"Will that be all dear?" the mare in charge of the candy cart asked nervously as Pinkie hoofed over a big bag full of bits after basically buying up half of her inventory.
Pinkie pondered for a while before nodding. "Yep I think we are good for now, but don't go too far!" She said half-jokingly before closing the door of her cabin. The cart mare only sighed and started walking away.
Now I understand why we got that weird letter from Princess Celestia asking us to load double the food we usually put on the train. I thought she was joking! She lamented Well, at least my sister did it anyway. Let's hope that mare doesn't ask us for more. She gulped before resuming her work.
Meanwhile, Pinkie started to eat a cookie while Fluttershy kept looking out the window at Canterlot.
"Still sad that you had to leave the royal garden?" Pinkie inquired, snapping the pegasus back to reality.
"Hm? Oh! Y-yes, yes, that's it. I'm gonna miss all those animals, and I had so much fun with them now that they are no longer scared of me," she answered with a shy smile remembering the night with fondness.
"Ah, don't worry, I'm sure Blueblood will let you play with them next time we come to visit," Pinkie responded with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "Besides, they can always come to visit you in the sanctuary if they miss you, right?"
"I suppose so," Fluttershy responded, still feeling pretty down. Pinkie looked at her friend with concern before she got an idea.
"Oh! I know, what do you say if we play true questions to pass the time? That would take your mind off things!" she offered with a smile.
"Well...I suppose I could try. how do we play it?" Fluttershy asked, thinking about the idea.
"Oh it's easy, I ask you two options, and you need to pick one, no thinking about it. Just say your answer without thinking right away, like this: Cookies or muffins?"
"Well, I don't…"
"No thinking!" Pinkie interrupts her. "Ok once again, gummy bears or choco chips?"
"Choco chips," Fluttershy answered right away this time.
"There you go, now you getting it. Ok, here we go, snakes or frogs?"
"Snakes."
"Beach or Mountain?"
"Beach."
"Carrot or Apple?"
"Apple."
"Why couldn't you hug Bluey?"
"Because I kissed him," Fluttershy answered, before thinking as her eyes widened in surprise, followed by Pinkie.
"You kissed him!?"
"Shhhh!" Fluttershy covered her mouth with a huge blush on her face. "Please don't so loud! I-It was an accident I…I at least I think it was," she confessed, not so sure about her answer. "You tricked me," she muttered under her breath.
"But…but what about Discord? Didn't you two, were…?" She asks in complete shock.
"What? A couple?" Fluttershy looked at her in surprise. "No!…well maybe? We were and weren't at the same time, I…think? It was the weirdest experience of my life. Anyway, it's something personal."
"Please, Fluttershy, tell me. What happened? I promise I will not tell anyone. Besides, you'll feel better talking about what's troubling you."
"No, Pinkie."
"Come on, please, please, please! I swear no one will know! Besides, it's never as good to keep things that are troubling you a secret right? Don't you want to share a tiny bit at least?"
Fluttershy kept quiet but listened to what her friend was saying and started to think.
"I know I always feel better after talking about something that is bothering me. You know you can trust me, so, please. Just a tiny bit? Just a bit. It will be our secret!" Pinkie coaxed her to open up a bit more until Fluttershy sighed in defeat and looked down.
"Alright, I suppose you're right, and it will be nice to tell somepony about what happened." She nodded with a smile, and she ultimately decided to trust her friend.
"Yay!"
"But it's a secret, ok Pinkie? You must Pinkie Promise me you will not tell anyone, not even gummy!" Fluttershy warned.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake on my eye," she made the gestures before Fluttershy stopped her from performing the last part, "You don't need to stick it, Pinkie."
"Ok," Pinkie smiled and ate said cupcake . "So, what happened?" She asked with a mouth full of baked goods.
Fluttershy sighed and looked off into the distance. "It wasn't like we didn't think about the idea, I mean, it makes a bit of sense that Discord would develop something for me as I was his only friend at the time, as sad as that might sound. And well..." she blushed a little and played with her mane. "I don't have a lot of stallion friends for me to hang out when I'm not with you, that is, so things happened."
