Sensation returned to him, slowly at first, but it was soon followed by a rush that hit him like a freight train.
He hissed through his teeth as the pulsing pain grew, before it faded away an instant later.
Dazed sapphire eyes cracked open, focusing-yet-not on the blurry white ceiling above. They wavered for a moment, before flickering to the sides, finding equally white walls surrounding them.
Emerald growled, and forced himself into a sitting position, his body feeling oddly restricted at the moment. He sighed once he managed, and glanced around again, now that his eyes had time to adjust.
His first assumption had proven correct. White ceiling, white walls; Definitely a hospital. Oddly enough, instead of having more than one bed, it seemed that he was the only patient in the room. He scanned the room ahead of him, before his eyes locked onto the door, which, while only a few shades darker than the walls, managed to stand out thanks to the symbol carved upon its surface.
The Royal Crest, a shimmering sun and moon, stared back at him.
He was in Canterlot then, and, judging by the fact he was the only patient in the room, he was in the Royal Branch of the Canterlot Medical Institution, stationed in the castle itself.
He frowned, and glanced down at himself, finding that he had, customary to most of his visits to any medical facility, been almost entirely wrapped in bandages, which explained the strange, restricted feeling. Although, considering the nature of his injuries, he was a tad surprised he was wrapped in bandages and not casts. He'd had plenty of broken bones, hadn't he? So where were the casts?
He shook his head, and tossed the thought aside.
He'd had a hole in his chest as well, after all, and that certainly wasn't there anymore. A few broken bones were... less important, in comparison.
He glanced around once more, only this time, two things caught his attention.
Firstly, the gold, motherfucking crown on his bedside desk, which was to his left.
Why the fuck is this here?! Shouldn't it be with the other fucking Elements in that fucking case in the fucking vault?!
He stared at the damned headpiece for a moment, his anger swelling, before it abruptly left him. He couldn't actually get angry at the thing. It had, after all, allowed him to help the girls defeat Discord. It had let him... do something for them, rather than just... be there.
Actually, it might've done more than that. It was likely the Element's doing that helped him snap the others out of it, and not him just talking to them. It would make a lot more sense than some minor therapy snapping them out of their magically induced states. If it was even therapy.
He glanced at the crown once again, before reaching out and picking it up.
For moment, he did nothing. He waited for a few seconds, partly expecting something to happen now that he was in contact with the artifact. But, apart from a strange, hollow feeling-possibly his stomach-nothing felt different. With that in mind, he brought it close, and examined it.
It was... definitely a little gaudy. Not something he'd ever actually wear to an event. Made out of, seemingly solid, gold, encrusted with six multicoloured gems, and a single, well technically a pair, of stylized gems in the shape of his own cutie mark? That just screamed 'haughty' to him. Or maybe he was wrong. He never was good at eyeing jewelry more complicated than bracelets and rings.
Still, it looked more similar to what Blueblood would wear than anything he'd be caught with.
Well, gaudy or not, it was still a powerful magical artifact. One that chose him, of all creatures, no less. He sighed, and tossed it back onto the desk.
Having gotten a sense of where he was, he finally turned his attention to the second thing he noticed. His guest.
Sitting in a chair to his immediate right, was one Twilight Sparkle, whose head rested on her hooves, where she'd fallen asleep leaning over his bed.
He stared at her sleeping form for a moment, watching the way her body fell and rose with each breath, the way her ears twitched in her sleep, and even the way her nose whistled slightly as she slept.
A frown twisted onto her face for a moment, before it fell, replaced by a gentle smile.
Gently, he reached over and began to shake her awake.
"Hey... C'mon Sparky, it's time to wake up."
She twitched slightly, and her eyes slowly crept open. She yawned as she sat straight up, her hooves stretching into the air. She shook for a moment, before relaxing and her hooves fell back to her sides. She blinked blearily for a moment, before her gaze suddenly sharpened and locked onto him. They stared for a moment, before her eyes started to water. He smiled softly,
"Hey, Spar-ahg!"
He was rather abruptly cut off when Sparky lunged at him, wrapping her hooves around him frantically, as if afraid he'd disappear if she let go.
"You're okay!" she cried, "You're okay, you're okay, you're okay...!"
His smirk fell as Sparky's words became muffled due to her burying her face into his chest. He gently wrapped his hooves around the mare, stiffening only slightly when he felt his chest grow wet with tears.
"Yeah, Sparky. I'm okay."
-----
It had taken nearly fifteen minutes for him to calm Sparky down, and by then they'd been surrounded by the others, who had flooded into the room sometime during her little breakdown.
Fluttershy sported a much happier smile than she normally did, though it still seemed a bit worried. Rainbow looked oddly conflicted, but still had a smile on her face. Applejack bore a strange mix of sad and happy expressions on her face, while Rarity seemed more interested in his and Sparky's current embrace than his physical condition. Pinkie, of course, was smiling one of the brightest smiles he'd seen from her yet. Honestly, if the room was even slightly better lit, he was sure the thing would've been quite blinding.
"Well, isn't this cute?" Rarity asked suddenly, breaking the silence rather spectacularly. Sparky, whose head had remained buried in his chest and therefore hadn't seen her friends enter, yelped and all but threw herself away from Emerald.
"O-oh! H-hey girls! Wh-when did you get here?!" Sparky asked, red as a beet. Emerald, however, didn't pay much attention to the rest of the conversation, his thoughts having derailed slightly when Sparky had pushed away.
That feeling. That warmth he'd come to associate with her touch... wasn't there.
No... it was there, but it felt... diminished. Weaker. As if it was fading, almost.
He pushed the thought aside. It was probably related to him having just woke up.
"So?" Emerald asked, cutting into their conversation, "What happened when I passed out?" The girls all glanced at each other, before Sparky began to explain,
"Well, a few minutes after we defeated Discord, the moon started lowering," she said, pointing outside where the sun was high in the sky, alone, "The princesses showed up not long after."
"Yeah, you shoulda seen them!" Rainbow suddenly cut in, looking awed, "They were covered in some pretty nasty wounds!"
"They were awful!" Fluttershy agreed,
"Ghastly indeed," Rarity added.
"Right," Sparky continued, unfazed by the interruption, "After they showed up, they had some guards come down and bring all of us, and Discord's statue, back up here to Canterlot, where we were all checked in. That was three days ago." Emerald blinked,
"... Are you saying that I've been unconscious for three days straight?!" he snapped,
"That's right, darling," Rarity said calmly, "The Elements might have healed some of your injuries, but we know first-hoof how exhausting using the Elements can be-" the others nodded along with her, "-and combined with the injuries you received, healed or not, well, it's no wonder you took so long to recover!"
"Rarity's right," Applejack said, "Ya took a real beatin' when ya fought Discord. Not ta mention the, uh..." she trailed off, her eyes locking onto his chest for a moment, before she looked away,
"The spear to my chest," Emerald supplied, deadpan, causing the girls to flinch.
"Uh... yeah, that."
The door behind them opened once more, and a nurse quickly poked her head in,
"Oh! You're awake!" she gasped, sounding perhaps a little too surprised for Emerald's liking, "I'll go get the princesses immediately!" and with that, her head disappeared and the door shut once more.
The room was silent for a moment, and just before they went back to talking, the door burst open once more, only a familiar red and white stallion came marching into the room.
"There you-ack!" Thorax's ear was pulled back by a familiar pink magical glow, just as Trixie came trotting up to him,
"What are you doing?!" she hissed quietly, her eyes darting over to him, "He's still-oh, you're awake!" she glanced at Thorax, before letting him go, "Nevermind then."
Thorax growled at Trixie, rubbing his ear furiously,
"Dammit, you crazy little-" he was, unfortunately, cut off once more when a small blue filly darted past him,
"Big Brother!" the little blur cheered, jumping onto the bed, earning an amused 'Oof' from the older stallion.
