Chapter 5: Ultimatum
(Bit of an author's note since none of you have met Gray yet. Gray Lapis is a unicorn stallion who stars as the main character in the tale ' A Rare Moment', which has not been put up on here as of yet and for this I apologise. I just really want to get this story up here because i'm actually quite proud of it.
Skeleton was NOT comfortable.
Not comfortable at all on the ground.
But on the ground she was, in a quaint little town she came to know as ‘Ponyville’.
This is where those two nice mares live... If I can find them...
She walked past a trio of fillies muttering among themselves and one of them looked up, a big bow in her mane.
“Hey Miss! Why are ya wearin’ a scarf an’ cape in this weather? It’s too hot fer ‘em!”
The other two looked over at her immediately and Skeleton Grin could feel her face heating up. She thanked Celestia fervently for the scarf concealing her face.
“I wear it because I like it...”
One of the fillies, a white one with lovely two tone hair, smiled.
“Well it IS a nice scarf after all!”
“Pfft, Nice Shmice! It’s too hot!”
The little orange Pegasus filly zoomed up to Skeleton, making her take a step back fearfully.
“You really should take it off! Don’t want you getting sick!”
The other two fillies tried to get over to Scootaloo before she tried to rip the scarf off the horrified mare, yelling at her, telling her to stop.
Skelton Grin covered her face with her hooves as the scarf was ripped from her face and neck, peering out from the large hat on her head.
She needed that scarf, but it was too far away.
Too far... three fillies...
She could do it.
She grinned under her hooves.
It had been too long....
With a strangled roar, Skeleton Grin knocked off her hat and bared her teeth, her eyes, now revealed as a fleuro orange, seeming to burn with a malicious fire, her teeth sharp and pointed. Her wings snapped open, one of them only half way and in such a way that it seemed that it was only partially there, as though part of it was just... Gone!
The three fillies screamed in abject terror and bolted, nothing but streaks against the road. Skeleton Grin gave off an evil cackle, and then looked around. Noting nopony else in the area, she replaced her hat and scarf, and casually kept walking, her stride notably bouncier.
~*~
“Oh my dear! You looks fabulous!”
Rarity smiled at her latest customer. Not much more needed to be said. There was a fast transaction and a mare walked away happy with a new dress, and Rarity got a few bits richer. There was a nervous knock at her door and Rarity smiled.
“Another customer! It’s open, please come in!”
A mare wearing absolute black vestments, black cape, black scarf and a black hat, the latter two of which covered her face, stepped nervously into the boutique.
“Hello Darling! Welcome to... Wait, I know you! Oh yes! You were the lovely mare who asked about that spell Twilight gave you, of course!”
Skeleton Grin nodded slightly and closed the door behind her.
“I’m sorry to bother you miss... but is there someplace we can talk... alone?”
“Alone? We’re alone now are we not?”
“No... I mean... private... where nopony else can see or hear us...”
Rarity arched an eyebrow theatrically.
“I suppose we can adjourn to my workshop, yes. This way please!”
The two mares made their way to Raritys’ workshop, the door being firmly closed and locked behind them.
“Now dear, what is it I can help you with?”
~*~
“Oh dear! Deary, whatever happened to you? Where did you get all these?”
Skeleton Grin, for the first time in a long time, was willingly showing her body to somepony. It was littered with scars of varying shapes and sizes. The largest was one her hind leg, left. It stretched all the way from thigh to hoof, a pale white scar. She covered her mouth with her hoof and spoke.
“H..Here and there...”
“Darling, don’t beat about the bush, If somepony in Ponyville is mistreating you-“
“Oh no... it’s nothing like that!”
“Well you should let somepony know what happened! Scars like these don’t simply appear one day young lady.”
Grin stood through the fashionistas intense observations of her dimunitive frame, scars and various other details concerning her mane and tail before she finally got to her face.
“Now Darling. What is it you want to change? Apart from the scars, you’re a beautiful mare."
Skeleton Grin took a deep breath through her nostrils.
Alright... This is it... Now you get thrown out, like always...
First she opened her eyes. Rarity gasped.
“Darling! Such brilliant irises! Whyever do you hide them? Gray! Come look at this beautiful mares’ eyes!”
Skeleton felt a flash of confusion followed by panic as a grey stallion with black hair walked into the room.
“I’m sorry? What did you say love?”
“Look! This lovely mares’ eyes! Aren’t they the most beautiful eyes in all of Equestria!?”
At that instant Gray Lapis locked eyes with Skeleton Grin.
“Wow... you’re right dear... aren’t they stunning!”
Skeleton blinked in surprise. She’d been running from ponies all her life because of their reaction to her peculiar physical traits, and here two were saying her eyes, the hidden eyes that seemed to glow in the night, were beautiful!
I must be dreaming... wake up Grin, Wake up.