"Oh Fluttershy, you go, girl!" Pinkie encouraged her with a hoof in the air, making her more embarrassed.
"Please don't make it awkward!"
"Ah please, Flutters, you courted a spirit of chaos! How awesome is that?"
"Not very, actually," she said in shame bringing Pinkie's hoof down, confusing her.
"Ah?"
"Do you remember how Discord often makes a copy of himself to talk to, and if he doesn't do chaotic things he vanishes?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, not of all his copies are him, or even male and a relationship with one pony can potentially have the same effect on Discord," she confesses before sighing. "Even in a herd, having a relationship is meant to have a constant in your life, your special some pony or ponies. The name itself is a give away of why he couldn't be with me, 'stable' relationship."
"Oh no," Pinkie feared for what was coming.
"Being unpredictable is what Discord is. If he tried to be a nice colt friend he will start to vanish. If he acted like he normally does, well, our relationship will go nowhere and will spiral endlessly without control. That was always where things were doomed to lead, and worse Discord was fearing that I was slowly losing my mind by trying to make it work…and he was right. Just a couple of weeks trying to find a rhythm to our situation was proving to be stressful mentally and emotionally. As redundant as this might sound, the best description for Discord on a relationship would be 'chaotic', he has both of every type of relationship, known and unknown to pony kind and has not at the same time, using his copies as…y-you can get an idea," she confessed with a blush while looking away.
"Y-Yeah, n-no need to get into details with that one," Pinkie remarked not wanting to hear the details of that either and having a blush of her own. "A-Anyway in the end, what did you decide?"
"It was hard to admit, but ultimately we both decided to end…whatever you would call what we had and stayed friends, and hoped for the best. Discord was even thankful that I helped him experience something new and beautiful, and he promised to be my 'wingman' if I ever needed his help in the future. He even introduced me to copy Fluttershy."
"Copy Fluttershy?"
"As I said, not all his copies are of him; she is funny, and I honestly felt flattered that he wanted to keep me around even if she was and wasn't real, and yes, I know. I try not to think too hard about it either," Fluttershy answered, looking at how confused Pinkie was with a chuckle.
"Ah, that's adorable!" she commented once she recovered, "and it's great, that means that he will not have any problem with you dating Bluey."
"D-Date?! No! I couldn't Pinkie I…I don't know if I'm ready to try again, and is not like I have feelings for him or anything. Nope, we are just ponies that know each other" She stammered out, trying but failing to convince Pinkie, The small hint of red on her cheeks giving her away. "Besides, he is not even the true Blueblood. He has the soul of a human inside of Blueblood's body and is learning about our customs and... oh by Celestia! I have a type..." She said, holding her head in realization.
"I say you should go for it Fluttershy. You two would be a perfect couple!"
"But I…I don't know if I even want to be an alpha either."
"Oh right, because he's also the prince..." Pinkie remembered that detail. "Well, you can figure that out later, and in the meantime, you two can still be friends, right?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that," Fluttershy said with a smile. "Thank you Pinkie, you were right. It certainly helps to talk about this stuff," she thanked her before taking a cookie. "And remember, not a single pony knows about this, ok?"
"Not a single one!" Pinkie swore as the tension left the cabin, and both mares enjoyed the rest of the trip back to Ponyville, "So…what did your mom think when you told her about Discord?" She asked intrigued to learn, which in turn made Fluttershy chuckle.
"Sure, Pinkie, I will tell my compassionate mom about my dating life with the spirit of chaos." She replied sarcastically, "Hi mom, how are you doing? Have you meet my might or not be colt friend yet? He's Discord, the spirit of chaos and lord of misfortune that terrorized Equestria in the past…twice! Do you want to pass out now, or would you like to wait until you're near the couch?" She dramatized
At that time in Canterlot
"Greetings, King Raptor" Princess Celestia stood and gave her guest a formal bow as she saw him enter the meeting room.