"Hey, Wisp," Emerald greeted, gently wrapping the little filly into a hug, "you alright?" he asked, peering down into the watery orange eyes of his little sister.
"I was terrified!" she admitted immediately, surprising Emerald a tad, "We were just having a nice field trip and then everything started acting all weird!" she cried, rubbing her face against his chest, knocking her glasses askew, "A-and then we all got separated from M-Miss Cheerilee. I even got chased by a weird talking cactus that wouldn't leave me alone!" she whined, tears trailing down her face. Emerald sighed fondly, and, after searching for a bit, snatched a few tissues from the nearby tissue box, and held them against her nose,
"Blow."
Emerald made a face as Wisp blew her nose, but didn't let it bother him, even as he threw away the now snotty tissue.
"It's okay, Wisp, everything's over now. I'm back, aren't I?"
"Mhmm... I missed you, Big Brother..." Wisp muttered, her voice muffled slightly. Emerald gently ran his hoof through her silvery mane,
"I missed you too, Little Sister."
""""Awwww...."""" was Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, and Sparky's responses,
"Alright, alright, you can stop it now," was Thorax's, "Seriously, you're beginning to choke me with all the emotions you're putting out," he added, ignoring the glares he received, though Rarity's gaze was filled with something else as well, before he turned to Emerald, "Also, the heck is up with you two?" he asked, pointing at him and Sparky,
"Oh, shut up you little leech," Trixie said, walking off, dragging Thorax by the ear once more,
"Agh-fuck! Let go of my ear you devil bitch! You're so lucky we're family or I'd-!"
Whatever Thorax was going to say was cut off as the door shut once more.
Wisp giggled slightly, wiping away her tears as she stared at the door.
"Never a dull moment, eh?" Emerald asked himself. Sparky sighed,
"I wish," she said, "I could do with some peace and quiet after all of this."
"Oh absolutely!" Rarity interjected brightly, "Goodness! All this excitement is going to give me wrinkles, I tell you! My, I'll have to book an extra long session at the Spa once we're back in Ponyville!" she said, "Oh, you'll come along, won't you Fluttershy?" she asked, turning to the mare. Fluttershy started slightly, surprised at being addressed so suddenly, but eventually nodded,
"That sounds lovely, Rarity," she agreed softly. The unicorn mare nodded, and turned to the others,
"Well? How about it, everyone? A nice, long, relaxing trip to the Spa after all this? Hmm?"
"Hmm... I suppose I could do with a spell in the steam room," Applejack admitted.
"It does sound nice..." Sparky trailed off, staring at him.
"I'm not entirely certain I'll have a choice in the matter," Emerald admitted, "If the twins hear about this they'll probably tie me up and drag me there if I try to avoid it after today."
The girls, including Wisp, laughed at that, but they were cut off when the door, once again, burst open. Only this time Gustave poked his head in, looking around nervously.
"Gus-?"
"That bloody nurse isn't here, is she?" he asked suddenly,
"No," Emerald replied automatically, hearing how serious he sounded and believing it to be important. Gustave nodded,
"Good," he said, disappearing for a moment, before he returned, this time lugging a cart into the room, where a single, covered dish sat, before it was hastily placed onto his lap, Gustave being careful to avoid Wisp, and the cover was torn off, revealing a plate of immaculately prepared alfredo, "That damned nurse of yours refused to let me in to serve you. Ha! As if I'd let any member of my family eat the disgusting slop they call food here!" Gustave added, "My food is a hundred times tastier than anything they could even dream of preparing, and is just as healthy!" he boasted.
Emerald smirked, and chuckled at Gustave's attitude. He had always been like this, even back in the Facility.
"Thanks Gustave," Emerald said, gently scooping some of the noodles onto his fork, and into his mouth. As expected, the noodles practically exploded with flavour. The sauce was rich and creamy, and the noodles perfectly cooked, with naught even a single mistake to be found.
All in all, way better than anything he could ever hope to cook.
"Delicious as always," he added once he swallowed, smiling a bit more genuinely.
"Wow! That looks nice!" Wisp said, smiling up at Gustave, "Could you teach me how to cook one day, Big Bro Gus?" she asked. Gustave laughed, and gently ruffled her mane,
"I'd love to, Whisper! You might even make a great sous chef!" he said, "I suppose Apple Berry is going to have some competition, then," he added, more to himself than anyone else. He suddenly clapped his talons together, "Well! As nice as it was to see your recovery, I'm afraid I need to head back to the kitchen to prepare for tomorrow!"
Emerald blinked, and quickly swallowed his latest bite,
"What's happening tomorrow?" he asked. Gustave froze in place, and turned back to look at him. His eyes searched his for a moment, before they narrowed as the griffon turned to the girls,
"You haven't told him yet?" he asked rather accusingly. Sparky looked away,
"I-I was... distracted..." she admitted,
"What the hay are you talking about?!" Rainbow added, "He just got up! Were you expecting us to just hit him with that right away?!"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
Emerald's eyes danced between the seven for a moment, before he shared a confused glance with Wisp, who seemed just as out of the loop as he was.
Despite this, he just let them keep at it, and continued eating his alfredo.
"Considering he won't have long to prepare himself, it would be best if he knew about it as soon as possible!"
"But he needs to rest first! We couldn't possibly have just sprung that on him the moment he woke up!" Rarity said, "He needed a little time to relax!"
Gustave sighed, aggravated,
"Whatever," he said, and turned back to Emerald, "Listen, Em, there's going to be a celebration tomorrow for Discord's defeat, and the awakening of a new Element-" his eyes darted over to the artifact in question for a moment, before returning to him, "-and all of you are expected to be out on that stage once everything starts. The Princesses wanted to hold it off until you were up, but they didn't have much choice. Since you're awake now, they'll definitely want you attending. Lucky you," he added, sarcastically.
Emerald nodded,
"Got it," he said, before throwing a slightly narrowed glare at the mares, "that is the kind of information I'd like as soon as possible," he said, and nodded, "Thanks for telling me."
"No problem at all," Gustave said, "good luck." And with that, he left, though not without taking the cart and Emerald's empty plate with him.
"I gotta go too," Wisp said, "Big Sis Luna wanted my help with something!" she said cheerfully. Emerald smiled and, with another quick hug, bid her goodbye.
And with that, the seven of them were alone once more.
"How long until someone else barges in?" Emerald asked idly, glancing at the six mares. Pinkie 'Hmm'd, tapping a hoof against her chin,
"Weeeeelllll... I'd give it-!"
*WHAM*
"-that long!"
Emerald sighed at the sight of a sheepish looking Mother and a rather neutral looking Luna, and sighed a second time when the poor, abused door finally breathed its last, and fell to the floor, its hinges having broken at this final intrusion.
"Hmm... we need stronger doors, Tia," Luna noted without a hint of shame, not even glancing at it,
"Or, perhaps, you could open them gently, Lulu?" Mother implored.
"No, I am certain it's the door's fault," Luna retorted seriously, though it cracked slightly when her lips twitched upward. Mother only sighed, and turned to Emerald,
"It's good to see you're awake, Emerald," she said, gently striding into the room, Luna right behind, "I admit, I was beginning to worry when you didn't wake up yesterday," she added, her eyes darting over his bandaged form rapidly.
"Indeed. Were it not for her own wounds-" Luna grimaced guiltily at that, "-I doubt my sister would have left your side," Luna interjected, smirking at the way Mother stiffened, "'Beginning to worry' simply doesn't cover it."
"Right... as I was saying," Mother unsuccessfully diverted the subject, "How are you feeling?" Emerald shrugged,
"Fine. I don't feel any pain and, aside from some stiffness, it's as though I wasn't even injured in the first place." Mother nodded,
"I see. The doctor said as much while you were unconscious. I admit, I'm honestly surprised that the Elements healed your wounds," she said, glancing at the crown, "I wasn't even aware they could do that."
