Flurry needs us so she can feel listened to because sometimes, it’s scary and difficult to try and talk to your parent, because we’re foals, and we tend to want to obey our parents… well, some of us. But I stand by what I said… it’s scary to try and have a serious grown up talk with your parent.”
“Pebble, that is the most sensible thing that has been said all evening.” Cadance sniffled a bit, but managed to smile as she added, “Thank goodness for wise little earth ponies.”
“I’m parched,” Sumac admitted aloud. “Tea sounds good, but so does something cold and fizzy.”
“Can we call a truce during the revolution?” Cadance let out a weak laugh, sniffled a bit more, and a broad smile somehow managed to grace her muzzle. “I’d rather discuss terms over tea than exchange blows on the battlefield. I know that all of you are in a hurry to knock down the established order, but maybe we could talk about it?”
Advancing from her corner, Flurry drew close to her mother, looking hopeful. “I have a list of demands at the ready…”