//------------------------------// // Chapter 36: Cruelty & Greed // Story: Knight of Equestria - On Distant Shores // by SupraMacPringles //------------------------------// The next morning, on the edge of Ponyville inside of a small cottage, a demure yellow pegasus was talking with a good friend of hers. Floating in her living room was the form of a draconequus, casually relaxing in mid-air. "So there's nothing you can do?" Fluttershy asked sweetly. "I'm sorry, my dear Fluttershy, but I made a deal with the new King. I'm a draconequus of my word!" Discord replied, manifesting a glass filled with lemonade and eating it whole. "Since when?" the mare asked, somewhat frustrated. "Ever since you put so much effort in to reform me! I thought you would be proud of me honorably upholding my end of the deal..." the spirit of chaos replied, somewhat downtrodden. Fluttershy sighed and responded with a smile. "You're right, I am proud of you. I just wish there was something I could do to help the princesses." "Oh, I wouldn't worry about them too much, they're much tougher than they look. Besides, I'm sure you clever ponies will figure something out." he said as a ringing began to emerge from behind him. He reached back and pulled a large alarm clock from out of nowhere. "I must be off, Fluttershy, I'm late for my hockey game." he said, pulling out a hockey stick and disappearing as Fluttershy waved goodbye. Fluttershy rested on her sofa nearby a napping Angel and just reflected. After the attack on the castle which injured her and her friends followed by the displacement of Canterlot ponies, things had become very hectic around Ponyville. She knew there wasn't much she could do, so she had asked Discord for help only to find out about his arrangement with Gabriel. The rest of her friends were doing what they could to help out, but Fluttershy had begun to feel useless. She wasn't fast enough to constantly patrol like Rainbow Dash, not organized enough to get the refugees situated like Twilight. As she lay there, a knock came at her door. She wasn't expecting any visitors and when she called out no one answered. She got up and walked towards her door, still only hearing silence on the other side. As she opened her door she was met by the purple unicorn Amethyst. "Good day to you, Miss Fluttershy." the unicorn greeted. Fluttershy flinched under the unicorn's icy glare. "Y-you... y-you're..." she stammered, unable to form words. "May I come in?" Amethyst asked, emotionless as ever. Fluttershy felt her body move unconsciously as she began to realize that 'no' probably wasn't an option anyway. Amethyst entered the cottage and looked around. Fluttershy shut her door slowly while trying to find the words to speak. She did not know the extent of the unicorn's power, but if it was enough to incapacitate the princesses then she was sure the mysterious visitor was much more powerful than she looked. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Miss Fluttershy, but I'm out running errands and Gabriel asked me to drop by." she said, seeming to admire the interior of the cottage. "H-he did?" was all she could respond with. What could the usurper want with her? "He did. You see, the King is actually quite the animal lover." That was something Fluttershy hadn't expected. "He is?" she asked. "He is. Throughout our travels he has learned to communicate with a number of fauna, but he said he lacks the 'something special' to connect with them. That's where you come in." Amethyst explained. "I do?" "You do. Well, provided you want to. The royal gardens are home to many different creatures that Gabriel thinks you'd be perfect to care for." Fluttershy was somewhat embarrassed remembering the last time she was in the gardens. The animals weren't quite as welcoming as she would've liked them to be. Still, a the chance to be their caretaker sounded to good to be true. Amethyst continued. "And, if in the future he manages to capture something dangerous, he wants you to help him tame it so it can be put to use for the kingdom." Fluttershy's daydream was interrupted as the unicorn said that. "What do you mean, 'put to use'?" the pegasus asked. "I suppose it could mean a number of things, depending on what's needed. For work, for battle, so on and so forth." Fluttershy was aghast. "He wants... to make them slaves?" she asked. "He wants to make them useful. Think of it as a mercy that they'd be swallowed up and integrated rather than erased. Of course, we wouldn't be able to integrate them if he couldn't tame them. That's what we need you for. If they couldn't be tamed, then, well... They would have no place in the kingdom." the purple pony answered. Fluttershy had begun to understand that what Amethyst was offering her was less of a job and more of a bribe. If she worked with Gabriel, she could ensure the safety of the animals he captures. If she doesn't they were in potential danger. Fluttershy absolutely hated that she was put on the spot with such an unfair choice, but her thinking was halted by a snipping sound. Amethyst moved her cloak about to see a fresh cut made by a tiny white rabbit holding a pair of scissors. The unicorn sighed. "Another thing to add to the list..." she said before facing Fluttershy again. "You don't have to answer right now, but the King is eager for your response. If you'll excuse me." she said, heading toward the door and back outside. As soon as the door shut, Fluttershy