"Well," Sparky suddenly interjected, going into 'lecture mode', "the Elements did regrow Rarity's tail when we used them against Nightmare Moon-" Luna flinched slightly at the name, "-so that suggests that they're capable of cellular regeneration, at the very least. Healing some wounds isn't all that surprising," she said, before her eyes darted over to his chest, "... although, I'm not sure how they managed to... you know... bringhimback," she said hastily, as if the words refused to come out properly.
"I am confused as well," Luna said, and shook her head, "but it doesn't truly matter. The Elements are magical artifacts capable of reversing everything that Discord did. In the end, it only makes sense that they would reverse the death he caused," she said, and locked eyes with Emerald, "That is, of course, assuming Emerald was truly dead in the first place."
"Luna is right," Mother said, "the Elements have always been inexplicable, and there hasn't been any reason for that to change. All that matters is that Emerald managed to awaken the Seventh Element of Harmony, and that he's alive and healthy because of it," her face twisted for a moment, "... what is it the Element of, by the way?" she asked.
Emerald fidgeted,
"...ce"
"What?" Mother asked, raising an eyebrow at his quiet answer.
"...fice"
"Do speak up, Emerald," Luna said, before holding a hoof to her chest, "Perhaps the Element you represent is embarrassing, but understand that none here will judge you," she spared a glance at the other six, "Isn't that right?"
"Of course!" Sparky said, her eyes narrowed seriously, "You're our friend, Emerald! We'd never make fun of you for something like this! Right girls?"
""""Right!""""
"Eh, maybe."
"Rainbow Dash!"
"Okay, okay! Jeez..."
Emerald sighed once more.
"The Element of Sacrifice," he said, sending a distasteful glare at the crown, "I'm the Bearer of the Element of Sacrifice. Happy?"
"Sacrifice...?" Mother murmured, holding her chin with a hoof, "I see..." she said, dropping it back to the ground as she looked up at him, a small smile on her face, "Yes... I can certainly understand why you would represent that."
"I agree," Luna said, surprising him, "you always were rather selfless in that regard. Sacrificing your time, energy, and all manner of things for others. I suppose the ultimate sacrifice, that of your life, would be the... 'final nail in the coffin', I believe is the term."
"... Luna, I'm not sure that particular phrase is appropriate right now," Mother gently admonished. Luna just looked at Mother in confusion, and went to say something, before it died in her throat,
"Ah... I see. My apologies, I didn't mean to..." she trailed off, before sighing, "I don't think my extra lessons are paying off as much as I thought they were..."
Emerald shook his head,
"It's fine. But what was this I heard about a celebration?" he asked. Mother nodded,
"Ah, that. Well, it's simply that. A celebration for the defeat of a great foe, as well as the arrival of a new Element of Harmony," she said, tilted her head, and added, almost as an afterthought, "it will also be the long awaited reveal of the Champion's identity."
""What?!""
Emerald blinked. Only one of those had been him.
His eyes darted over to Sparky, who looked strangely... afraid?
"Th-the Champion? They're-they're here?!" she asked, her voice quivering. Mother stared at Sparky for a moment, glanced at him, then looked back at her,
"... Yes, Twilight. The Champion is currently in the building. Is... there something troubling you?"
"N-no!" Sparky practically shouted, before her ears flattened against her head, and she looked appalled, "Er-I-I mean, no, of course there isn't a problem!" she said, plastering a false smile onto her face, "J-just, um... c-can I not be around when they are?" she asked quietly.
Mother blinked, and shared a look with Luna.
"... Are you frightened of the idea of meeting with the Champion, Twilight Sparkle?" Luna asked, "I admit, he is not the... easiest individual to be around, sometimes, but he is a good one."
Bitch.
"... Uh... what are you talking about?" Rainbow suddenly asked, looking confused, "Is this... Champion thing important, 'cuz I thought..." she trailed off, looking at Emerald.
"The Champion is the Title given to Equestria's most skilled and capable fighter," Mother explained, "It comes with many responsibilities and just as many privileges. The Champion is the second highest authority in Equestria, topped only by my sister and myself. It is the Champion's duty to fend off the greatest of Equestria's foes when able, and to protect its citizens with their life... There's more to it, but that is essentially what being the Champion boils down to," she kept her gaze on Sparky the whole time she spoke, watching as the suddenly timid mare flinched a few times, "... Twilight, does the idea of meeting the Champion truly scare you?"
Sparky shook for a moment, before sighing,
"... Yes," she admitted sheepishly, "It's just... Shining Armor told me about the Title system and all the different kinds of guards. It's just... after hearing all that and discovering that there's someone genuinely considering the best in all of those fields?" she said, looking away, embarrassed, "It's... intimidating, the thought that there's someone actually capable of that. I can't help but imagine just... a mountain of a pony, strong enough to turn boulders to dust, or something like that."
"Well..." Mother began, "You're not wrong. He is quite strong," she added, before her gaze fell onto him once more, "but he is the kind of individual who wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice himself for the sake of another. He's the kind of individual who would fight an impossible battle, so long as it meant helping someone. He is, in the end, a stubborn, big-hearted stallion with far too little pride in himself, and, perhaps, too few visits to the therapist, wouldn't you agree, Emerald?"
Emerald twitched slightly,
"... I can't really argue with you on this, can I? Not with that thing right there, at least," he remarked, glaring at the crown. Sparky, however, just stared at their exchange for a moment, before her eyes widened, and she pointed a shaky hoof at him,
"Y-you're the Champion?!" she asked, her voice rising in pitch. Emerald smirked lamely, and waved his hooves a little,
"Surprise?"
"The Champion?" Rarity asked, her eyes beginning to sparkle, "The second highest..." she suddenly gasped, "Oh my! I designed clothing for one of the most important ponies-sorry thestrals-" she amended immediately, "-in all of Equestria, and I didn't even know it?!"
"That explains why the buffalo agreed with you..." Rainbow muttered, before sighing, "Oh shit... I've been a real asshole to someone who's basically freakin' royalty..."
"Don't even get fucking started, the lot of you," Emerald snapped, "You don't treat Sparky any different because she's the Princess' prized student, so don't you fucking dare treat me any different either!"
"B-but you're the Champion!" Sparky suddenly protested, "You just said you were a regular guard!" her eyes widened, "Wh-why are you living in a small town like Ponyville?! I-is there some sort of monster roaming in the Everfree?! Or-or some sort of rogue magic users?! Or-?!"
"I'm there for you, Sparky!" Emerald snapped, feeling a cold pit form in his stomach, but he couldn't stop himself, not now, "I'm in Ponyville because the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony are in Ponyville!" he said, licking his suddenly dry lips, and steadfastly turning away, "Th-that's why I'm in Ponyville. It's not for the Everfree... it's not for the town. It's for you six," he said, "... That's why I got work at Sugarcube Corner. That's why I tried befriending you lot... I had to get close to you to keep you all safe."
Emerald's hoof clenched itself, even as he forcibly kept himself from shaking.
Dammit... they know. Theyknowtheyknowtheyknow!
He swallowed heavily, and turned back to them, locking eyes with each one of them, except, of course, Sparky.
"You... wait, you lied to us?!" Rainbow asked, her voice scratchier than usual, "You were just... pretending to be our friend?!"
Emerald didn't speak, both because his throat felt choked up, and because he didn't trust himself.
"No," Sparky suddenly said, her voice cutting the silence like a knife, "I don't believe you."