"Thank you for receiving me, your highness," an elder griffin with the top half of an eagle and the bottom half of a lion said returning the gesture. A long and white goatee on the bottom of his jaw and some wrinkles on his face indicated the griffin's age. He was wearing a royal cape, and a silver talon held the pieces together with a golden crown on top of his head. "I'm glad to see you in good humor and willing to talk with old friends again, Celly." He replied, dropping the honorific and looking at her with a smirk as he took a seat, making Celestia's cheeks blush a little from the embarrassment.
"Yes, back then it wasn't exactly one of my proudest moments. The things I say, I swear Rapt I didn't mean to offend you in any way I just…"
"Celly please…" Raptor stopped her by lifting one of his claws "…if any race understands your actions it's us, believe me, I know. Compared to what a mother griffin would have said in your horseshoes, your actions were pretty tame." He put the talon down and looked at her with a smile. "So let's just put that behind us and move on."
"Thank you, Rapt."
"Don't mention it. I should be the one thanking you, or rather, thanking your nephew." He responded with a smile, which confused the princess.
"The Black feather gang that your nephew managed to defeat. They are a group of ruffians that have been terrorizing my kingdom for a while now. My best soldiers were on their trail when suddenly they appeared to have vanished without leaving a trace. Who was ever to know that all they did was to move their operations into your territory? They must have been a real pain in the flank to deal with, weren't they?"
"Indeed, and with the martial court putting in place, I was mostly unaware of their activities either until I read the full report. I suppose it is a good thing that my nephew put a stop to them, right?"
"Indeed." They shared a small laugh while a servant arrived and poured some tea for them to enjoy before giving a bow. Raptor took the cup and drank a little before sighing in contemplation. "There is the other reason for my visit, Celly."
"Hm?"
"As much as I enjoy catching up with an old friend, and drop the tedious honorific, I'm afraid I'm also here on business."
"I understand," Celestia replied in disappointment. "What might be the issue, King Raptor?"
"The second issue it a subject that I would postpone as much as possible so, I will start with the easiest of the problems. Of all the gangs your nephew busted, only one of them was of Equestrian in origin. I don't know who tipped them off, but various groups from other nations came to Manehattan to make it their home, so the chances are that very soon other rulers of their nations will arrive to take their respective trouble makers out of your hooves."
"I don't see the problem in doing so," Celestia replied with a raised eyebrow.
"The problem rests in the fact that all of the money your nephew stole from them, a big chunk belongs to our respective nations, and in some cases, there are even national treasures that need to be returned," he explained with a sigh. "Celestia I swear, in honor of our friendship and our alliance the last thing I wish to do is to steal your money, but my talons are tied, and I'm not sure the other rulers will as patient as I when asking for their treasure back."
"I understand Raptor, and I appreciate that you came to me personally to address this issue. Do not worry, though," she responded with a calm smile, "I'm sure this problem is nothing a good session of negotiations and compromises can't fix, after all…" She smirked at him and leaned forward ever so slightly "…feigning ignorance, about the whereabouts of your respective gangs, will take you so far. And you were the only one that sent me a message about the black feather gang BEFORE my nephew put a stop to their activities."
"Heh, clever and sharp as ever, I see you haven't lost your touch yet, Celly." Raptor chuckled with a pleasant smile as they shared another laugh. "I have been in the game the longest, and this isn't the first time dealing with situations like this."
"Yes…but it probably will be the first with the second issue." Raptor continued while turning his head away from her nervously.
"What do you mean?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Say, Tia, I must say this is a pretty good tea, by chance it imported? Tell me where did you get your hooves on it?" He asked, trying to change the subject.
"Raptor!" Celestia did not budge and pressed the issue even more. "We are not children pretending to be rulers, and we are both grown-ups here. Whatever you have to say, I can take it, so please have more faith in me."
He sighed in defeat and looked down. "You are not going to like it."
"All the more reason for me to hear it as soon as possible then."