“Oh, you would look positively gorgeous in black darling!”
“Sugar, she wears black. Or so I would gather, unless that cloak in the corner is yours.”
“Oh hush Gray, let me think!”
“C..C..Can we um... I don’t mean to be rude... but... W..We were having a private consultation..?”
“Oh, of course miss, I meant no disrespect or harm. I’ll leave you two be now. Play nice.”
Gray left the room, closing the door behind him as Rarity looked at Grin critically.
“Darling, you’re still wearing your scarf.”
Skeleton sighed.
This is going to be a long day...
~*~
Nopony had seen Soarin for three days. He’d hidden himself away in his home and hadn’t answered to any knocking, regardless how insistent they were. All of his team mates had tried, and then refused to let Fleetfoot try at all, at Spitfire and Firestreaks’ behest. This frustrated Fleetfoot to no end. In the end, determined to find out why, She went out of her way late one night to go see him.
The same night that Skeleton Grin got back and was going to drop off a letter.
Fleetfoot arrived at the secluded stallions’ house without issue and knocked on the door.
“Go away!”
“Soarin, it’s Fleet, let me in. I want to talk to you.”
“.... I don’t want to talk right now.”
“Please, they’re trying to ban me from seeing you altogether, let me in.”
There was a pause before a scuffle and the sound of a key grating in a lock before Soarin opened the door.
“Come in.. you of all ponies should probably deserve to know why.”
~*~
Skeleton watched in horror as Fleetfoot entered the house.
It can’t be... Oh come on Grin, you knew it was coming... He’s too good for you and you and he both know it... Go home Grin... just... Go home...
Tears in her eyes, she hurled the tightly rolled scroll in the direction of his house and fled, leaving a trail of tears that quickly soaked into the clouds below.
~*~
“See, I’ve started getting letters from a mare. Now, normally you know I’d simply get rid of them, but this one is different.”
Fleetfoot sat on the couch, looking up at Soarin as he paced restlessly, explaining his predicament.
“The first letter I received from her came with a black rose bud, which is now flowering in the vase on my desk.”
Sure enough, as Fleetfoot looked at the desk the first thing that caught her attention was a beautiful black rose in full bloom.
“Naturally, I sent her a letter back. She never includes her name, instead this strange little smiley face with pointy teeth and angular black eyes. The next letter she delivered by hoof, on her own. That contained a lock of her hair and a feather from her wing, both ash gray, along with my new towel which I’m sure you’ve seen me using.”
This much was true, everypony in the locker room had seen him use the towel, and at some point, wondered where it had come from.
“I wanted to know who she was... but she wouldn’t tell me. I sent her another letter with a photo of me in it and she was over the moon about it.”
Tactfully, he overstepped the letter with the spell, not wanting to freak Echo out.
“After that she sent another letter detailing just how appreciative she was of the photo and I got an idea. I bought a ticket for the box, as in the VIP box, to our next performance. The same ponies end up in there every year, so if she shows up, which she promised she would, I’d know her in a moment. But.... her next letter...”
He sighed sadly and trudged over to his desk, retrieved the letter and tossed it to Fleetfoot.
“Read it yourself... you’ll see what I mean. It’s the only letter where she gave me a hint as to her name...”
“Well it can’t be that bad then...”
Echo unrolled the scroll and began to read.
“... It seems fine to me.”
“Read the PS Echo...”
Frowning, she unrolled the note more and her eyes went wide as she finished reading.
“Oh dear...”
Soarin nodded sadly.
“Yeah... I really thought I had a chance with this one Echo...”
“Who says you still don’t?”
As Soarin went to reply, there was a muffled sound of paper striking cloud and Soarin rushed to the door, opening it quickly and looking out, then returning with a scroll, tightly wound, tied with a grey ribbon.
“It’s... another one from her...”
“How do you know?”
“The ribbon...”
Echo watched him stare at the scroll for a time.
“Well open it already!”
“I...I can’t. What if..”
“Oh for petes’ sake give it here!”
Echo snatched the note out of his less than strong grip and undid the ribbon. Opening it, she began to read out loud.
“To Soarin.
I suppose I can’t address you as I normally would anymore, since you have a fillyfriend. I hope the pair of you are happy in there, safe and warm from the elements in each others’ arms... It’s not like I was working up the courage and coming over right now to reveal myself.
I’ll have you know that I’m still going to be at the performance, but NOT in the seat allocated on the damn ticket you sent me... I will be trading it to somepony else in favour for a lesser ticket. Recognise me then.
That’s right, I knew the plan. I’m not stupid Soarin. I’m sorry... I’m not normally like this, but... leading me on this whole time when you and Miss Fleetfoot..? I’m sorry, but that’s simply unethical!
Have fun with her! And Miss Fleetfoot, who is undoubtedly hearing this right now, I don’t blame you.
Your former biggest fan.
S.G.”