Emerald was stunned for a moment, before he shook his head free,
"Wh-what do you mean you don't believe me?" he asked, "I was ordered to-!" Sparky shook her head, and cut him off,
"Is that why you helped the Apples keep their farm?" she asked. Emerald sputtered for a moment, before he shook his head,
"Well, no. They were going to lose their farm, and I couldn't just-"
"Is that why you helped me during the Running of the Leaves?"
"N-no. You were obviously having issues with how they treated you, so I wanted to-"
"How about when you helped me with my Gala tickets?"
"Well, you were obviously very stressed, and your friends weren't-"
"How about when you helped Rarity by making us see that our dress designs were awful?"
"Why would I just stand around when-"
"How about when you fought the hydra to give me, Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy time to escape?"
"You were in danger-"
"The cockatrice?
"I-I just wanted-"
"Or how about when you gave your life to save mine?"
Emerald swallowed thickly and looked away, feeling the way his heart beat painfully within his chest.
"... No," he finally said, his voice choking slightly, "I-I just wanted you... all of you to be safe... I didn't... I-I..." he swallowed once more, and shook his head, valiantly fighting away the tears-that didn't exist, dammit!-before looking back up at them, ignoring their wide-eyed gazes, "I-I c-can't just... just stand by! I-I wanted to help! I just-just wanted to-to-!"
He broke down.
His words ceased to be words, instead coming out as nothing more than incomprehensible gibberish. He tried, and tried to speak, but all that came out were these pathetic, wordless sobs.
He continued to sob, even as he felt a pair of warm, familiar hooves wrap around him. The fading warmth returned once more, but... it felt more complete this time.
"You're our friend, Emerald," Sparky said, her breath tickling his ear, "Even if it started out differently, you're important to us now," she whispered, "I-I don't know... I-I honestly can't imagine life without you, s-so..." the hug became tighter, and he found himself actively returning the damn thing, "please don't go..."
And so, he continued to cry, embraced by one Twilight Sparkle. Perhaps his closest friend in the world.
After that embarrassing display was over with, which had taken nearly ten minutes, Emerald was finally out of the bed and bandages, and was now actively pretending he didn't just break down sobbing.
He didn't sob, dammit!
Mother then took the opportunity to tell them about the celebration.
"After a large breach of security like this, it's best to show Equestria that we're still strong. The fact that the threat was dealt with within the same day will only help bolster the public's sense of safety," she said, "Introducing the Champion, who has remained secret for quite some time now-" she added cheekily, "-will surely help ease any lingering doubts about the nation's security. Besides, it's high time your Championship was announced."
Emerald twitched, and crossed his legs,
"Fine. But I won't pretend I'll like it." Mother nodded,
"I'll keep that in mind while we install your statue in the Statue Garden, the day after tomorrow."
"You're getting a statue?!" Rainbow Dash asked, staring at him with a slack jaw, "That's awesome!"
"Maybe to you," Emerald muttered, "now I'll have a bunch of ponies I've never met... know me," he said, and shuddered at the thought. Mother giggled at his reaction, and continued her explanation,
"Well, the celebration will consist of a small parade, a minor air show, a musical performance, followed by a speech prepared by myself and Luna, in which the seven of you will appear. Now, I hate to burden you all with anything, especially after such trying events," she said, her eyes flickering over each of them, though they lingered on both him and Sparky noticeably longer, "But, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you all for your assistance in preparing the festivities."
"Do you not trust the other guards to do a good enough job, or something?" Emerald asked snarkily, smirking rather pettily at Mother's grimace.
"Frankly, no. I intend on speaking with the Guard Captains about increasing their training."
His smirk fell.
The seven of them all shared a glance, before turning back to Mother, where Sparky spoke up,
"What do you need, Princess?"
Emerald blinked, slightly surprised by the question. Well, not the question, but more that Sparky hadn't immediately agreed to help out. Mother, however, didn't seem as surprised,
"I'm afraid I'll have to ask that Applejack assist with building the floats," the mare puffed up slightly at the mention, "that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy work with the Wonderbolts for the airshow," Rainbow practically began vibrating with glee, while Fluttershy just sat there, looking surprised, "I'll need Rarity to design outfits for the performers. Pinkie, I'd like if you helped with preparing the food, and, Twilight, I'll need your help scheduling everything properly."
Emerald blinked,
"And... me?"
"You will be resting," Mother stated, rather firmly, "In fact," she added, looking strangely smug, "I've contacted a special group to ensure that you relax, and avoid anything stressful, who will be accompanying you all day."
Emerald blanched.
"What?" he asked, "You're assigning me... a foalsitter?!"
"A group of foalsitters," Mother corrected idly, smirking, "a group I'm certain you'll like, as well."
While Emerald was busy processing that, Sparky spoke up,
"Um... is this really necessary, Princess Celestia?" she asked, drawing the shocked attention of everyone but Emerald and Mother, "It's just..." her eyes flickered over to Emerald, "a-are you sure we should be s-separated so quickly?" Mother stared at her for a moment, before her features softened considerably,
"You're worried about him, Twilight. I understand that," Mother said, ignoring Sparky's embarrassed sputter, "that is precisely why I've contacted the group in question to look after him for today. There's no other group of individuals I'd trust more with his well-being than them," she said, seriously, "Not even the six of you," she added, further cementing that fact.
The door behind Mother opened suddenly, and a white coated unicorn with an inky black mane done up in curls poked her head in.
"Your Highness?" she called, peering at them over her oval glasses, "Prince Blueblood-" Rarity growled at the name, but it went ignored, "-is requesting an audience in the throne room about his... float for tomorrow's parade," the mare spoke, looking disgruntled. Mother sighed,
"Of course. Thank you for letting me know, Print," she said, nodding at the mare, who disappeared behind the door. Mother turned back to them, "I'm afraid I have something I must attend to," she said, standing up, "I'll see you all soon," she added, regally turning and exiting the room.
"Well," Luna spoke up for the first time in a while, standing as well, "I'll head out with her. Knowing our nephew, my sister will need someone willing to throw the fool out of the room, before the guards take it upon themselves. Again."
Once Luna was out the door, the mare, Print, walked back in.
"Hello everypony, my name is Fine Print," she said formally, her bright green magic adjusting her glasses while her equally green eyes scanned the clipboard she held in front of her, "I'm here to help organize the celebration for tomorrow," she added, giving them all a quick smile, "I'm also here to tell you who's currently in charge of each operation, and where you'll find them," she added, "Now, Miss Applejack, you'll have to report to-" she grimaced, "-Mr. Steeled Hoof down in the forge. He needs help moving all the metal and wood out near the training grounds, before beginning assembly," she paused for a moment, then added, "I apologize for his attitude in advance. Miss Pinkie," she continued without missing a beat, "Chef Gustave is down in the kitchen, and should be expecting you. Miss Rarity, Miss Shores is waiting in the auditorium. Misses Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, the Wonderbolts are over in Canterlot Theater. If any of you need help finding these places, any of the guards will be happy to have the excuse to take a small break and show you around," she finished with a brilliant smile.
The seven of them just stared at her for a moment, before Emerald turned to Applejack, and broke the silence.
"You poor fuck."
-----
After Print left, the girls talked for a minute, with Applejack in particular asking Emerald about Steeled, the answers she received not at all easing her worries, before most of them had left, some more worried than the others.
That left him and Sparky alone in the room, much to his confusion.
"Don't you have a schedule to organize, Sparky?" he asked. She nodded,
"Well, yes, but I can do that pretty much anywhere!" she said brightly, not-so-subtly inching closer to him. He was about to respond, when the door opened once more,
"Oh, I completely forgot!" Fine Print said, looking embarrassed, "Miss Twilight, I'll need you to come with me for our rounds around the castle!"
Sparky just blinked at the mare,
"U-uh... b-but I was going to..." she trailed off, pointing slightly at Emerald. Print just shook her head,
"I'm sorry if I ruined whatever plans you had with your coltfriend, but we really must be going!" she said, her horn lighting up as she began, gently, dragging Sparky away.
