/x/x/x/
“Thank you.”
Dusk turned to face his companion. Fluttershy was looking straight ahead at Rarity’s kitchen counter, washing a head of lettuce. After easing her out of the unexpected dissociative state, the trio had decided to put together sandwiches for the picnic later on as Dusk’s own contribution.
“What for?” he asked.
Their conversation had migrated to at least a dozen points, evolving as conversations between friends tend to do. No mention was made of Rainbow Dash and Rarity’s romantic drama, nor of the random sudden onset of Fluttershy’s condition. Rarity was in the markets picking a few things up that they'd need that weren't available in her kitchen.
“For... being patient with me.”
Dusk shrugged as he turned back to the cheese block, slicing away with a specialized knife. She had recently taken to rewording her apologies as words of thanks rather than “I’m sorry”s. Honestly it was a lot easier to say ‘you're welcome’ once than it was to say ‘there's no need to say sorry’ multiple times anyway, so she didn't get trapped in as many guilt spirals.
“No problem,” Dusk said, peeling away a perfectly even square of havarti from the rest of the block. “We’re all here for you.”
Fluttershy smiled as she began separating the individual leaves. Angel was resting between her feet on the floor, sleeping with a carrot lying in his teeth. She had her hair up in a side ponytail, resting behind her left shoulder, as nobody wanted any fibrous pink surprises in their meals later.
“I know, and I appreciate that. I'm just embarrassed that I let it get a hold of me as bad as it did today.”
“You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to.”
“I do want to.”
Dusk set the cheese knife to the side, resting over the lip of the sink. He took the wax paper and began wrapping the unused block, deciding that there was enough ready for the five of them who ate dairy. Fluttershy would never put anything in her mouth that came out of any animal, not because of any moral objection to it (okay maybe that had a little bit to do with it), but mostly because it was just awkward considering she’d probably had at least one conversation with every cow on Sweet Apple over the years. Dusk nodded.
“Go on ahead, I’m listening.”
Fluttershy took the wax paper and wrapped the rest of the lettuce before clearing her throat and taking a deep breath.
“I know it's selfish but I'm upset that they're not...” as she struggled to find the right words, Dusk took both perishables and brought them to Rarity’s refrigerator, as his friend no doubt wanted to avoid bothering the resting bunny. “...compatible. No... happy?”
Dusk brought the sacks of heirloom tomatoes and red bell peppers over to the pair’s workstation, and unpackaged them as he mulled over her words. He alone bore the knowledge that Fluttershy had strong romantic feelings towards both her oldest and her best friends, information he had learned when she discovered Rainbow and Rarity were dating and came to him in tears.
“Are they incompatible?” he asked. “Or unhappy?”
Fluttershy sighed. “No,” she said as she took the peppers he was handing her and set them up on the cutting board. “That's not exactly what I mean. They’re a good and happy couple when they're not... fighting.”
Dusk nodded as he cut into the tomatoes. “I just want to know what it is you mean. I think you do too.”
She bit her lip in thought. “I don't know, Dusk. I think it's that... they're not perfect for each other.”
He glanced at her eyes, which were focused on the task at hand. She was frowning as she said this.
“Do you wish they were perfect?”
“Well...” she finally looked up into his concerned eyes. “If they're going to be with each other rather than...” she swallowed and licked her lips. “With other people, I feel like they should be... better. Don't tell either of them I said that!”
“I wouldn't dream of it,” he assuaged, turning back to the vegetables. Or were they fruits? “And it isn't selfish, I don't think. You just want what's best for your friends.”
“I suppose,” she replied, uncertainly. “But... some days it feels like I don't. Some days it's like I want what's best for myself, and if I can't have that then they should at least... let me live through them. If that makes sense?”
Dusk nodded. “Vicarious pleasure. Someone in your position would be after that, but it's normal. I've done the same thing. Spike is in your position. Rarity was... for a time. It's normal to feel that way.” He finished chopping before setting the knife down and facing her again.
“What's not normal is having attacks because of it. Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the hospital, or Zecora, or anybody?”
She nodded her head. “I can't do that. Not right now.”
Dusk frowned. He opened his mouth as if to say something but he was interrupted by the ring of the doorbell and a regal voice chiming in, “Rarity has retu~urned!”
“I will come to you if I do need it, Dusk,” Fluttershy whispered. “Don't worry about that.”
Dusk nodded before turning to face the doorway just as Rarity strode in holding a shopping bag with a baguette poking out of the top. She was removing her sunglasses as she set the bag on the table, and slipped them into her purse. She pulled out the loaf and levitated it to Dusk, who took it and began cutting it with a bread knife into sandwich-size slices.
“Did I miss anything fun?”
Dusk shrugged and Fluttershy looked from him to the new arrival, who was putting the rest of the bag’s contents into their proper places. Her gaze lingered on Rarity’s hair, her collarbones, her jaw line, her eyes- wait.
“We’re just taking care of the vegetables,” she said, recovering from her brief lapse in focus. “Nothing too exciting here.” she giggled demurely before turning back to her work. She began assembly as Dusk cut the bread. Five sandwiches with bread, meat, cheese, tomato, lettuce, and pepper, and one sandwich that skipped the animal products. The condiments would be applied later up to each individual’s tastes.
“And the fruits!” Dusk supplied.
“Darling, I know that technically speaking fruits have seeds, but I will literally die before I call a tomato a fruit.”
Dusk narrowed and subsequently rolled his eyes at Rarity before smiling and turning back to the bread, chuckling. “I believe you.”
Once he was finished with the baker’s dozen of slices, he put the unused portion of the loaf into Rarity’s bread box and split the unused end piece into thirds. He placed one piece in Fluttershy’s work space and handed another to Rarity, who hesitatingly accepted. It was only a few carbs, after all.
When Fluttershy finished assembling, she scooped up Angel into her arms. The trio began wrapping each one in separate papers and began loading up Rarity’s waiting picnic basket with the sandwiches, condiments, tea set, empty water pitcher, cups, utensils, and finally, the blanket. Satisfied that everything was in order, the trio headed to the front door. They had enough time for a leisurely stroll through town on the way to the picnic grounds before it became their designated arrival time.
However, when Rarity opened the door, she came face to face with none other than her girlfriend, clenched fist raised as if to knock.
“Gah!” Rainbow Dash shouted, nearly tripping herself stumbling backwards. She looked between the trio, shock giving way to recognition and then immediately to sadness and regret.
“Rain-” Rarity began before Rainbow turned and took off flying.
“...bow.”
Her shoulders slumped, she bit her lip, and she crossed her arms before looking down at the ground. Dusk and Fluttershy both reached their hands to Rarity’s shoulders. She glanced at both of them in turn before giving a gentle, hopeful smile, and pulling a tissue out from her purse, dabbing at her eyes, careful not to let her mascara run.
“It'll be okay,” Dusk said. “It's just a simple little misunderstanding; it'll all work out in the end.”
Rarity nodded. “Of course, darling.”
/x/x/x/
“Ugh, are you kidding me? Really??? That has got to be the absolute worst timing in the entire history of Equestria!!!” Rainbow grumbled to herself, focusing on the misfortune so she didn't focus on the sadness.
She had already flown enough today that she had gotten burnt out on the stimulus, and now flying didn't even feel good anymore. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Pinkie and Applejack on the ground carrying a cake pan and a basket of apples.
“Called it,” she said, absentmindedly, before wincing at remembering who it was she called it to.
By now she was halfway to their designated picnic grounds, and could clearly see the state of the weather. It wasn't cold or gray, but it was definitely a shade or two darker than would be desirable, as the cumulus cluster could tell her. She cracked her knuckles and began formulating a plan for exactly what direction to shove it all in.
West would put it over the town, and since it wasn't scheduled she would definitely catch flak for it back at Weather HQ. East and south would both send it into the Everfree Forest, so those were out. And the only thing north was the capital city of Canterlot, which was a several hours’ train ride away.
Rainbow’s flight arc brought her down into the primary clearing. She dipped to the ground before pulling a 180, flying straight up for a moment, and then coming down at a low velocity. She folded her wings and adopted a wide, strong stance, facing her palms towards the sky.
As her Marks began to glow, she felt the pull of the clouds’ nature magic. It felt as if long, thick cords were tethered to each individual puff, and they all anchored themselves on Rainbow’s wrists. At first, nothing happened. She might as well have been trying to drag a boulder. Again. However, after a few moments of slight strain, the clouds finally decided to cooperate.
She dug her foot deeper into the ground, rooting herself into the earth (much to her chagrin), and slowly moved her outstretched arms to the left. The resistance was intense, and it took a lot of strength of will, but ultimately Rainbow’s willpower was greater.
The clouds migrated northward, brightening the clearing significantly. There wasn't very high velocity since water vapor is not very dense, but the low inertia of the mass and the limited friction in the sky allowed them to continue on their path uninhibited, and would no longer be a hindrance.
Rainbow wiped the thin sheen of sweat that had accumulated on her forehead with the back of her hand, and pulled her foot out of the ground, wincing at the dirt. This gave her an idea.
She put her hands out to either side and the marks glowed again. Just as before in Dusk’s bedroom, collections of droplets fused into larger balls of pure water, and when they were sufficiently large enough, she used one to wash the sweat, grime, and dirt out of her hair that had built up since the morning (and last night’s activities), and used the other to scrub the dirt off of the sole of her foot.
Maybe she should look into shoes.
Once she was sufficiently clean, she discarded the water by way of flinging it off into the trees. Her hair felt nice, but the problem was the rest of her body did not, and the difference was enough to drive her crazy. She sighed, but then shrugged and gathered more water before bathing the rest of her body.
It wasn't necessary to remove her clothing, as her shorts and top were just porous and breathable enough that water had no problem penetrating and subsequently leaving them. She never wore any material that trapped moisture inside. She started at her legs and moved upwards, finally finishing with her face (recycling for clean water when desired). After this was all finished she tossed the globules again, and checked the position of the sun.
There were a few minutes before everyone else would arrive, at the earliest, if they were all speedwalking. However, since they were for the most part divided into the druids and the mages, it would take a while. Actually... that's not entirely true. Rainbow mentally smacked herself. Fluttershy was a druid too. Still, it’d be some time.
Rainbow sat on the ground, put her hands behind her head, and laid fully down. For a moment she had prepared to cloudwatch, but... well, can't watch something that isn't there, right? Instead she let her thoughts wander. To a point. She felt her eyes drift closed. She hadn't exactly had a restful night’s sleep... or morning... and her afternoon was full of a lot of flying... nobody would care if she took a short nap, right?