looked out her window to see the mare had already vanished. "Thanks, Angel." Fluttershy said to the small rabbit, who responded with a tiny thumbs-up from his paw. Fluttershy's mind was swimming with the information she had just received. Help Gabriel and keep the animals he captures safe and be caretaker to the royal gardens, or let him do as he pleased with the defenseless creatures. She had begun to entertain the thought that she could possibly rehabilitate the King like she had with Discord, but just decided to think about it later and make some tea to calm her nerves. …... Meanwhile at the Carousal Boutique, the resident fashionista pony Rarity was stitching something somewhat absentmindedly. After getting her sister and parents back, things had gone back to the usual. Her winter line finished weeks ago, she was now just trying to occupy her time. She used magic to adjust her red glasses and tried her best to focus on what she was doing. As she did, the bell on her front door that notified her of a customer rang and she rushed to go greet them. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique and magnifi-fi-fi-fi-" she stuttered at the sight of the violet mare who accompanied the new King, although said King was nowhere to be found. "Good day, Lady Rarity." Amethyst spoke. "Oh! Hello, Miss... Amethyst, was it?" Rarity responded, regaining her composure. "Indeed. I hope you weren't too busy as I've come here with an order." Amethyst replied. "Oh, not at all. Business has been rather slow recently. What did you need?" Rarity wasn't too fond of the other unicorn, but a mix of fear and professionalism kept her from making it known. Amethyst used magic to expand her cloak to reveal an obvious tear in it on the right side. Rarity chuckled slightly. "Is that all? I can have that fixed in a matter of minutes, darling." "I would appreciate that very much. This cloak has... sentimental value." Amethyst said. Rarity waited to be given the cloak to be worked on, but Amethyst didn't move a muscle. "Is everything alright?" Rarity asked. Amethyst looked confused for a moment, prompting Rarity to elaborate. "I need you to remove it before I can work on it." In a rare display of emotion, Amethyst was overcome be a strong blush for a moment before trying to recapture her stoic demeanor, cheeks still slightly pink. "I'm sorry, I... I've traveled with Gabriel for so long, and humans always wear clothes so it kind of rubbed off on me." she explained before using magic to slowly remove the violet and gold garment. When it was off, the first thing Rarity noticed is that Amethyst's flank was blank. Amethyst was still blushing, but didn't seem bothered by her lack of a cutie mark. "I-If you're wondering about my flank, I have no shame in saying I don't have a cutie mark. Gabriel says it makes me more unique, not less." Rarity deduced that Amethyst was around her age and she had never seen a pony lack a cutie mark at that age. She didn't want to draw anymore attention to it, as the now naked Amethyst seemed flustered enough already. "You have traveled with Gabriel for some time, you said?" she asked, beginning the work to repair the cloak. "I did. We've traveled together for a long time." Amethyst explained, relieved that Rarity had finally taken her eyes of her. "How does a nice pony like you end up working for... him?" Rarity asked without thinking, now worried that she may have offended the unicorn. "You aren't the first pony to ask me that." Amethyst replied with a soft laugh. She used a hoof to adjust her metal hairband. "Gabriel saved my life, nine years ago. It cost him his left arm. And I don't work for him, I work with him." Rarity paused her work to absorb that information, however unlikely it sounded. The man threatening to execute ponies in public had gone out of his way to save somepony else? As she finished the repairs on the cloak, she floated it back to the owner. "There we are, darling. Good as new!" she said. Amethyst quickly put it back on and sighed deeply. "Thank you so much, Lady Rarity. It means more than you know." she said, trying her best to produce a genuine smile of appreciation. "Oh, I nearly forgot." she added, reaching into the cloak and pulling out a large sack. "This should suffice as payment." she said, placing the sack on the ground with a large thump. Rarity could tell from the sound of it that it was way too much money for a simple stitching job. She was about to protest but Amethyst stopped her by raising a hoof. "You can keep it." Amethyst said. "There's more where that came from, if you're interested. Gabriel asked me to try and find someone who could help redecorate the castle and manage his armor's upkeep." Rarity absorbed her words carefully. A few more payments like that and she would probably be set for life. Although there was a major thing in the way of her ever even considering it. "After what he did to my family, you can tell him I'm not interested." she replied, clearly disgruntled at the mere thought. Amethyst shrugged. "I suppose that's understandable, though since you've helped me I'll make sure the position is open should you change you mind. I must be off for now, though. Errands and all that." she said as she left the shop. Rarity picked up the sack of bits left by the mysterious mare, finding it heavier than she had anticipated. The first and only thing that came to mind was; where had Amethyst even acquired that much money?