Emerald watched, slightly amused, as Sparky stared at him, a pleading look in her eyes, before the door closed, cutting them off. Emerald didn't even have time to sigh before the door was, once more, slammed open.
Honestly, at this rate, it's going to break a second time...
"Finally!" Thorax said, walking into the room, "I've been waiting for almost an hour now! C'mon!" he added angrily, turning right back around. Emerald frowned,
"Can't," he said, "Evidently, I've got a group of foalsitters today, and-"
"Yeah, I know," Thorax cut him off, looking at him as though he was an idiot, "we are your foalsitters."
"'We'?" Emerald asked, brow raising, "Who, exactly, is 'we'?"
"Aside from Gustave, Spitfire, and Sapphire? Everyone."
"E-every...?"
"Yeah, everyone."
"Y-you mean...?"
Thorax chuckled, and glanced at him,
"What? Did you think that princess of yours would trust you to anyone else?" he asked. Emerald stared at him for a moment, before chuckling, and began to followed after him,
"You know, I don't know what I was thinking," he said, paused, then asked, "Is that why you barged in earlier? To take me to everyone?"
"Yeah. Felt your Emotions stir up again and went to grab you, but Trixie is a fuckin' bitch and didn't believe me," he said, pouting slightly. They passed through a few halls in relative silence, until they reached the main doors.
"Thorax," Emerald said suddenly, "what did you mean earlier when you said 'the heck is up with you two?'?"
"Eh?" Thorax turned to him, pausing as he opened the door, "Oh, I just noticed the Affection between you two practically vanished," he said casually, stunning Emerald, "I mean, it's still there an-" he paused, "judging by the look on your face, and the Shock I'm getting from you, you don't know why," he concluded, narrowing his eyes at Emerald, "... That would explain why I'm not getting any Anger, Guilt, or anything that'd hint at a fight between you two," he said, and frowned, "That's... odd. I don't think I've ever heard of something like this happening before," he said, before his voice dropped, "Well, I suppose it's possible you both just fell out of Love... but so suddenly, and at the same time...?"
Emerald's mind began to whirl.
A drop in his affection for Sparky? Was that... was that why that warmth from before was weaker?
Wait... he said they both had dropped levels in their affection. Did that mean... Sparky f-felt the same?
No... no it's gone now, evidently. But... why? Nothing had happened between him and Sparky recently. In fact, he thought, if anything, they'd been getting closer than ever these past few months.
So... what changed?
Before he could continue his thoughts, Thorax spoke up,
"Alright, we've wasted enough time standing around. Let's head out. The others are waiting."
The mention of the 'others' broke his concentration, and Emerald found his attention almost unwillingly latch onto it.
Applejack wasn't sure how she was going to deal with this Steeled Hoof guy.
On one hoof, Emerald had flat out told her that he wasn't the easiest stallion to get along with. Even mentioned how Steeled tended to be pretty aggressive and seemed to have a few screws loose and made more than a few racist comments to him over the years.
Applejack stared down the long stairway that the friendly guard she'd asked had led her to. Apparently it led down into the forge where she'd find Steeled.
Applejack sighed. If anyone was able to get on the nerves of somebody like Emerald, then she had a feeling she'd be in for a rough time the rest of the day.
Finally working up the nerve, she headed down, feeling only slightly unnerved when it got loads darker. The only light down here were the torches lining the walls.
Eventually, Applejack came to a massive metal door. She stared at it for a moment, unsure, before she shrugged to herself, and knocked. She flinched back at how at how loud it was, but she didn't get much time to think on it, since the door swung right open.
"Who the fuck is interruptin' me?!" an older stallion bellowed, leaning out the door with a sneer on his face.
He was a lot older than her, but still plenty younger than Granny Smith. He didn't have a hair on his gray head, and his copper eyes glared right into her skull.
"Uhh..." she began intelligently, before shaking it off, "Howdy, uh, sir. I'm-" she tried to explain, only for the stallion, who Applejack assumed was Steeled, to cut her off.
"Got lost!" he spat, "I ain't got time for some lost filly! I'm waiting for the stupid colt the princess assigned me to carry shit!" he sneered, almost slamming the door, but stopped and glared at her again, "You see him, tell him to get his lazy ass down here! Name's supposed to be Applesmack or something stupid."
Applejack's eye twitched at the way he butchered her name, and stopped the door from slamming with a hoof. Steeled glowered at her, and tried closing the door, but after years of hard labor, Applejack was able to keep him from closing it on her.
It took more effort than she'd like to admit, but her front legs never were her specialty.
"Mah name is Applejack, sir," she growled, and wouldn't her Granny whoop her butt if she ever took that tone with her, but this stallion definitely deserved it, "I'm the one the Princess sent ta help."
Steeled paused for a moment, then glanced her up and down, before scoffing,
"Please, what's a little filly like you supposed to do? Cheer me on? Ha!" he laughed, "Come back with an actual stallion!" he snapped, pulled back the door, before roughly slamming it.
Applejack stared at the door for a moment, grinding her teeth together.
"Welp, guess Emerald wasn't kiddin' 'round 'bout this guy," she said to herself, turning back to the stairs, "-guess I'll have ta-"
The sound of the door screeching open behind her startled her, but it was Steeled's voice that got her to stop.
"Did you just say 'Emerald'?" Steeled asked, sounding strangely calm. Applejack blinked, recalled Emerald's earlier words, and scowled at him,
"Yeah, I know 'im. He's a friend'a mine," she said, her scowl deepened, "Is there a problem with that?"
Steeled stared at her for moment, before jerkin' his head,
"Come in."
He left the door open as he turned around, though Applejack was a little too stunned to really notice.
What in tarnation...?
Applejack stared after the older stallion for a moment, before following after him.
"So," Steeled began once she entered, "this is the shit we need to bring up to the guards outside. I dunno why the Princess has you helpin' me when we got plenty of guards that ain't doing shit," he said, gesturing to a massive pile by the door.
The thing was huge! Dozens of little buckets filled with metal bits, big wooden beams stacked on top of one another, a couple of crates almost as big as she was, and a bunch of smaller little bundles. All this stuff would take hours to drag up all them stairs!
"I don't know why they had to bring that wood down here for me to work on it," Steeled muttered loudly, "I coulda used my smaller tools outside. Woulda taken longer, but... Eh, whatever," he shrugged, "Alright, get your lazy ass in gear and help me carry this shit."
Applejack scowled at his tone, but forced her irritation down. She had an uncle just like this, and Granny had made sure to teach her to deal with this kinda attitude.
Didn't mean she enjoyed it, any.
She trotted over to the pile and, figuring it would be smarter, stared picking up some of the smaller things first. She'd managed to get two of the buckets on her back when Steeled spoke up again.
"So, you know that brat?" he asked, pulling one bucket on his own back. Applejack paused for a moment, before she nodded,
"Eeyup," she muttered, making her way up the stairs, having ta take it slow so she didn't spill nothing, "he's been in Ponyville fer a while now. Ended up a good friend'o mine."
"Peh," Steeled scoffed behind her, "bet he's just lazing around on his ass, like all the other guards 'round here."
Applejack felt a rush of hot anger in her chest, but pushed it aside.
If this stallion was anything like her Uncle Bruised Apple, then he wasn't gonna listen to anything good she had to say about her friend or otherwise.
Pinkie was very excited, and why wouldn't she be? She got to make yummy desserts for a bunch of ponies!
Hmm... then again, they were the same ponies who didn't like her performance during the Grand Galloping Gala...
Oh well! She'd just have to knock their socks off with her cupcakes!
Unless they weren't wearing socks, then she'd just surprise them, of course.