/x/x/x/
“We are... NEVER... doing that again.”
“Aw, come on Spike, it wasn't that bad!” Scootaloo said from the harness that was currently hanging in a tree’s upper branches, around a dozen meters up.
“Hey, I found mah tooth!”
The young dragonborn plucked pebbles and twigs from in between his scales as Sweetie Belle crawled out from underneath the wagon. She gave him a weak thumbs-up before collapsing facefirst. Her hair immediately shot off in every direction.
“So uh... can someone help me down?”
Spike crossed his arms and glared up.
“You realize the only one with wings here is you, and the only mage here will accidentally set you on fire, right?”
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Applebloom holding a lasso. “It’th okay, Thpike,” she said through her chipped front incisor. “I got thith, you jutht make sure Thweetie’th okay.”
Spike winced at the gap in her mouth, but stepped back and did as he was asked, keeping her in his peripheral vision the whole way.
“You better not do what I think you're about to do, Applebloom!” Scootaloo cried, equal parts anger and fear apparent in her voice. When the rope came flying up, she hid her face in her hands, but when she didn't feel it wrap around her waist she opened her eyes.
The farmer had latched onto one of the branches and was testing the weight. It seemed sturdy enough so she began climbing. After Spike lead Sweetie Belle up to her feet, the two moved close to the base of the rope just in case. However, Applebloom had done this often enough that there really wasn't anything to worry about.
When she made it to the top, she slid along the branch over to the caught harness. “Maybe nektht time you'll put theat beltth in before we try to go thkydiving again.”
“Yeah yeah, whatever, Twitht.”
Applebloom glared as she undid a belt buckle causing Scootaloo to plummet.”
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHH-oof. Thanks Spike. Hey! It was just a joke, Applebloom! No need to try to kill me!”
Sweetie Belle snickered into her hands, earning her another glare from Scootaloo.
“Well you did almost kill us just now...” Spike supplied.
“That's different,” she responded. “I do that almost every day!”
Applebloom had reached the ground, and tugged at the rope. Then she tugged again. Uh oh.
“Aw man,” she complained. “Thith wath Applejackth favorite rope! She’th gonna be tho upthet with me!”
“You're missing a tooth.” came the dragonborn’s blunt reply.
Beat.
“Point taken. But she’th probably at that picnic by now so maybe I can get home fatht enough to take more of Thecora’th magic tooth growing potion and then we can all try to get our markth in rope making?”
Scootaloo removed her helmet and shrugged. “Yeah, okay,” she said. “We sure as heck aren't gonna be getting them in daredevil stunts. I've tried everything at this point!”
“And my sister isn't home either so we can't really hang out at the Carousel Boutique since it's locked. So yeah, let's do it!”
The trio put their hands in together. “Cutie Mark Crusaders rope makers yay on three!”
An awkward silence descended over the group.
“Uh. Thpike. Aren't ya gonna put your hand in?”
He simply raised an eyebrow before showing them the back of his scaly purple not-gonna-be-getting-a-mark-anytime-soon hand. A collective ‘oh’ of recognition passed over the girls, so they followed through with their cheer and collected their things before heading off back towards town.
It was a fairly long and treacherous climb to get back to level ground, but the only one exhausted by the time they got back to the hill of their launching point was Spike. Halfway up he had begun using both his arms and legs to climb, crawling like a “true dragon”, unused to this much physical exertion. The most he usually had to do was climbing ladders and the walk to Rarity’s house.
“Are you okay Spike?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You don't look so good.”
“What” wheeze “do you” wheeze “mean?” wheeze “I'm” wheeze “just” wheeze “fine!” and with that he immediately collapsed onto the ground. The girls gave each other an amused look before picking him up and placing him in Scootaloo’s wagon and dragging him the rest of the way.
By the time they reached the outskirts of Ponyville, Spike clambered out of the wagon and stretched his limbs.
“Thanks guys,” he said. “I really appreciate what you- BLARGH!” he shot a jet of flame, and a missive appeared from it, falling to the ground. It bore the royal seal of Celestia. The four of them looked at the paper and started laughing, but Spike’s laughter was interrupted by another small burst of fire. No message this time, though. They froze for a minute, waiting, but no more came.
“Alright, let's see what we have here...” he muttered to himself before picking up the paper. He unrolled it and read it, face slowly morphing from curiosity to concern to shock.
“What's up?” Scootaloo asked.
“What doeth it thay?”
“Is everything alright?”
Spike looked at the three and after a moment’s hesitation he cried “Everythingsokaybutigottagorightnowbye!” and shot off through town. They simply looked at each other and shrugged before heading in a different direction towards Sweet Apple Acres. Probably just some boring important Princess stuff or something.
“Oh, shoot...” Scootaloo muttered, patting her pockets and glancing at the wagon.
“What’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Nothing!” she cried, almost instantaneously. “I just, uh... need to go pick up some stuff from my house.”
“I’ll come with.”
The two nodded as Applebloom shrugged. “Y’all can jutht meet me at the clubhouth. Catch ya girlth later!”
“See ya!”
Sweetie Belle waved her off until she turned round the corner of a building before turning to Scootaloo. “What is it really?” she interrogated. “All your stuff is in my room. Is it... you know?”
“...uh huh...”
Sweetie hugged her friend for just a moment before pulling immediately away, looking around to make sure nobody saw. “You’ll be fine if I come with you, right?”
Scootaloo simply nodded, refusing to make eye contact.
“Hey,” the young mage said, moving to be in view. “There’s nothing to be scared of when I’m with you-”
“I’m not scared!” she cried suddenly, cutting Sweetie off. “I’m just, you know... worried. You know how he is.”
This time Sweetie Belle nodded. “Okay then. We’ll go get your medicine and then hang out with Applebloom and then we’ll go home.” She plopped down in the wagon, dangling her legs out the side. “Tally ho!”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes before stepping on the scooter attached. “You’re ridiculous,” she teased, and they wheeled off into town.
/x/x/x/
“Do you have everything?”
Minuette turned and did a quick mental checklist of the contents of her bags. Clothing, toiletries, cash, makeup, the emergency mace she hoped to never have to use, books, medication, odds and ends, all fitting in just two pieces of luggage. She noticed the other girls doing the same but with a tad bit more cases.
Twinkleshine had four, and Lemon had three. Lyra only had one case, but it was a very large one and counted as more.
“I’m pretty sure,” Lyra said, sticking her head inside her oversized bag. Then, muffled, “Yup! It looks fine. ...um... little help?”
Bon Bon lightly sighed and smiled, stepping around to help her roommate out of trouble. She wrapped her arms around Lyra’s waist and pulled. It took a moment but she slid out, and the girls fell on the train platform into a tangle of limbs. Lyra’s face was incredibly red, probably due to the lack of oxygen. Yes, that was definitely the reason.
Minuette stifled a giggle as she offered a hand to the fallen girls, and she gave Lyra a knowing wink.
“It's really a shame you're busy this weekend, Bonnie,” Lemon offered. “Not sure why the candy shop has such strict hours.”
Bon Bon shrugged, and attempted to straighten her dual toned blue and pink hair, which had become mussed up from her tumble. “It's a tough job,” she said, scratching her ear. “But the pay is definitely worth it. I'll miss you girls.”
Lemon, Twinkleshine, and Minuette came together for a group hug with her, and Lyra hesitantly latched on around them. They would have pulled away later had they not been interrupted by the train whistle and the conductor’s “All aboard for Canterlot!”
“I want you all to have fun,” Bon Bon said. “Take lots of pictures, but please be safe.”
“We will, Bons,” Lyra placated. “What's the worst that could happen?”
“Something could eat your pie, oooohhhh~” Lemon teased before giggling at Lyra’s pained expression.
“Hey, not cool. That was very traumatizing, and also it was one time, Lems. One. Time.”
“I am serious though, girls,” Bon Bon affirmed. “Lots of people get pretty crazy around weddings.”
“It'll be okay,” Twinkleshine gently stated. “We’re the ones who live there after all.”
“...okay...”
She didn't appear convinced but decided to let it go. She simply elected to wave as the quartet boarded the train, and continued to wave as it departed, and didn't cease until it was no longer in sight. Once it was far enough away she immediately turned, pressed her finger into her ear, and briskly walked back towards the main part of town.
“This is Special Agent Sweetie Drops reporting to Overlord. Package has been delivered. Moving to change shifts at Gate Twenty-One B. Overlord, do you copy? Over.”
A moment of silence passed before her earpiece chirped.
“This is Overlord, and we copy you, Agent Drops. Our deep cover agent has eyes on the Package. How far are you from Gate Twenty-One B? Over.”
‘Bon Bon’ turned to face the sky. Peculiar cloud movement from the east; that would have to be reported later. Right now was more important.
“Close enough. He can't have gotten very far. Going radio silence. Out.”
“Roger that, Agent Drops. Forty eight hours of radio silence begins now. Out.” and with that the line went dead.
‘Bon Bon’ arrived at the ‘chocolate shop’ she ‘worked’ at, and ‘punched in’ at the ‘time clock’, before going into the ‘bathroom’. Wait, no, that was the actual bathroom. A few minutes later she left the actual bathroom and went into the ‘bathroom’, and entered the hidden passage to Tartarus.
She worried for a moment about her charge, and whether the “eyes” on Lyra and the other girls were trustworthy enough to keep them safe. She only wished that she could have informed them of the potential Changeling invasion, but that was strictly against protocol. Instead of worrying, she elected to put her trust in Spitfire and the rest of the Canterlot military and focus on the task at hand.
That runaway bugbear was going DOWN.
/x/x/x/
“Hi Dusky! Hi Rarebear! Hi Shyshy!”
“Howdy y’all!”
“Hello again, girls.”
“Darlings, how are you!?”
“...hi Pinkie... hi Applejack...”
The trio and the duo met and formed a quintet. Pinkie and Rarity hugged as Fluttershy and Applejack exchanged nods, and then Pinkie waved at Fluttershy (who waved back) while Applejack gently clapped Rarity on the shoulder. Rarity through her eyebrows and a nod inquired about why Pinkie was wearing the hat, and Applejack merely shrugged.
Conversations began to overlap as they began to walk, mostly small talk. All were very careful to avoid mentioning a certain avian woman. Even though there were five voices working nigh-on constantly, the group all had chemistry enough that interruptions didn't impede the flow of communication.