"If you insist," he closed his eyes and then looked back at her after a moment. "So far, it is but a rumor, but at this point, I would be more than surprised if it stayed that way. With the arrest of all those gangs, It brought the attention of the rulers I mentioned, as well as who would put a stop to them… all the while stirring up the wrath of the gods in their hearts."
Celestia is surprised when hearing that. "Blue blood.
She uttered the name and Rapto nodded in agreement. "Celly in the name of our friendship and as a king, I must ask you, did you have something to with his sudden change of heart?"
"Of course not! I would never do that to my family," she responded, offended by the implication
"Then, what happened?" He asked, completely serious. "Not too many of us, if not every other ruler you encountered in the past, barely knew him. Maybe they didn't even know he existed in the first place. By the gods Celestia, I only met him twice, and on both occasions, all it took was one glance at my soldiers for him to tremble like a leaf and run away like a chicken who just stared down a fox. If you hadn't explained it to me, I honestly would have thought that he was your court jester. I'm sorry to tell you, but the truth is, for me, he was kind of like a poodle, no scratch that, a poodle can be vicious and dangerous. He was more akin to a chihuahua; small, easily frightened and not at all dangerous."
"I…can't really blame you for thinking that way, you aren't too far off," Celestia admitted in shame.
"And that is my point, when he was exiled, I didn't think you would get that mad over someone like him. But I never expected him to go into self-imposed exile as a puppy and then return a couple of months later as a freaking Hell Hound!" he confessed in complete shock. "With four heads in his jaws as a present to boot!"
"Believe me, Raptor, I would have shared in your shock too if I wasn't just happy to have him return to me that day," Celestia agreed with a smile before her expression turned somber. "And to put your mind at ease, there is no dark secret of his behavior. Some time ago, a …event happened to him, an assassination attempt on his life."
Raptor was left speechless as he looked at her with his full attention. "By the gods."
"The worst part…it succeeded, and for a brief moment, my dear nephew was gone until, by some miracle, his soul found its way back to him," she smiled again. "The event shook him to the very core and served as a wake-up call to change his ways. He decided never to be weak again and became a better version of himself, as well as pay for all his previous sins. In a way, you could say that he was born again, and this time he intended to be a stallion that deserved his title."
"So that's what happened..." Raptor nodded a couple of times. "I've heard stories of my soldiers going through something similar, and making them reflect on their lives, but none of them ever actually went to the other side and returned," he stood up and walked to a nearby window where he is surprised to see Blueblood practicing his paired swords on a wooden dummy. "One could only tremble in fear, just imagining what horrors he saw that made him became the pony he is today."
"I hope this helps clear things up and calms the other rulers who had the same question as you did, Raptor," Celestia finished, approaching the griffin as he nods.
"Half of the question at the very least," he then chuckled and shook his head. "A Hell Hound, I suppose I wasn't all that far off in describing him like that either."
"Yes, I suppose you weren't," Celestia shared in his laughter. "And I think I know what the other half of the question is then," she said solemnly.
"I'm sorry, my friend, but you know how the game is played. It always boils down to power, and opportunities for a stronger alliance," he sighed tiredly "With his new capabilities, an arranged marriage proposal will be unavoidable."
"I understand," she nods once. "And you are right, it would have happened sooner or later, so it will be wise to be prepared for them. Thanks for warning me, Rapt."
"Anytime Celly…and you know, my grand-daughter is close to his age, and she is a very prominent fighter with a sharp mind and beauty worthy of serious of suitors, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if she and your nephew…"
"Not going to happen." Celestia stopped him in his tracks with a calm smile.
"Eh, can't blame an old bird from trying," he shrugged with a chuckle. "Still, be on alert Celly, maybe I was the first, but I surely will not be the last, and chances are that the other rulers will not take rejection as gracefully as I do."
"They are free to try, Raptor," Celestia responded, "And I will happily teach them that no means no," she finished, maintaining her calm.
"Oh those poor souls, they don't know what are they messing with, do they?" Raptor shook his head with a final chuckle.
“No, they really don’t” Celestia answer with a chuckle of her own.