Pinkie happily bounced her way down to the kitchen, not even bothering to ask any of the guards around. She was certain she'd find it eventually, it was where all the ingredients were after all!
And, just like she'd expected, she found herself standing outside the humongous doors to the kitchen, where she could already hear tons of pots and pans moving around like it was a parade in there!
"Dammit, Wellspring, I told you, I want these floors clean!"
She had opened the door to find that nice griffon, Gustave, angrily berating one of the workers, a colt a bit younger than she was, his golden coat and brown mane tucked underneath a janitor's uniform.
"If you can't do your job, then get out of my kitchen!" Pinkie frowned slightly at what was happening in front of her, and decided to stop it,
"Hi!" she called cheerfully, bringing Gustave's attention onto her, allowing the colt, Wellspring, to dart away freely.
"Hello?" Gustave greeted, before sighing, "Ah, you must be Miss Pinkie Pie, the pony the Princess has asked to help me with cooking for tomorrow," he mused, "I would've thought she'd send me Applejack, given the Apple Family's history with baked goods." Pinkie shrugged,
"Yep, that's me!" she said, "And sorry, but Applejack went to help somepony named Steeled Hoof!" she explained. She tilted her head, confused when Gustave groaned, and palmed his face,
"That poor mare..." he muttered, "Hopefully Steeled can curb that awful attitude for at least tonight. Though I doubt it," he added, before shaking his head, "Regardless, you'll be helping me prepare the dessert table for tomorrow." Pinkie squee'd, clapping her hooves together,
"That's amazing! I'm really good at making stuff like pies, cupcakes, cakes, cookies, cakes, brownies, scones, cakes, and-!"
"I get it," Gustave cut her off, "You're an experienced baker. That's good. Now-"
"So, whatcha need?!" she asked, cutting him off. Gustave frowned, his neck twitching,
"I'd like it if you got started on making two large cakes. Say, six layers, approximately two ponies in length at the bottom. Cake ovens are over there," he pointed off to the side, where a set of large ovens sat, "and the custom cake pans are just above them. Flour, milk, eggs, and other such are over there," he pointed to a series of large cabinets, "Once you've got them cooking, make some buttercream frosting, colour it pink, and I'll have someone else ice the cake. Can you do that?"
"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie chirped, saluting him, before she paused, sticking her tongue out in thought, "Umm, what recipe should I use for the cakes?"
Gustave sighed, and smacked his forehead,
"Right, of course you'll need the recipe," he muttered, before he shook his head, "It's a royal recipe, I assumed you'd already know it. My apologies. Come along, I'll help."
Pinkie nodded, skipping over to their work station while Gustave gathered the ingredients.
He really was a nice griffon, she could see why Emerald seemed so fond of him!
The thought of Emerald, however, ended up sullying her cheerful mood. She really hoped he was doing okay with his foalsitters. It was a shame that she and the girls couldn't look after him. After all, they were friends! Even if he had been silly and kept secrets from them, that didn't change the kind of friend he'd been!
"Alright, here's everything we'll need," Gustave muttered, appearing beside her, completely laden with ingredients. Pinkie's eyes widened at the sheer amount of things he began piling on the counter. Whole bags of flour and sugar, entire cartons of eggs, whole jugs of milk, it was insane!
Ooh, this was gonna be so much fun!
Fluttershy trailed behind Rainbow Dash, trying her best to steer clear of the excited mare's flailing as they flew towards the Theater, ignoring the slight drizzle that was pouring over Canterlot.
"Can you believe it, Shy?! I get to work with the Wonderbolts, and I'm not even on the team yet!" Fluttershy nodded,
"Y-yes! I'm sure it's quit exciting!" she gushed softly, rubbing her hooves together nervously, "I just hope me being there isn't too much trouble..."
"Eh, I'm sure you'll be fine, Shy," Rainbow said as they began to descend in front of the Theater, her excitement increasing with every second, "Oh, yeah! We're here! C'mon Shy, the Wonderbolts are waiting for us!" she squealed, darting into the building.
Fluttershy stared after her long time friend for a moment, before sighing fondly. Rainbow Dash had hardly changed from back when they were fillies.
No... no, she was definitely a lot more reckless than back then.
Back then, her parents were able to reign her in, not because they were keeping her from being reckless, but because Rainbow had wanted to avoid their overbearing enthusiasm for everything she did as much as she could. But now that she's out on her own and doesn't have to deal with them, her old restraints, few as they were, practically disappeared.
Having stalled long enough, Fluttershy made her way into the, admittedly imposing, Theater, finding Rainbow Dash waiting there, impatiently tapping her hoof.
"Finally! I was beginning to think you'd chic-"
"Soarin, I swear, if you suggest going to get some pie one more time, I'll break your other leg!"
Fluttershy 'Eep!'d in surprise at the loud, angry yell, even as Rainbow immediately whirled around, facing the door the yell came from.
"Ohmygoshohmygosh, the Wonderbolts are on the other side of this door!" she squealed, before coughing, "Er, uh... C-c'mon Shy," she muttered, walking confidently into the room, with the more timid mare right behind her.
They found a group of uniformed ponies surrounding a table, with the recognizable form of Spitfire at the head, angrily snarling at another pony, whose leg was currently in a cast.
The pony with the cast, who she guessed was Soarin, was chuckling rather sheepishly at Spitfire,
"Hehe... uh, are you sure, Captain?" he asked, sounding hopeful. Spitfire's eyes twitched, and she turned to the mare on her right, a white mare with a dark blue and very curly mane,
"High, what did I just say to him?" she asked. The mare, High, giggled,
"That you'd break his other leg if he asked one more time, of course!" she said, almost too cheerfully, smiling a wide, toothy smile over at the blue stallion, who paled at the sight of it.
"Haha!" another mare laughed, this one having a coat a few shades lighter than her own, and a two tone blue and white mane pulled back over her head, "You look like you've just seen a ghost, Soarin!" she cackled, only to be on the receiving end of a heavy whack to the back of the head, courtesy of Spitfire, "Ow! What the hay?!"
"Shut your trap, Misty. You're not exactly in the clear either, since it was your fault this idiot broke his leg. Again," she growled, cowing the mare. A teal pegasus mare sighed, and turned to the silver male next to her,
"I feel like I'm surrounded by idiots, Silver," she said, causing the stallion to laugh,
"We're all idiots, Fleetfoot," Silver said, throwing a hoof around her, bringing her into a one legged hug, that she didn't seem to appreciate, "We're still on the team, aren't we?" She shoved him off,
"Whatever."
Spitfire nearly rounded on to the two, but she ended up spotting herself and Rainbow Dash before she could speak further,
"Oh, hey, how long have you two just been standing there?" she asked, her orange eyes locking onto theirs. Fluttershy fidgeted,
"O-oh, um... n-not that long..." she muttered,
"Yeah, just a minute!" Rainbow agreed enthusiastically. Spitfire clicked her tongue,
"'Kay? Anywho... are you two who the Princess sent us?" she asked,
"Totally!" Rainbow confirmed instantly, looking eager, "Do you need another flier, since Soarin broke his hoof?" she asked, nearly vibrating in place. Spitfire scoffed,
"Nah, we're good. This is sort of a last minute routine, and we're not even the focus of the show. It might not be up to our usual standards-"
"You can say that again..."
"-but one less member isn't gonna ruin the whole thing." Rainbow Dash deflated,
"Oh... so, uh... what did you need?" she asked. Spitfire shrugged,
"We already got our routine figured out, now we just need to practice," she said, then sighed, "Unfortunately, the skies aren't ideal, and Soarin here has the most experience with weather control, believe it or not," she muttered, gesturing to herself and the other four, "We can all bust a couple stray clouds, but anything more than that and we're fucked. You'd think weather management would be a skill we'd have to learn, but, evidently not!" she added, in a cheerfully sarcastic voice, "All we're really trained for is avoiding bad weather. With Soarin benched, we can't clear the sky to practice."