“How was your day?” “What did you eat for breakfast?” “Biscuits and gravy and eggs and have you ever pondered your own mortality?” “Wait what?” “Your hat is super fan-tibbly-tabulous!” “Oh... Why thank you darling!” “What are you bringing today?” and the like as the group hustled and bustled, with more emphasis on the latter, on their way to the designated site. It was only evident that anything was wrong or even different until...
“So Pinkie, what's the surprise inside that suspiciously cake shaped pan?” Dusk teased.
Pinkie stuck her tongue out in response before giggling. “Well, Dusky,” she coyly replied, “If I told you then it wouldn't be a surprise. Even though you and AJ already know. And judging by the look on Rarity’s face that she’s trying to hide she can probably guess too.”
“What? Me? No... okay yes. I'm sorry darling, I know you wanted it to be a secret.”
“Oh well,” Pinkie shrugged. “At least only Dusk and AJ know the flavor because AJ’s a big meany pants, so that'll still be a surprise. The flavor is the best part anyways, isn't that right, Dashie?” She turned around and looked above the group before realizing they were short one and her face fell. “...oh.”
The cordial mood instantly shifted to a tense one, and everyone’s gait slowed considerably. Two little girls ran by, laughing and chasing each other. The sun may as well have grown legs, stood up, and walked away for all the warmth it was delivering. Finally when the silence became too much, Dusk groaned.
“Okay, this is ridiculous,” he growled before taking a step forward from the group, all of whom had suddenly stopped, and turned around to face them. “We can't lose a good mood just because we get reminded that Rainbow Dash may or may not have overreacted about a little misunderstanding. She's our friend, she should be making us happy, not too upset and afraid to talk to each other. We should be enjoying the lovely weather she probably worked really hard on to make sure we had a good time today.
“Rarity, I know you're the one who’s the most upset about this” he continued, briefly glancing to Fluttershy as he spoke. “And I'm sorry that you're hurting right now, but surely you know that Rain is hurting too. For Celestia’s sake, she was crying this morning because she thought she really messed up with you. All you have to do is tell her that you're not actually breaking up with her and everything will be fine, right?”
Rarity rolled her head in thought before ultimately shrugging. “You're right,” she sighed. “I figured she might be emotional today, but I didn't know she was that upset. I certainly wasn't too torn up considering I didn't even know there was a problem. ...well, any more than normal between us.” She sighed. “I do agree that Dash made it absolutely beautiful outside. And if she did that while upset with me... and alone... she deserves us to be in higher spirits than this.”
Dusk nodded. “That's good. Fluttershy,” she turned so he could at least see one eye behind her hair. “You can't be feeling too well about this since you've been Rainbow’s friend for longer than any of us, and you also spend more time with Rarity than any of us do. Excluding Spike.”
“...no. I don't. Feel well, that is.”
“I understand that, all of us here do. And we don't blame you for doing so, since we’re all more or less in the same boat, right?” he paused for the girls to murmur and nod in agreement. “But conversely, Rainbow has known you for longer than she's known all of us too. You know how she is with emotional guilt, especially with you. And if you're upset because she's upset, and she's upset because you're upset, then it'll just blow more and more out of proportion!
“I'm not saying that you aren't entitled to your feelings, because you are, but don't let being sad that your best friend is sad make her worse when being supportive and- more importantly- happy, is going to put her in better spirits, and by extension it'll make you feel better in the long run. I know it'll be difficult but we’re all here for you.”
Fluttershy nodded, and pulled her hair back behind her ear. Pinkie and Applejack were exchanging confused glances with each other and Dusk. Pinkie slowly raised her hand.
“Rarity didn't break up with Rainbow,” Dusk said, remembering that they were slightly out of the loop. “Rainbow just thought she did.”
A collective “oooohhhh” came from the druidic duo.
“I...” Rarity began before faltering. Then, she mustered her courage and continued. “I made a mistake. Several, in fact. Her only mistakes were letting emotion rule over logic, which one has to expect when talking to her. I was selfish, and rude, and... and she deserves better of me. And I would also like to apologize to all of you for being a contributor to our current state of affairs.”
“Y'all don't gotta apologize for nothin’, Rares,” Applejack cut in, stepping in front of her. “Not to us. It ain't your fault how Rainbow responded, and it ain't fair to beat yourself up over it. Relationships are a two way street, whether you're a man and a woman or two girls or whatever.”
“Yeah, Rarebear,” Pinkie said from suddenly atop Applejack’s shoulders. “Dashie fights with you just as much as you fight with her!”
“That ain't helpin’!” Applejack hissed.
“She does have a point though,” Dusk said, as he put his arm around Rarity’s back. “The burden isn't yours alone to bear. I think you both just need to talk things out for a little bit.” He leaned in and conspiratorially whispered, “With all of your clothes on.”
Rarity blushed as she laughed through a thin sheen of fresh tears. She dabbed at her eyes again, and replied, “I can only speak for myself on that front, but I agree. We may take leave of the picnic at some point to discuss things, and hopefully then everything can go back to normal.”
“We can only hope,” he said, pulling her in for a hug. They were soon joined by the others, who came in together around the pair. They held for a minute before pulling away and picking up the baskets and barrels and other containers from the ground, lightly brushing away any detritus.
“Now let's go eat these before they go bad, all I had today was coffee, tea, and a muffin, and I always get hungry when I get inspiration for friendship reports.”
/x/x/x/
“The man’s about to go on a honeymoon and do nothing but have sex with his wife for two whole weeks, and he's currently awol from his post to go have sex with his fiancé. Is that what you're telling me, Commander Sentry?”
Spearhead tugged at his collar, wondering why it was suddenly so incredibly hot outside.
“...yes?”
Spitfire pinched the bridge of her nose so hard that her fingernails left indents, which was quite an incredible feat as she always kept her nails short. ‘Less wind resistance’, she always said.
She sighed. “Well, I'm busy so I can't wait around. I just need you to deliver this,” she handed Spearhead a missive signed with Celestia’s royal crest. “To the Captain once his... business is complete. It's of the utmost importance to keep this out of the hands of any citizens, and especially from anybody other than Captain Armor himself.”
Spearhead motioned as if to take the paper but Spitfire pulled it back. “Do not under any circumstances give this to any person of any rank, not even the Princess herself, under penalty of I will personally come into the barracks and kick your ass the moment I find out, do you understand me Commander?”
He meekly nodded and took the paper.
“Hold on,” she said suddenly. “Let me check and make sure it's the right one!”
Quickly, he shoved the scroll back into her waiting hand. Immediately she took it and bonked him in the head with it, glaring disapprovingly. He rubbed his head in confusion for a moment wondering ‘what the heck?’ before he realized.
“Oh. Oops.”
She gave him the missive one last time and crossed her arms. “Give this to him, but ask him something that only he would know first. If he doesn't know, well... you've probably got bigger problems to worry about then.”
“Well...” he started to ask. “Why do I need to make sure he’s him if you don’t need to make sure I’m me? And why do I need to confirm his identity in the first place? Does the air force have more intel than us?”
Spitfire quickly leaned in, causing Spear to flinch. “You clearly know my reputation,” she explained, calmly. “You wouldn’t be as afraid of me if you weren’t actually a fellow comrade in arms below my station. I have a different way of verifying Captain Armor’s identity than I do of confirming yours. Yours is the massive amount of sweat. I trust in your ability to know your immediate superior officer. You and him have been in the same or adjacent stations ever since the disaster that was the Dreadstone raid. Yes, I did my research.
“You have to confirm his identity because if anybody besides Captain Armor receives this missive, then the impostor will know mission critical information. Any impostor in this situation is more than likely not going to pass this information along so if that happens then we’re boned six ways from Sunday. And yeah, I and my superiors have more intel. I’d tell you if I could but if I do I’ll be dishonorably discharged and I would literally have to kill you.” She took a step back and flashed what might possibly have been but most certainly wasn’t a smile for a brief moment. “And I’d hate to have to do that to a good soldier. So can I trust you to do this for me?”
Spear glanced between the paper and Spitfire a few times before clutching it tightly and resolutely nodding his head.
“Consider it done, s- ma’am.”
She raised an eyebrow before nodding in affirmation and turning to take off. She flew off towards the Wonderbolts barracks built on Canterlot Castle, becoming a speck in the distance. Spearhead let go of the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding since he slipped and accidentally almost said ‘sir’.
In the Equestrian military, ‘Sir’ was the standard term of respect for a superior officer, regardless of gender. He'd referred to both Princesses as sir when given direct orders by them in the past when he was the highest ranked officer present. However, with Captain Spitfire it was different.
Former Air Marshal Stormy Flare had an estranged son, whom hadn’t been seen or heard from since competitions for Junior Speedsters Flight Camp. This had always been public knowledge, but one day Flare had revealed she'd also had a daughter as well. This daughter, Spitfire, rapidly rose in the ranks of the Equestrian Air Force despite a constant wave of strong opposition from her own mother. She earned her position through blood and sweat, though no tears as it was unknown whether it was even physically possible for Spitfire to cry.
The Wonderbolts were clambering over themselves to recruit her. Wind Rider, then the current Captain of the Wonderbolts and Air Chief Marshal in the EAF, overrode Flare’s vocal objections to Spitfire’s acceptance and enrollment in the Wonderbolts Academy. Spitfire plowed through the competition and made it to the top, cementing her position as Captain, and she had her eyes set even further up the ladder.
The only thing particularly different from anybody else was her strong preference that everybody refer to her as ma’am rather than as sir. It was a small enough alteration that nobody bat an eye at this. Not that anybody would dare to even think of crossing her. In fact, if she had asked for the throne itself, the guards would probably die trying to overthrow Celestia and Luna themselves rather than face the wrathful inferno of an angry Spitfire. Then again, she bore the utmost respect and loyalty to the Princesses, so luckily no deadly coup d’état had to occur.
Spearhead took one final look at the missive laying in his hands. He hesitated for exactly one second, which was just enough for him to visualize what would become of him if he failed, and then he gulped and sprinted back to the field.
Everyone was still running the laps when he returned. The track was nearly three kilometers around, so it would take a maximum of an hour and a half to hit the whole dozen, though realistically it would be closer to just one hour. Nobody liked to slack, especially since the faster they ran the quicker they could move on to the fun part: combat training. He quickly picked out Flash in the crowd: well, at least everyone wasn't steering clear of him. That was the biggest worry.
Spear took a look at the position of the sun in the sky. He figured it would be about another two hours or so before Shining was finished with his... business. His sexual business, that is. There wasn't anything guard-related going on in there any time soon.
Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder, marked with a shield.
Spear turned to follow the hand up to see none other than Shining himself. His hair was a bit disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot, but despite looking tired he still looked happy. Which is to be expected from someone who just had sex with one of the most beautiful women in all of Equestria.
“That was quick. For you guys.”
Shining shrugged his shoulders. “What can I say, some days are just fast. I'm getting old, man.”
“Bro, you're three years younger than me.”
“I know,” he replied with a wink as the two men fell into hearty laughter. As it died down the two surveyed the scene below them. “How’s Flash?”
Spear shrugged. “He's okay. He's strong, just like his big brother. Huh? Huh? Nothing? Oh well. But yeah, he’ll be fine. It's everyone else I’m worried about, buddy.”
“I doubt you'll have to worry too much about that after the wedding,” Shining placated. “My little brother is gonna be up there right next to me on the altar, after all.”
“Dude... you mean...?”
“Yup,” he nodded. “I'm gonna ask him to be my best man.”
“That's awesome, bro!” Spear cried. “I mean, yeah I'm a little bummed that you aren't gonna ask me, and that kinda explains why you haven't asked me yet, but that’ll be really exciting for him! Do you think he knows?”
“I doubt it,” Shining responded, resting on the fence overlooking the field. “He hasn't even sent a response to the wedding invitation yet. Cadey asked Princess Celestia to send it herself through Spike, so I know he got it. But it wouldn't be unlike him to have had it lost in all the friendship reports and stuff the Princess has him doing.”
“Well I guess it's a good thing he's got lots of friends. It's more than I can say for Flash. Remember when that one redhead left, and he didn't take it so well?”
“You mean, what was it... Sunburn?”
“Yeah, the girl who was studying under P-Cell before Dusk was. He was assigned to guard her with one of the other guys, the one who didn't talk much after his brother died...”
“The Dreadstone suicide bomber?”
“Yeah, him. Anyways, Red was the only person he really talked to as himself and not my little brother. And he was still in his teens when she got exiled... I just hope that he gets along well with Dusk. It'll be good for them to hang out, considering... oh yeah!”
Shining turned to face Spear who was handing him the sealed scroll.
“Captain Spitfire said to deliver this to you, but only if I knew that you were the real you.”
Shining took it, broke the seal, unfurled it, and read. He knit his eyebrows together in concern.
“What's it say?”
Shining rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his tunic before turning to Spearhead.
“Our guys found a dead body. A citizen. Got all the marks of an incubus. There's curfew at sunset now. The vamps are gonna be patrolling once the sun sets. Everything else is just information for where to make my barriers stronger and keep a harder eye out.” He sighed. “Great. Now we gotta sacrifice our freedoms just to keep from getting killed.”
“...shit, man.”
Shining gripped his sword hilt.
“Not even the streets are safe anymore...”
/x/x/x/
After fifteen minutes of half-heartedly attempting to earn a mark in whistling, Applebloom gave up during her walk through town and her family’s orchard. Sweet Apple Acres, aptly named for its many many acres of apples. Although a lot of the varieties were very tart. Still, two and a half for three ain’t that bad.
It was still a season away from peak apple harvest, and another season from cider, and yet another season before zap apples. Still, when there wasn’t frost, harvesting occurred year round, and the patriarch of Ponyville’s branch of the apple clan was out and about, busily at work.
‘Big’ Macintosh, elder brother to Applejack and Applebloom herself, was placing a ring of baskets around one of the trees. Once completed he stood before the trunk and placed his hands on either side. As the apple shaped marks on the backs of his hands began to glow, he closed his eyes and leaned his head in towards the tree. For a moment it seemed nothing was happening, but eventually one of the fruits fell off of the branch and into a waiting basket.
After the first was another, then another, then a few more, and then a dozen, and finally it seemed to be raining apples until after a few moments the cascade slowed to a stop. Mac took a step back, gently pat the trunk a few times, then began stacking the baskets. Each was around a half meter tall, and he put them in stacks of six. He lifted each stack one at a time and placed them into the large wagon hitched on the back of a tractor until all were moved and secured. He brushed a thick brown callused hand through his long orange hair before turning to notice his little sister.
He waved, and she returned it, continuing on her merry way. A little... too merry. She wasn’t smiling her usual toothy grin, something which is incredibly suspicious.
“Hey,” he said, calmly. She immediately froze.
“Hey, Big Mac. What i- are you doing on thi- today here... now?”
He raised his eyebrows.
“You’re ju- in the middle of harve- doing the ol’ apple tree- orchard thing, all of them, haha...” She pursed her lips and her eyes wandered everywhere except for her brother’s face.
He crossed his arms and put all his weight on his right foot, chewing on a piece of wheat.
“What i- nothing i- why are y’all lookin at me like- I’m ju- I’m on my way to the hou- to our home to- hungry from a long day of cru- Thcootaloo acthidentally almotht killed uth and I broke my tooth but I thtill have thome of Thecora’th potion at home tho pleathe don’t be mad!”
Mac smiled and stepped towards the tractor, hauling himself up to the driver’s seat. He turned on the engine before glancing at his sister and waving her over. She hesitantly stepped forward, and he swooped down to grab her before pulling her up and into his lap, placing her hands on the wheel. She grinned at him before taking the steering in one hand and the throttle in the other, and drove it to the barn.
Upon arrival and disembarking, Mac gripped Applebloom under her arms and around her chest before turning and jumping down onto the ground. He set her down before turning and walking back to the house.
“Tho uh... I take it I unload the bathketh into the barn ath my punithment for bein’ irrethponthible an’ thtuff?”
He tapped his nose before heading inside. Applebloom sighed and turned to face the obstacle before her. Three dozen heavy as heck baskets chock full of apples lay before her, taunting her for her misfortune. Dumb Scootaloo and her dumb ideas...
She grabbed at the bottom of one stack and tried to pull but it wouldn’t budge. She tried to pull again but she could feel the entire stack begin to give away. She frantically stepped back and put her hands on the third basket up, halting the fall, and pushed slightly. Once satisfied that gravity would not be a jerk, she clambered up the tractor to grab at a basket on the top of a stack.
Straining with all her might, she grabbed both handles on either side and grunted, lifting it slightly. It was slow going but she pushed with her legs and pulled it up and out of its base. Satisfied, she began to turn around but the very bottom of the basket clipped the very top of the next one down, and she winced as the entire stack went careening sideways.
This wouldn’t have been so bad if this didn’t knock over the entirety of the next stack, and then the next stack, and then the next stack. She closed her eyes because she didn’t want to look, but the sound was bad enough. When all was quiet and she opened her eyes, there were seventeen overturned baskets of apples- well, they were empty now- sprawling their contents all over the dusty ground.
“...how could thith happen to me?”
/x/x/x/
Faint, boisterous laughter woke Rainbow from her nap. She turned her head slightly to see her friends entering the clearing. The avian leaned forward and stretched her back and shoulders before unfurling her wings and flapping once to get her on her feet. She stretched her arms before moving her body to face the group.
“Hey, glad you slowpokes decided to finally show up!” she teased, crossing her arms.
“Hi Dashie!” Pinkie cried. “Again! I brought the surprise!”
Dusk opened the basket and telekinetically pulled out the red and white checker patterned blanket as everybody else exchanged greetings with Rainbow. He unfolded it in the air before floating it a little past Rainbow (who was being hugged by Pinkie) and levitating it down to the ground. Everybody then stepped on and around the blanket, setting their various items in the middle.
Rainbow sat at one corner, and Applejack settled in next to her. Pinkie skipped to Rainbow’s other side before twirling and revealing that the item inside the cake pan was indeed a cake (with pink icing). Rarity hesitantly sat next to Pinkie across from Rainbow, offering a friendly smile which luckily was returned. Fluttershy sat down next to her, and Dusk took the empty space between her and Applejack.
He opened the basket fully and began distributing everything: dishes, sandwiches (paying careful attention to which one was Fluttershy’s), and everything else. Fluttershy poured herself some tea before passing the pot to Rarity. Rainbow unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. Two butterflies floated through, pink and orange, as Dusk set the empty basket down between himself and Fluttershy.
“Dig in, y’all,” Applejack said, lightly tossing an apple to Pinkie. “This is a mighty fine spread, and some mighty fine weather to boot. Good job, Dash.” and with that she took a bite herself.
“Yeah,” she replied to the compliment with a mouthful of sandwich. “I am pretty great at stuff.” She swallowed before taking another bite. “Almost as great as this sammie, Dusk.”
After passing the teapot to Pinkie, Rarity cut herself a slice of cake as she analyzed Rainbow’s face. She seemed happy, but... it was always hard to read her when she was stuffing her face. “Aaahhh,” she breathed. “It is gorgeous out, just gorgeous.” Laying it on thick to elicit a reaction. “You’ve really outdone yourself darling.”
Nothing. Just a smile and a nod before taking another bite. Normal behavior for her, honestly.
Applejack shared a glance with Rarity as she took a sip of water. She read the expressions of everyone else around. Fluttershy was smiling, and looking around at the trees. Pinkie was taking a sip of the tea, and then she grimaced before she took several packets of sugar out of her hair and added them to it. Dusk was about to eat an apple but he dropped it as a confused look passed over his face.
“Dusk!” a voice cried from behind Pinkie. Was that... Spike?
“I!” wheeze “Have...” wheeze “some...” wheeze “lemme just...” he paused to catch his breath for a moment as Rarity and Fluttershy shared a concerned glance. He opened his mouth as if to say something else but he belched and a flame shot out, and along with it came a scroll, and he collapsed on the ground. Poor little guy needed to work on his cardio.
Dusk, unfazed, simply picked up and unfurled the scroll, and began to read.
“My dearest Dusk Shine,” he began. “I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot.” he leaned back and raised his eyebrows in surprise before turning to the others. “Wedding?” he asked, to a chorus of shrugs.
He continued. “I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much appreciate it if you and your friends could help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. I would like Fluttershy and her songbird choir to provide the music,”
“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed, putting her palms together in glee. “What an honor!”
“I can think of no one more qualified than Pinkie Pie to host the reception-”
“Whoo-hoo!”
“I would like Applejack to be in charge of catering,”
“Well, color me pleased as punch!” she cried. Rainbow began to yawn loudly.