"I can do that, easy!" Rainbow boasted, immediately puffing up, "I'm the captain of the weather team back in Ponyville!" she added. Spitfire nodded,
"That's pretty cool. Think you can clear a stretch of the sky for us?" she asked, "Nothing too big, but-and she's gone," Spitfire noted, watching as Rainbow Dash darted out the door, not bothering to wait for her to finish.
That left Fluttershy alone with six total strangers.
She was not okay with this.
"Hehe, she kinda reminds of myself back when I started," Silver said, causing Fleetfoot to elbow him in the side,
"Please, you were way worse than that," she said,
"I was not."
"You definitely were."
"Was not."
"Were too."
"Was not!"
"Were too!"
"I was not!"
"You were too!"
"Alright, while those two pretend they aren't going to fuck later," Spitfire began, ignoring the way the two kept shouting at each other, she turned to Fluttershy, "You're Fluttershy, right?" she asked. She started,
"Y-you know me...?" Fluttershy asked timidly. Spitfire nodded, taking a quick stroll around the table, until she was closer,
"Yeah, the Princess mentioned you. I think Em mentioned you at one point, but I forget," she admitted, before plopping down next to her, her eyes narrowing, "... Yeah, I can definitely see the resemblance between you two," she said suddenly, "Your ears and eyes are similar shapes, and your heads and legs are about the same size," her eyes narrowed further, before she chuckled, "Damn, that's actually kinda eerie. I can only imagine what his actual sister looks like if you two look as similar as you do." Fluttershy blinked,
"His... 'actual' sister...?" she muttered to herself, not intending for Spitfire to hear.
Unfortunately for Fluttershy, she forgot that Spitfire was only a foot away from her, and she was used to having to speak up slightly around ponies by now.
"His blood sister, I mean," Spitfire clarified, thinking Fluttershy had actually asked her, "I love my new family to death, but I know what it's like to have a real sister compared to a... well, whatever me and the others are."
"Y-you had a sister?" Fluttershy asked, surprised. She'd never heard about such a thing!
Well.... not that she paid much attention to the Wonderbolts, but she was sure Rainbow Dash would've mentioned something like that at least once, if not many times. Spitfire chuckled,
"Yep. She was a little spoiled brat of a unicorn too. But I loved her. She was a bit younger than me, maybe your age, and a real smarty pants, you know? She even got into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, if you can believe it!" she boasted, seeming genuinely proud of that fact, before the smile on her face suddenly faded, "She disappeared some time after... well, the Facility happened. Apparently she vanished into thin air when she was seven, and not even the Princess knows where she went."
Fluttershy held back a gasp at that.
Her sister disappeared?! That was awful! She could scarcely imagine what would happen to any of her critters if they just up and disappeared. Seeing any of them die was hard enough, but disappearing without knowing what happened would be so much worse! She couldn't hope to comprehend how bad that must feel for the one in question to be family!
Oh! But, why would the Princess know? Or, not know, in this case...
She asked as much, and Spitfire gave her a hollow laugh,
"Well, I did say my sister was a spoiled brat, but a smart one. She might have run off on her own, for all we know. Honestly that would be the better option, but, considering what happened to me... well, it isn't hard to think they're related. She disappeared several months after I did, though, so... no one really knows."
Fluttershy blinked, processing the information. No one? Did that mean...
"I'm not gonna lie, I'm actually kinda jealous of you, Fluttershy," she said. Fluttershy blinked at those words, her previous train of thought practically vanishing in a puff of smoke as their meaning hit home.
She was jealous? Of her?
But-but-but-she was a super famous pony that a lot of ponies liked! Fluttershy was just... just her! Shy old Fluttershy, who stayed at home all day taking care of the animals! Plus, they just met! Wh-what could she possibly be jealous of?!
Her thoughts must've shown on her face, since Spitfire answered,
"I mean... you're actually related to him, you know?" she asked, "And well, you know what kind of stallion he is, don't you?"
A silent gasp, a final breath, a dying light bloodeverywherehewasdyingdyingdying-
"Yes," Fluttershy said, looking down at the ground, "... Yes I do."
This was her chance! If she could show Spitfire, the Captain of the Wonderbolts that she was worth having around, then she was practically guaranteed a spot on the team!
Not only that, but she got to meet even more members of the Wonderbolts!
High Winds, one of the most popular members of the Wonderbolts, especially for male fans. She was well known for her perfectly executed turns, being able to take even abnormally sharp ones with ease even the other Wonderbolts couldn't match. Very nice mare, but there were some old rumors about her having illicit relationships with fans, but those ended up dying out when they were proven false.
Misty Fly, famous for her prowess at navigating in even extremely harsh conditions. There were plenty of rumors about how she used to be an agent for some secret organization, but nobody's ever found proof, and she always pushes those off.
Fleetfoot, one of the fastest fliers on the team. Also known for her prickly personality. Apparently she's pretty secretive of her personal life, especially her romantic life, though Rainbow never really cared for that kind of Wonderbolt info. Too personal for her tastes. Still, it made it her more popular as the 'mysterious beauty'.
Silver Zoom, known for his scary good eyesight. Apparently he used to be a farmer over in Trottingham, before a recruiter came by and saw him practicing at night in secret. The only Wonderbolt who's completely, 100% confident at night shows.
Soarin, the male version of High Winds, in terms of popularity for the female fan-base. Known to have a massive sweet tooth and his love of pie. Not to mention that he also enjoys entertaining fans more than the others. He is the Wonderbolt that fans most often see at any form of event that Wonderbolts attend. Charity, publicity, you name it, and Soarin was almost always there. However, because of his constant exposure, it was revealed that he wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, though his genuine personality tended to more than make up for it.
And lastly, Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts. Known to be the youngest Wonderbolt Captain yet, and for being much stricter than her recent predecessors. In comparison to what the fans know about the others, not much was known about Spitfire, other than a heavy dislike of dark and cramped spaces, as well as hospitals. No one knows why, though, given what Emerald has told them, Rainbow had a feeling she could guess.
With all that in mind, Rainbow couldn't help but laugh to herself as she darted out of the room, though she did send Fluttershy a silent apology in her head for leaving her alone with a bunch of strangers.
Eh, she was sure Fluttershy would forgive her. This was her chance after all!
Besides, Fluttershy was a good friend, and practically her sister at this point. Rainbow could admit that she was lucky to have her around. If she didn't, who knows how her life would have turned out by now.
The same went for all of her friends. Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Twilight, hay, even Emerald.
She frowned suddenly, the thought of Emerald sending a sour spike through her mind.
He'd been lying to them the whole time. He'd been pretending to be their friend, just so he could do his damn job! It wasn't fair! He just waltzed into their lives, becomes their friend, and he didn't even feel guilty! How could Twilight and the others have just forgiven him so damn easily?!
Rainbow Dash huffed angrily, but it quickly left her.
She knew why. She knew why. After all, she'd forgiven him too.
Even if it had been fake at first, he couldn't have faked those injuries. Couldn't have faked the look on his face.
Couldn't have faked the spear to his heart.
Rainbow wasn't afraid to admit it, to herself at least, but she respected Emerald. She respected the shit out of him, even. How could she not when he gave his life to save one of her friends? Sure it turned out alright in the end, but there was no way any of them could've known how that would turn out.
Besides, the way he'd broke down when he'd been called out had made her feel bad for doubting him, even a little bit.
Rainbow sighed, and forced those thoughts out of her head.
This isn't the time, Rainbow Dash! You gotta find a good spot for the Wonderbolts, or you'll never get to join!