“I would very much appreciate it if Rainbow Dash could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their ‘I do’s,”
“YES!”
“And Rarity will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids.”
“...Princess Celestia wants me to... huh guh bah wedding dress? Mmmhh, for a Canterlot wedding!?” the overwhelmed seamstress began to swoon and make more unintelligible noises as Fluttershy shot a hand out, but shot a sidelong glance at Rainbow and retracted it. A moment later Rarity fell entirely backwards onto the ground. Rainbow gave a gentle smile at the display before it fell away slightly.
“And as for you, Dusk, you will be playing the most important role of all: making sure that everything goes as planned. I will see you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia.” he quickly reread the letter before turning it upside down and backwards. “But... I don’t get it. Who’s having a wedding?”
His gaze met Spike’s, who was rubbing the back of his head and holding out another scroll. “I, uh... was probably supposed to give you this one first.”
Dusk took the second- well, the first- scroll and unfurled it, clearing his throat. After a moment, he began reading. “Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Sh... holy- my BROTHER!?”
After a moment of silence, everybody (sans Dusk who was sitting frozen in open-mouthed shock) began babbling excitedly amongst themselves.
“Your brother’s getting married?” Applejack asked. “Congratulations, Dusk! That’s just great news!”
He shook his head. “Yeah,” he said. “Great news. That I just got from this... invitation? He didn’t even tell me himself, Celestia did! And it’s happening this weekend? Gee, thanks, ‘bro’. What, he couldn’t tell me face to face? No sit down heartfelt hey man let’s go get dinner and actually hang out for the first time in years before I drop this bombshell on you? ‘Hey, Dusky, I’d tell you I’m making one of the biggest most important decisions in my life that changes everything but that’s okay because you’ll hear about it when the Princess sends you the invitation!’ Really? And who the hell is this ~Princess Mi Amore Cadenza~ anyway because I SURE DON’T KNOW HER!”
Everyone had leaned away from his angry tirade that incorporated his sandwich being appropriated to become a puppet version of his brother. By the end he was standing, fists clenched, invitation completely and utterly ruined, crinkled beyond repair, and breathing heavily. Nobody dared approach him except Fluttershy.
“...Dusk? Are you okay?”
His snarl dissipated as he returned to reality. His eyes refocused as he turned to his friend, who had placed a hand on his arm. He took hold of his glasses with his free hand and removed them, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.
“I’m sorry,” he said, shakily. “I just... he and I used to be so close.” He smoothed out the invitation with his magic before gently setting it on the ground and wiping his glasses with his shirt. “We used to be best friends, back before I even knew what friends were.” Replacing his glasses, he continued. “Spike, you know you’re irreplaceable to me, but...”
Spike nodded. “I get it.”
Dusk smiled as a tear fell down his cheek.
”Sh... Shining?”
He looked up from his writing desk. Shining took a pinch of sand and sprinkled it over the fresh ink on his parchment before replacing the quill in its inkwell and turning to face his little brother.
“Hey Dusk, what’s u- oh.”
A prepubescent Dusk Shine stood in his older brother’s door frame. Black eye, split lip, and a huge tear in his brand new mauve vest. He was crying, and Shining was at his side in a moment.
“Are you alright? No, don’t answer that. Where else are you hurt? Who did this? Is it the same guy as last time?”
“...yes.”
Shining pulled Dusk into his arms and let him cry in his brother’s warm embrace.
“Want me to kick his ass?” A horizontal nod. “Write a strongly worded letter to his parents?” Another horizontal nod. “...want me and Spear to kiss in front of him and scar the little shit for life?” A choked sob- no wait, that was a laugh. “I mean I’d have to tell him that it’s to get back at someone for bullying you but he’d totally do that for you. He owes me one anyway.”
“No,” Dusk sniffed. “I don’t want any rumors to go around about you two too.”
“Hey.” Shining leaned back and tilted Dusk’s head to face him. “If someone tries to give me any guff because they think I like other dudes, I can take it because I probably get more chicks than they do, and can most likely bench press them. It’s you I’m worried about,” he pulled Dusk back in. “If you wanted to, you could kinetically throw them all the way to Dodge Junction, but I know that you don’t wanna do that.”
“I’m not that strong,” he said. “Not yet. But it wouldn’t solve anything. There would just be another bully to take his place... why can’t everyone just be like you?”
Shining laughed and shrugged. “I don’t know, man. It’d sure be really nice if that were the case though. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up...”
In the bathroom now. Dusk sat on the sink in just his chest bindings and pants. Shining had the first aid kit and the cotton swabs, and was applying peroxide onto the cuts and bruises.
“Creator’s sake, he really did a number on you...” Shining’s stomach churned, boiling with rage. How DARE this kid lay his hands on Dusk? “Are you sure you don’t want me to kick his ass?”
“I can’t just let you fight all my battles for me, Shine,” Dusk said, wincing from the sting. “And if we use violence to solve this problem then we’re no better than him.”
Shining shook his head. “I disagree.” he grabbed another swab and doused it in peroxide. “I know the school of thinking you’re- sorry- talking about here, and as a guard I’ve got to tell you to think of both sides. If we didn’t- sorry- fight the dragonborn during the Wool Wars then they would’ve killed so many more of us. If we didn’t fight the storm pirates then everywhere south of the badlands would have become a war zone. Sometimes- sorry- sometimes love and tolerance won’t solve all your problems. If you begin to tolerate intolerance, then it just gets out of control. Sometimes you have to use a little violence to- sorry- stop violent people. Kill one to save a thousand.”
“I don’t like that,” Dusk bluntly replied. “I believe there’s a way to- ow- talk out every problem. I mean, it might be a lot easier for me to just ask you to beat him up back, but you’re not fixing the issue there. He’ll still hate me because I like other boys- ow- and he’ll hate me more because I had my brother beat him up. We both lose there. But if he learned the error of his ways, and wasn’t such a- ow- such a jerk, and apologized for breaking one of my ribs, then we won’t have any qualms.”
Shining grimaced. “You’re entitled to your opinion and so am I. I just don’t think it’s very plausible to talk a bigoted dickhead down from hating you enough to hurt you like this to suddenly becoming best friends.”
“Oh, I’ll never be friends with him. Ow. I just don’t want us to be enemies. You, Spike, and Cadey are the only friends I want.”
Shining nodded as he stood up and discarded the used swabs. “I think I got everything, but it’ll sting for a while. Are you good?”
Dusk pulled his shirt back on. “It’s okay, I’m used to the pain at this point.”
Shining hugged Dusk again. “Let’s go get some ice cream or something,” he said. “Get you out of the house.”
“But what about your paper?”
“Forget the paper,” Shining casually dismissed. “Academia won’t get me advanced in the guard. I’d have to save Princess Celestia’s life or something for that. Writing reports and stuff is more your forte than mine. Come on, let’s go.”
“I always had Shining through some of the worst times of my life,” Dusk said, reminiscing. “He was everything to me, but ever since coming here... we haven’t really talked much.”
“Your brother sounds like a real good guy,” Applejack said, laying her hand on his shoulder. She winked. “Kinda reminds me of someone I know.”
“He is,” Dusk grinned shyly as he placed his hand over hers. “You have to be really special to become captain of the royal guard...”
“...so let me get this straight!” Rarity exclaimed. “We’re helping out with the wedding of not only a princess... but a captain OF THE ROYAL GUARD!?”
Dusk stared at her for a moment before shrugging. “...yeah.”
She began squeeing and fell. Dusk grabbed her with his magic and let her down the rest of the way gently. He looked around at the rest of the group. Fluttershy and Rainbow were chatting excitedly, as were Applejack and Pinkie. He turned and sat down in his place on the picnic blanket and began nibbling on his sandwich but found he didn’t have much of an appetite. He took a sip of water before lying back and cloudwatching- except there were no clouds. Damn you, Rainbow Dash’s efficiency!
Speaking of Rainbow Dash...
“I can’t believe it!” She cried, flapping her wings excitedly. “Celestia wants me to do a sonic rainboom at a royal wedding. Me! A rainboom!”
“That does sound really nice.”
“And I mean, yeah, you have your songbird choir which is kinda cool in its own way and stuff, but. A rainboom! Wait... I gotta start training now. Like, this minute!” Rainbow crossed her arms and put her chin in one hand. “I haven’t done a rainboom since the best young flyer competition a few years ago.”
“Dashie, that was just last year...”
“Man, why’d I eat that sandwich!?” she cried, putting her entire head in her hands. “I’m gonna have to do so many crunches to burn that off! Look at me,” she places her hands on either side of her stomach. “I’ve been really letting myself go! Feel it!” Rainbow grabbed Fluttershy’s hand and put it on her abdomen.
Fluttershy started blushing furiously.
“I mean, yeah, you can see my abs even when I’m not flexing, but there’s gotta be, like, a whole kilo of unnecessary body fat here. And I really gotta cut down on my wind resistance, because this-” Rainbow moved Fluttershy’s hand to her own chest.
Fluttershy.exe stopped working.
“This is just ridiculous, I might have to wear a binder or something. I mean, I don’t have one because I’ve never needed one before, and when I did the last one I was a lot thinner because I was so much younger back then. Maybe I can ask Dusk for one of his old ones, we’re about the same size. So if that works out and I can burn enough calories and drink enough water-” she dropped Fluttershy’s hand and reached for one of the glasses of water, draining the whole thing before dropping it back down on the ground (luckily Dusk had noticed and caught it) and continuing to talk.
“Then I can totally pull off the rainboom for the wedding and everybody’s gonna see it because everybody’s gonna be there and-” she gasped. “WHAT IF SPITFIRE SEES IT AGAIN??? I gotta go, gotta pack, gotta get ready, gotta go buy some more of my protein powder and workout stuff and work my wings, I’ll see you guys all later, okay!? Thanks for the food everyone, bye!” and with that she took off flying towards her house in the sky.
Fluttershy was still standing where Rainbow left her.
“...you gotta... talk to... Rarity...”
And speaking of Rarity...
“Did she really just leave?” She asked, putting her teacup down. “But... but I needed to speak to her! I needed to tell her that I didn’t break up with her!”
“You can just do it tonight then,” Dusk said, placating her. “Or tomorrow on the train to the wedding. Or while we’re getting ready for the wedding. Or at the bachelorette party before the wedding. Or at the wedding. Or at the wedding reception. Or on the train ride back home from the wedding. Or-”
Flatly, she interrupted him. “Darling I understand.”
“...sorry.” he leaned forward. “I should just... go home now. I’ve got some thinking to do and I really don’t wanna take my anger out on you guys.” He stood up and stepped towards Rarity, who also stood.
“Of course, Dusk,” she said as she hugged him. “It’s a lot to take in, I’m sure. It’s not every day that one learns that their sibling is getting ma~rried!”
He didn’t reply, and instead held the embrace. After nearly a minute he finally pulled away, and kissed her on the cheek.
“...So long, my dear,” she bid farewell. “I hope you sleep well tonight.” she turned to Spike, who had a mouth full. “And you too, Spikey-Wikey,” she said as she bent slightly down to kiss him on the head. Though it was biologically impossible, his scales turned red as he blushed and swallowed Pinkie’s delicious marbled yellow layer cake that he absolutely had to get the recipe for because it had the perfect flavor profile for topaz chips.
Dusk handed Spike his for the most part uneaten sandwich and then the pair turned to walk back into town.
Rarity turned to face the remaining picnickers. This hadn’t exactly been the commitment she’d hoped it was, and everything she’d intended to do during it was now un-do-able. Her girlfriend had taken off without being told that they were indeed still dating, her best friend was currently catatonic, Dusk and Spike were leaving, and Pinkie Pie was- wait a minute...
“Fluttershy?” she called, striding towards her friend. Rarity’s face melted from panicked concern to simply confused concern. “F...Fluttershy?” she asked. Fluttershy was blushing heavily, her hand was in front of her, palm out, and her face could not have been more neutral if she was told at knifepoint to make the most neutral face she could possibly think of. Although it anybody had ever held Fluttershy at knifepoint, Rarity would have literally murdered them.
“Darling,” she said, reaching a hand out to place on her friend’s shoulder. “Are you all ri-”
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, please don't be mad!”
An awkward silence descended as the two blinked at each other for a moment.
“...what did you not mean to do that would anger me?”
Fluttershy began to wring her hands and hid behind her hair, now blushing out of shame more so than anything else.
“Well, um... Rainbow kind of... took my hand and... made me... grope her... I’m sorry.”
Rarity’s eye twitched.
“Darling, I was watching, and I hardly think that classified as groping. Rainbow had you feel her breast for athletic purposes because she doesn't have a good sense of boundaries, not for any lustful reasons. Trust me,” she leaned in and in a conspiratorial whisper continued, “she prefers attention elsewhere anyways.”
“Regardless,” she returned to a normal voice, not noticing Fluttershy’s ever-deepening blush. “I'm not upset with you for that. You two have known each other for long enough that intimacy like that would come naturally anyways, and I know you wouldn't do anything like that to hurt anybody, let alone myself. So please, don't feel like you're at all in the wrong here.”
“...okay.”
“That's good.” Rarity said as she hugged Fluttershy tightly. Fluttershy hesitantly returned it and she fell into the embrace. “Besides, darling, it's not like you’re sexually attracted to her or anything.”
The avian’s heart stopped.
“I mean, I know you like girls too, but the only reason you’d have to apologize is if you liked her or something.” Rarity pulled away and smiled at the top of Fluttershy’s head. “And that's quite a ridiculous notion, so will you promise not to feel bad about this? We’ll just pretend it never happened.”
Fluttershy simply nodded, unable to make eye contact. Rarity pulled her back in and nuzzled her spine, gently humming.
‘Disgusting, selfish pervert.’
Fluttershy gripped Rarity tighter as The Voice assailed her once more. Though she was physically closer to Rarity than she typically was to anybody else at any given moment, she found herself alone once again in the white-hot bonds of self-torment.
‘Weak, pathetic coward.’
“Okay Rarity,” she said. “I won't.”
‘Filthy, dirty liar.’
/x/x/x/
Scootaloo stepped off her scooter in front of a run down little shack she once called home. The grass in the front yard was all brown and dead, littered with bits of metal scraps and broken glass. The only clear path was comprised of crumbling stones, many of which had dandelions growing out of the cracks. The remains of a white picket fence stood around the property, broken and falling apart, paint peeling.
It smelled like smoke and rotting meat.
“Are you okay?”
The question lurched her out of her reverie as she turned to the source of the voice.
Sweetie Belle had stepped out of the wagon and walked up next to her friend, smiling in spite of their surroundings. Everything seemed to be toned in sepia except for themselves and the vehicle they had come in on. She placed a comforting hand on Scootaloo’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” she said, laced with trepidation. “I don't know why I expect it to look better each time. Or less... intimidating.”
“It will one day!” came the mage’s cheerful reply. A literal tumbleweed rolled by. “Just... maybe not soon.”
Scootaloo attempted to force a smile for her friend’s sake but it came off as more of a grimace. She opened the nearby mailbox, stem broken and bent, rusted beyond repair, and beheld its contents. Briefly hoping to discover the purpose of her visit within, she was instead disappointed upon noticing that whomsoever had delivered the desired package had brought it fully inside. Charitably enough.
Alas, the only thing inside the mailbox was a stack of yellowed envelopes and a little spider. Quickly, she shut the door with a shudder at the cute little critter before crossing her arms and turning her gaze to the daunting walk ahead of her.
She took a hesitant step, wings shifting uncomfortably below her shirt. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Sweetie Belle following, just far enough to not be all up in her everything, but not too far so as to not seem present.
Another step followed another, until the pair found themselves at the front door. Scootaloo’s fists clenched; whether from fear, anger, or another emotion, she couldn't tell. She raised a hand to the door knob, and gripped it tightly. She turned it.
Suddenly the door barged outwards, knocking the two girls off their feet. A cat hissed at them before bounding off into the grass. Sweetie Belle opened her eyes to see her friend laying protectively over her own body as if doing a push-up, casting a glance at the open door.
“You okay?” Scootaloo asked, before turning her head and facing down. Their eyes searched each other’s for a moment before Sweetie Belle realized the position they were in. After a moment she also realized that she was asked a question.
“Y-yeah,” she breathed before swallowing, stilling her beating heart from the sudden burst of activity. “Just a little startled.”
“Good,” Scootaloo replied before pushing herself up to her legs, reaching a hand down. “I thought it was... you know. Not a cat.”
Sweetie Belle took the hand up before dusting her clothes off. She took a deep breath as she steadied herself. Her pulse was high and the blood rushed to her head, but the blush obtained temporarily during the excitement began to fade.
Scootaloo stepped towards the door, peeking into the living room situated immediately inside. There was a tinny, staticy sound coming from the far wall, and the interior smelled like beer and cat urine. Everything was varying shades of brown, from the floor to the walls to the couch sitting on the opposite wall, which was occupied. Her breath hitched.
“What is it?” asked Sweetie Belle, poking her head around her companion’s. “Is he- oh...”
The lump snored. Aluminum and tin cans laid on the floor, the coffee table, tumbling around a vastly over-encumbered waste basket in the front right corner under a radio situated on a shelf mounted on the wall, pretty much all over the floor. There was only space to walk between the couch and the door situated in the rear right corner, which held the bathroom.
Directly ahead, on the left of the couch was a doorway, a dining room and kitchen. On the center island was a stack of several large boxes; each held two dozen more cans each. The wallpaper was peeling and many of the cabinets were hanging loosely off of their hinges. They probably used to be pure white but were now a more dingy yellow color.
To the left was a closed door with a box sitting neatly on the floor directly in front of it. In the corner was a bookshelf covered almost entirely in dust. The only thing even relatively clean about it was a picture frame sitting at about eye level.
“Nice to see you cleaned up the place, dad...”
“Is that it?” Sweetie asked, pointing at the box on the floor. After carefully maneuvering around the proverbial minefield, the two girls had found themselves standing in front of the closed door. ‘Scoots room’ said the sign hanging on the front of it.
Scootaloo bent down to pick up the small box, before opening it up to reveal the small orange cylinder within. “Bingo,” she whispered, before pulling it out and slipping it into her pocket. She closed the box back up and placed it back where she had found it.
Immediately she turned and began making her way back through the cans, minding her step each way. She froze when the man on the couch adjusted his position, but when he stopped moving after a few seconds she continued her progress, Sweetie Belle following carefully behind her.
The two eventually made their way back outside, and Scootaloo slowly shut the door behind her.
“See? He was asleep. That wasn't so bad, was it?”
She turned to the young mage and shrugged. “Nah. Just disappointing I guess. I should stop expecting it to improve. Or stay the same. It just gets worse and worse...” she trailed off as Sweetie Belle put her fists together in front of her chest as she looked at the ground.
“What's up?”
Sweetie bit her lip before she replied. “What were you being so careful for?”
“...huh?”
“Around the cans,” she motioned towards the ground. “Why were you stepping around them?”
Scootaloo looked to the side, off towards town. “Didn't wanna wake him up.”
“Why?”
“Because he was sleeping. Why are you asking me this?”
Sweetie crossed her arms defensively. “Why were you protecting me when the door opened?”
No reply.
“Come on, Scoots,” she coaxed. “There's something you're not telling me here. I know you and your dad don't get along, which is why you're always staying over at my house, but is it worse than just being awkward?”
“I don't wanna talk about it.”
She sighed and shook her head. “Alright,” she relented. “But just... promise me you will one day?”
Scootaloo shrugged, but at the concern and worry in her friend’s eye she sighed and nodded. “I'm just being... I don't know, but I'll tell you when I'm ready.”
Sweetie Belle wasn't entirely convinced but she gave up, knowing how stubborn her friend was. “Okay...” the melancholy sigh following was interrupted by a surprise unexpected hug, which she returned.
“Now come on,” Scootaloo said, pulling away. “Let's go to Sweet Apple, since Bloom’s probably waiting for us.”
/x/x/x/
“Alright, one bathket down, whoo-hoo!”
/x/x/x/
Cold sweat. Pulse pounding. Rapidly fading mental images of death and destruction. Telepathically opening the curtains. A glance outside: sunlight. Good. It was just a dream, like always. Everything is okay now.
Princess Luna placed her right hand over her chest, placing her fingertips over her heartbeat. Breathing in, 2, 3, 4, out, 2, 3, 4. In again, out again. Calm. Peaceful. Tranquil. Everything is fine.
She turned to face the tantabus, the dark swirling evil mass suspended in its glass prison, tinted a faint periwinkle from the lamps situated around the room. The sun also provided gold, until she turned to close off the windows from the outside world.
The blankets cast off, Luna turned to put her legs over the edge of the bed. She adjusted her loose nightgown, a dark enough blue to look black in the right lighting. Silky and flowing like her hair after the sunset. And a wash. She scratched the back of her scalp, wincing at the frizz.
Feet found the slippers situated immediately below, royal purple with white crescent moons emblazoned on the fronts, and very fluffy. She stood and stretched before approaching what may very well be her favorite fixture in the room, the espresso machine. A very special friend had introduced her to the delicious nectar of the coffee bean, her lifeline in the waking world.
Luna activated the machine by flipping a lever, then turning a knob. A puff of steam emerged as it whirred to life. A white mug labeled “meh.” sat in a receptacle and a stream of brown liquid began to fill it up. She bent down and inhaled the aroma; nothing beat Saddle Arabian beans. Once the mug was full, the pump stopped moving and all fell quiet again.
She took the mug in her hands and bathed her face in the steam, eyes closed and smiling. After a moment she blew gently, dissipating the evaporation, and taking a sip. Straight black, the way it was meant to be enjoyed. Her sister could not stand the stuff unless it was full of cream and sugar, but there were a lot of things that Celestia didn't like that were amazing and wonderful.
As Luna enjoyed her cup of coffee, she turned and surveyed the room. The bed, vertically crescent shaped, would need remaking, and the servants- no, the staff- would no doubt be more than happy to do so. It had been the bed of her childhood, then oversized but now the exact right shape for her body. Celestia had never gotten rid of it, nor of the room itself, even after the greater period of her banishment: simply boarded the room up and declared the entire wing forbidden. It had taken a month to remove the dust: a thousand years can really do a number on an abandoned room’s cleanliness.
She took a sip.
It didn't sting to think of the Nightmare anymore. It was of course a fear, always nagging, pulling away at the subconscious, and always a very distinct if narrow possibility of returning. But that’s what the dreams were for. It isn't like she held a grudge for her sister because of the imprisonment inside of the moon. Anymore.
The only thing that hurt, really, was Celestia’s tendency to ignore the lilacs she put up in the castle every evening to foster pleasant dreams for the staff. However, their relationship had fully repaired, thanks in part to catching up on a millennia’s worth of sisterly bonding activities centered around learning how much culture had changed in the many years of her absence. It was certainly worth having a little nighttime ritual go unnoticed.
She took another drink, savoring it as it passed over her tongue.
It was very strange that despite so many things changing, everything was still somewhat the same. Technology, fashion, food, law, etiquette, all was significantly advanced from the way it used to be, but luckily there were some constants. Magic, for example. Since the disappearance of her ancient teacher Star Swirl the Bearded, there really wasn't much in the way of new spells. Luna didn't have to do much reading to catch up in that department. But the culture? She still didn't have the hang of things. For Creator’s sake she still used the royal ‘we’, a practice Celestia had abandoned centuries ago!
However, it wasn't a big deal. It would be fairly easy to unlearn the habit, almost as easy as adopting the new royal regalia to conform more easily to modern Equestria’s laws on modesty. Canterlot and other mage-settled cities now had social taboos on female nudity in places male nudity was socially acceptable, yet avian law had made no such movements in that regard. Now due to conflicts in ancient tribal law, Celestia had ruled that avians due to their biology were not bound by those specific sets of laws in any Equestrian city, though it was still heavily frowned upon for any avian women to go bare-chested, even in the heat of the sweltering summers. Not that many would want to, but for the aquamancers who were extremely sensitive to changes in temperature. Luckily there were many articles of clothing that were created in the past thousand years Luna had personally taken a liking to. Alas, royalty could only wear casual clothing while attending informal social gatherings outside of Canterlot, and she hardly ever left the city.
Although, considering certain activity coming from the frozen north recently, that could very well be changing soon if the legends were correct. And judging by her own track record with thousand year old legends, they more than likely would be. She only hoped the platoon of a hundred and four soldiers being specially trained by Captain Shining Armor himself would be enough to stand against... him.
She took a long draught.
Surely they would be. The platoon consisted of some of the best of the best of the Canterlot military. They would be able to stand against anything. But now wasn't the time to think about potential war, now was the time to concern oneself with the upcoming wedding in just a few days.
Luna’s thoughts wandered to Cadance, the recently-christened Princess of Love. Apparently in her own absence there had been made two grand archmages, her and one Auroria. Cadance was an avian who had been given the power of the mages and the strength of the druids, and Auroria was an avian that had exhibited magical prowess from her infancy. A biological curiosity, though her parents had withdrawn from society and become reclusive due to the attention given them and their child.
Cadance, however, was the only grand archmage aside from Luna and Celestia themselves who was currently known of in Equestria. She was made such after exhibiting great amounts of compassion for a reclusive sorceress who had cast an evil spell over the people of Cadance’s home village. After she’d reversed the spell, magic beyond their comprehension brought her to Celestia, where she was given the mantle of archmage. She was a nice young lady, and most citizens of Equestria had taken kindly to her. She’d also apparently looked after Dusk in his childhood whilst Celestia was otherwise preoccupied with her prior student, and for that Luna was very grateful in a roundabout way.
With one more large gulp, she had finished with the coffee, and was ready to take on the morning. Well, it was technically the afternoon, but it was her own personal version of the morning. She placed the mug on the table aside from the machine and stepped through her room’s entrance into the awaiting foyer.
A rousing chorus of “Good afternoon, Princess Luna”s met her as the door opened. She smiled and nodded, before stepping forward and allowing them to do their work. Her clothing was removed and carried away as she was gently escorted to the baths in one corner, separated from the main room by an archway. No fewer than a dozen armed guards stood around the perimeter of the spacious room, keeping an ever watchful eye on the space around the Princess.
Upon stepping onto the tile, Luna removed her slippers and walked down the stairs into the empty basin at the center of the nook. After a moment she found her feet to be wet as the large tub began to fill with water set at a very specific temperature, the same it had been every day for years now. She approached the stool at the center of the bowl and sat, presenting her hands to either side. A total of seven people- five women and two men, one avian of each gender- all dressed in swimwear, waited first for the water to reach waist level, then stepped into specific places around her and set to work.
Two of the mages set about cleaning Luna’s hair, wetting, shampooing, rinsing, conditioning, and otherwise bringing the locks to their full luster by imbuing no small amount of magic. The two avians set about preening an outstretched wing on either side, one each. The remaining three used a mix of hydrokinesis, showerheads, and loofahs in order to wash the rest of her body. Light conversation was made between staff and royal. In all, the processes took no more or less than seventeen minutes before the Princess was able to move on to the next part of her daily hygienic rituals.
After the bath was drained, and her body was made dry by the aquamancers, Luna was again escorted gently to another portion of the room. This corner was a chair sat in front of a desk with a mirror propped at the back. Two women and a man were stationed there, and when Luna sat they began to apply makeup and style her hair. This took only three minutes, as she never liked anything fancy more so than practical, something she didn't share with her sister.
After thanking the trio, Luna stepped towards a sink. She brushed her own teeth (the one thing she absolutely mandated nobody else would ever do), and rinsed with mouthwash. After this was over she approached a nearby trifold mirror where a quartet of women stood patiently waiting. They then dressed her in basic underclothes; a slip and a corset, stockings and a garter belt, and socks, can't forget socks. However, something was amiss, as they did not move for anything after this was complete.
“Is something amiss?” Luna asked, perplexed at the breach of repetition. “Why have you ceased dressing us?”
The four exchanged uneasy glances as the princess felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to face one of the guards who had approached, and he handed her a telegram. She unfurled the scroll and read it, pursing her lips as she did so. Decisively, she rolled it back closed and stepped past him into the main room, and strutted confidently to a closed armoire. Luna cracked her knuckles before throwing it open.
“Gentlemen,” she said, addressing the guards. “And lady. My apologies.” One nodded her head in thanks. “Our beloved sister has made a request of us.”
She pulled a halberd with a crescent shaped blade off of the weapons rack lying within.
“Tonight we may finally taste combat.”
She turned and hefted the weapon, adopting an aggressive stance, smiling as she adjusted her grip. The weight in her hands filled her with an excitement not felt in several months. She made several steps, swinging in set patterns, before facing several of the guards.
“Tonight we march together.”
/x/x/x/
“Who’d have thought Shining would finally be getting married, huh Dusk?”
No response.
“Your mom and dad are sure gonna be thrilled to get a daughter, even if she's an in-law.”
Huff.
“...he didn't tell me either, you know.”
Dusk finally looked up from his book. He hadn't touched his soup. He hadn't said anything since coming back home. The moment they arrived he stormed off to his bedroom until Spike called him for dinner. Even then he only came begrudgingly and with a calculus manuscript.
“No, I suppose not.” he sighed before shutting the textbook. “And I guess we’re all going to Canterlot tomorrow.”
Spike took a sip of his own soup. He had used the last of the mutton, and if Dusk wasn't going to enjoy it then he sure was.
“I haven't gone since your birthday. And before that, the Gala... It'll be nice to see your parents again. I miss them.”
Dusk spooned up a carrot and dropped it back in, putting his cheek in the other hand. He began to swirl it in circles. Probably not planning on actually eating any. Spike took another sip.
“...I guess I miss them too.” was all he said.
Spike opened his mouth as if about to say something, but he couldn't exactly think of what to say and so closed it again. A knock at the door interrupted what train of thought he had.
“I'll get it,” Dusk said, dropping his spoon in the bowl. Broth splashed all over the table. Spike inwardly sighed and spooned up an emerald, snaking his tongue around it. He pulled it in and began crunching before turning to see the front door.
“Heya Dusky!” cried one Pinkie Pie, launching herself into a hug and knocking the poor boy over out of view. Applejack, also in the entryway, winced before chuckling.
“Pinkie, Applejack,” he greeted from the floor.
Spike watched Pinkie do a cartwheel as Applejack stepped forward slightly out of view. A moment later Dusk was visible again, and he was dusting off his clothes.
“Howdy Dusk. Catch ya at a bad time?”
Dusk waved her off. “We’re having supper but I’m not hungry. You here to chat?”
Applejack nodded. “I figured y'all wasn't in too good of a mood after today's revelation. Can't be easy hearin’ news like this about an older sibling.”
“Yeah, that's super un-fantastic!” Pinkie interjected, tone chipper as always. “If my older sister went to college without even telling me first I’d be super sad, and getting married is a WAY bigger deal than college!” A moment’s pause. “Well, to most people. Maud is pretty psyched to finally be going. She’s practically married to rocks anyway. But I wouldn't even dare to dream about getting married without throwing a hey guess what beloved family of mine I'm getting married party for them because I wouldn't dare to do something mean like get married in secret and hurt Limestone and little Marble! Hey AJ, why are you giving me the secret code to stop talking?”
Applejack slapped her forehead.
“You're right,” Dusk said, bluntly. “You'd probably give plenty of warning and not just hope that the Princess sends you a notice for it two days before it happens and then expect them to oversee all of the preparations themselves.” He turned and strode into the kitchen, followed by the pair. “You wouldn't expect them to make their best friends put together an entire ensemble of dresses and food and party supplies and a brand new set of sheet music for a bird choir and a...” he slammed his fist on the kitchen counter, causing Pinkie to jump.
“You wouldn't demand a sonic rainbow be done at your wedding without even telling them more than two damn days in advance. Rainbow’s not gonna have time to deal with the breakup in a healthy enough way to realize it's not even a breakup, Rarity’s not gonna have time to deal with it either, Fluttershy had another attack and now she's gotta worry about the stress of teaching a bunch of rusty bluejays how to do whatever wedding marches they're gonna want, odds are it'll be all of them, and you two will be in the kitchen and reception hall all day. It's not fair to you guys. You should have had more warning! You shouldn't be forced to do all this shit just because you know the groom’s little brother!”
“Hey now,” Applejack stated, stepping in front of Pinkie. “I know you're upset, Dusk, but watch your language!”
Pinkie pushed Applejack’s arm down. “Fluttershy had another attack?”
Dusk sighed. “Sorry. But yeah, she did. I don't know what caused it, she wouldn't tell me. But she says she's fine.”
“That don't sound right,” Applejack said, crossing her arms. “It never happens ‘cept for good reason, but we ain't here for Fluttershy. We’re here for you.”
“Me?” Dusk asked, slipping back into his chair. “I'm fine.”
“This ain't ‘fine’ for you, Dusk. We know you. First thing y'all ever taught me was knowin’ when to accept help. And I can tell it from right here, that you need a little bit of support right now. Support y'all can't get from Rarity, Rainbow, an’ Fluttershy. Support as a younger sibling goin’ through a tough time. Yer brother’s slippin’ away from you and it's makin’ y'all feel like cow manure.”
Dusk glared at his soup.
“I know what it's like. Back in the day when Big Mac did the rodeos instead of me, when he was doin’ so much more than what he’s doin’ now. Back when...” her voice broke. “Back when our folks died.”
Dusk’s face softened.
“I lost my grandpappy, my parents... an’ I was so worried that I was gonna lose my brother too. He was all I had left. He was my everything, just like Shining is yours too. So y'all know what I did?”
Dusk looked up to face her.
“I did everything in my power to keep him in my life. I didn't let it crush me, or toss me in the pig pen o’ despair, or rule my anger and make me lose my temper and cuss up a storm just cuz’ I'm sad. I couldn't let that happen to me, and I ain't lettin’ it happen to you.”
Dusk stood up and hugged Applejack, and Pinkie came in on the other side.
“I'm sorry...” he whispered.
“It's okay,” she responded, gripping him tightly. “Good things are gonna come from this, I swear it. And even if they don't, we’ll all be here for you. But if yer brother is even half the man I think he is, then there's a perfectly good explanation behind why he didn't tell y'all earlier. Men ain't that dumb, you taught me that much.”
Dusk let out a choked half-laugh at this. “He's definitely not dumb.” he pulled away so he could look her in the eyes, but kept his arms around her shoulders. “I'm just scared.”
“And it's your right to be such,” she replied, placing her hands on his hips. Actually, wait, those were Pinkie’s hands; Applejack’s were resting on his forearms. “Fear is normal when it comes to family matters. But you can't let it rule you is the problem.”
“I was scared of losing you when I was little,” Spike piped up from the table. The trio turned to face him. “I worried that once you didn't need me anymore then you'd just move on to bigger and better things. When you first decided to stay here, I was so afraid that Celestia would make me go back to Canterlot with her, but she didn't... and that was one of the happiest moments of my life, knowing that I could keep living with you.”
Dusk stepped over and wrapped the dragonborn in his own arms. “You'll never lose me, Spike...” he said. “I love you too much to ever let you go. And I guess Shining feels the same... sorry I was a jerk today.”
Spike shrugged. “You're a jerk every day so it's okay.”
Dusk gasped and took a step back, placing one hand on his hip and the other on his chest. “Wow.” He couldn't keep his face straight. “I came out here to have a good time and I honestly feel so attacked right now.”
Pinkie giggle-snorted as Applejack simply nodded her head and crossed her arms. “Dusk,” she said. “If jokes among friends are the worst that happens to you this weekend, I think everything will be just fine.”
He nodded, facing her. “I think you're right...” he turned to the pot sitting in the stove. “Either of you two want some soup?”
/x/x/x/
The train rolled into the station, chugging slowly decelerating before finally stopping with a long steamy hiss. The doors opened and out walked dozens and dozens of people of every shape, size, color, and smell.
Contemptible fools, all of them.
Chrysalis stood surveying the platform, impatiently tapping her foot. She was there for a very specific reason, and didn’t want to spend any more time than she absolutely had to in the wretched disguise she had concocted so she could walk about the city.
The guards were out in full force today. Fully armed, fully armored, and constantly on the lookout. They knew something was going to happen soon. They were prepared. She grinned to herself. They were scared.
It didn't make this any easier. The magenta bubble surrounding the city had still shaded everything the same shade of pink as her hair. The planned invasion would have to go perfectly well. She’d have to continue convincing everybody of her disguise until the wedding day. She'd have to ensure that nobody found out or even suspected. She'd have to keep her impulses under control.
Lilu was always ready for her. He was perfectly willing to pleasure her. He was one of the best pawns she had ever encountered in the hive. But he meant nothing to her. He was just a lowly grunt, just a cog in the machine; if he was gone, he would be easily replaceable.
But not Captain Shining Armor. He was so important to the basic essential structure of the city. He lead the entirety of the ground forces, her biggest obstacle. And with him out of the way, or better yet under her control... the city’s defenses would crumble, and then there would be nothing left between her and the princesses, the throne, the lives of every single citizen of Equestria. And the Elements of Harmony would finally be all hers.
The next step of her master plan was rapidly approaching. She could see the quartet now, four smiling, giggling girls. Probably happy about some stupid human thing or another. It hadn't been easy spending the last few weeks abusing the real Mi Amore’s connections so as to ensure the perfect choices in bridesmaids. Just intelligent enough to be useful, but not desperate enough for attention to suspect anything was strange. Coincidentally enough they happened to know the groom’s younger sibling.
She’d extracted everything. Every single memory from the spoiled princess now also belonged to her, except for the disgusting mushy ones she cast out as unimportant. A youth spend in a village full of love, the kind of love that hurt, the kind that she couldn't exploit or even feed off of. Much too sweet. An adolescence spent in the care of Celestia, browsed through to pick up any weaknesses. There were none, pure power would be the way to go. A first job in babysitting some little kid. Meeting the older brother. Falling in love with said brother. Fucking said brother before he went away to the military. Slut.
That was one delicious memory.
The leader of the group pointed at her, a hopeful eyed optimist with two toned blue hair. A sniff revealed she was a secretary for a dentist’s office, she had recently eaten a salad, there was a thin veil of faux happiness over a lingering depression, and- oohh, she's a bisexual! Chrysalis licked her lips and looked her body up and down. Very nice. That one belonged to her.
“Cadey!” she cried. Ugh, the nickname. From now on it was the formal full name only, excluding these... friends. “It's been so long!”
Hugging, what a foreign concept. If one was to express satisfaction with the presence of another being, what was so wrong with simple words? Words, she understood. Words were logical. Words were just as capable of eliciting the reactions and chemical triggers in the brain that released what made people happy. Words were understandable. Wrapping one’s arms around someone else? Weird.
“Oh, Minnie,” she cried, remembering the nickname. It burned on her tongue. “It has indeed. I missed you all so much!”
Lyra Heartstrings. Twinkleshine. And... whoever that last one was. Unrecognizable.
“Girls, who’s your friend?”
Suddenly the scrape of metal on metal sounded through the courtyard as the guards on either side of Chrysalis stepped forward, separating her from the others with their spears. Behind her, an avian slammed into the ground before pulling herself up to her full height, and extending her golden wings as far as they would go. Her fiery hair glowed in the same colors as the setting sun.
“Lemon Hearts?” The soldier asked, fearsomely.
“Uh- I, um... y... yes?”
She nodded before putting her hands out to the other guards. “Gentlemen, stand down. This woman is my responsibility.” She turned her wrist to her mouth, and whispered almost inaudibly... for humans. “Overlord, this is Captain Spitfire. The package is secure.” Luckily succubi have much better hearing.
Ah... so this is the famous Spitfire... the second biggest spanner in the works. She would be very hard to deal with, but she would only need to be slowed down or otherwise impeded. No wonder the scouts she sent looking after the so-called ‘eyes on the package’ had suddenly disappeared without warning. A pity.
“Ladies, I’d like to apologize,” Spitfire continued. “But everyone in the wedding is in terrible danger. I'm afraid I have to separate the palace staff from you until such time as Princess Celestia has decided the threat on the city has abated. Curfew has been established, and I would very much appreciate your cooperation.” She turned to face Lemon. “I will ensure your safety ma’am.”
Lemon turned to face the future bridesmaids. “I guess our weekend ends here, girls... I hope you all have fun. And it was good to finally meet you in person, Cadey, if only for a moment!”
Chrysalis waved, plastered in her face a smile more fake than the illusion that Spitfire was actually a woman. How dare people criticize and oppress herself and her people for pretending to be things they were not in order to make personal gains when the captain of the Equestrian Air Force herself is doing the very same thing?
Of course... there's apparently a difference between consuming one’s life force and protecting everyone else’s. That was the difference that these bleeding heart humans would give, justifying their hatred and bigotry. They cared too much about the lives of the week, the defenseless, the inferior... what ever happened to survival of the fittest? It made her sick to her stomach to think about.
Spitfire and Lemon began striding away until they were out of sight, leaving Chrysalis flanked by her regiment of a dozen royal guards and the trio of mages.
“Well,” Chrysalis clapped her hands. “Let's get you girls to our chambers! We’re gonna have so much fun...” a malicious glint shine in her eyes as she glanced down at Minuette’s form.
“So much... fun.”
/x/x/x/