It didn't take her long to find a good spot to clear, not with her awesome speed of course. It wasn't too far away from the Theater, but she absolutely had to make sure that everything was perfect for the Wonderbolts to practice their routines.
She nearly squealed at the thought. She was going to get to watch the Wonderbolts train! This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, as a proud, but kinda secret, member of the Wonderbolts Fan Club, she couldn't possibly let this chance go to waste, even if it didn't result in her joining the team!
With all that in mind, she got to work, clearing out a massive section of the sky for the Wonderbolts to train.
Rarity marveled at the absolutely exquisite decor the auditorium bore. Stunning lights along the ceiling, marvelous oak flooring, and gorgeous marble walls, oh! Goodness, she'd never gotten a look at it all during the Heath's Warming Play, but now that it was empty, she had to admit, it was grand!
Oh, and the stage! The stage! Magnificently crafted from a dark wood she couldn't recognize, outstanding red velvet curtains that absolutely dwarfed even the castle's large doors!
Though, one couldn't forget the ponies currently dancing on stage either!
A light purple mare with a neon orange mane and tail, both puffed up to a degree not even Pinkie could replicate, a bright pink mare with a two-tone blue mane and tail, as well as her exact opposite standing next to her, a bright blue mare with a deep lavender mane, and, of course, the one and only Pony of Pop, Sapphire Shores herself!
Their dancing was wonderful! Every motion fluid and seamlessly flowing into the next! Even the most abrupt of motions only passed as they fell into a wave of careful steps and spins.
Truly a level of beauty and coordination that must have taken years to build, and it was displayed right in front of her!
She quietly walked towards the stage, intending on waiting for them to finish, but her silent approach was noticed almost immediately by the pop-star.
"Well, look who it is!" Sapphire Shores announced, "Rari-ty, my favourite designer! What are you doin' out here?" she asked, all the while never breaking from her routine.
"Oh, well, hello again Miss Shores!" Rarity chirped politely, beating down some of the nervousness that had sprung up upon her notice, "Princess Celestia has asked me to come along and prepare your outfits for the show," she explained. Sapphire perked up, her movements gradually slowing down,
"Did she now?" she asked, smiling, "We-e-ell! I'm definitely lookin' forward to tryin' out some more of your designs! How 'bout you girls?" she called, spinning to face the four other dancers, who all chirped up in response,
"Yeah!"
"Definitely!"
""Totally!""
"Ha ha!" Sapphire laughed, spinning right around, only to forcibly stop herself by slamming all four of her hooves onto the stage, just as the four behind her all came to a sudden stop, each holding a different pose, "Looks like you've got some excited fans, and I'm one of 'em!" she cheered.
The sudden praise caused Rarity to flush bright red, something that Sapphire noticed all too easily,
"Oh my, can't handle a bit of praise, huh?" she asked with a smile, gently hopping off the stage, "Funny, you struck me as the kind who can just soak that ri-i-ight up!" she teased with a wink. Rarity brushed it aside with a dainty laugh, though she wasn't quite able to rid herself of the redness in her cheeks.
"W-well, I suppose it's best if we begin taking all your measurements," she said, changing the subject, perhaps a tad too abruptly. Using her magic, she reached into the saddlebags that a guard had been kind enough to retrieve for her, and pulled out a length of measuring tape, as well as a notepad and pencil, "N-now, I recall Miss Shores' measurements, but I'll the rest of you to please step up so we may began. How about you, Miss.... erm...?" she trailed off, unable to recall a name. Sapphire, however, suddenly gasped,
"Woo! I must be out of tune, 'cause I forgot to introduce all of you!" she said, "So, Rarity, meet the girls!" she chirped, patting the purple mare, "This here is Lavender Swirl!" she pointed to the blue and purple mare, "That one is Grapevine, and the twins over there are Berry Blue-" the blue one, "-and Cherry Berry," the pink one, "Girls! You know Rarity!" she added. Lavender laughed,
"Well, of course we do!"
"Yeah, you wouldn't shut up about her!" Grapevine added,
"It was super annoying," Cherry said,
"Totally," Berry agreed.
"Honestly, the only other pony you've mentioned more than her is that weird brother of yours," Lavender added, causing Rarity to go stiff,
"Hey now, Emerald isn't weird," Sapphire defended with a smile, "He's just a tad... focused."
"Didn't you say, last time, that he was practically obsessed with his job?" Grapevine asked,
"We-e-e-ll... he's been getting better."
Cherry Berry just sighed, and shook her head,
"I don't get how you can think so highly of him, " she admitted, frowning, "Honestly, it sounds like he has more than a few screws loose up here," she added, tapping the side of her head,
"Totally," her sister agreed.
Rarity grit her teeth to keep herself from saying anything.
Then she had to actively bite her lip to prevent herself from speaking, even drawing a minuscule amount of blood in the process. Perhaps it was an extreme reaction, perhaps she shouldn't be allowing this to get under her skin as much as it was.
But, in truth, she couldn't help it. She always had a bit of a hard time hearing someone badmouth one of her dear friends, even the ones who took it without a grimace, such as Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and even Pinkie!
But recent events had her emotions on high alert, enough that she'd felt rather drained as a result. Why, not even seeing that stallion again, the one who'd been kind enough to save her from that cake during the Gala, had managed to stir up more than a vague sense of admiration. She hadn't even able to thank him properly because of it!
But now that she'd had some proper rest, whilst also riding on the slight high she'd received upon realizing one of her friends had not, in fact, died, she couldn't hope to stop the red hot anger course through her chest like an erupting volcano.
She performed a remarkable job all the same. Regrettably, however, she couldn't help the strained smile she gave them.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all," Rarity said, using her magic to give the measuring tape a slight snap, taking a tad too much pleasure at the way they all flinched, "Now, why don't we get started?"
Twilight did not want to be here.
"Hmm, tell me, what do you think of these fireworks?"
There were so many more things she'd rather be doing right about now.
"Oh my! These guards certainly know how to get a crowd going!"
Like spending time with Emerald.
How was he doing, anyways? She knew that he was being watched-for his health of course!-but why couldn't she be the one watching him?
Twilight honestly didn't believe it was fair that she wasn't allowed to look after him. What if he-gothurtwasstabbeddied-got bored? There was a lot of things they could do together!
They could head to the library and read together for the day! Just calmly sitting around, reading together would be nice, wouldn't it? There'd be no way he could-gethurtbleeddie-possibly get bored doing that!
She fidgeted, ignoring the sound of Fine Print calling her name.
She didn't understand how the Princess could possibly trust him with somepony other than her! Wh-what if they hurt him? You never know what could happen, after all! H-he was the Champion, wasn't he? S-so didn't that imply that there would be ponies out there wanting to hurt him?
Wh-what if he was in danger right now?!
She-she needed to see him, needed to make sure-!
"Twilight!"
She was startled out of her thoughts by the loud shout in her ear, courtesy of Fine Print, who looked rather ticked,
"Huh, what?" she asked intelligently, causing the official looking mare to huff,
"Weren't you listening?!" she asked. Twilight blinked, and regarded the white mare for moment,
"... No?" she ventured uncertainly, causing Fine to let out an aggravated sigh, bringing a hoof to her temple,
"Ugh, I was told that you were a very professional pony, Miss Sparkle," Fine began, "so what's wrong, then?" Twilight blinked, before chuckling nervously.
Keep it cool, Twilight. We don't want to worry anypony.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong! Wh-why would you say that?!" she stammered instead.
You had one job!
Fine Print just deadpanned at her, before sighing once again,
"It's about your coltfriend, isn't it?" she asked, causing Twilight to stammer,
"Wha-bu-no! E-Emerald has nothing to do with anything!" she denied, only causing Fine to sigh a third time,
"Miss Sparkle, you are a horrible liar," she said, staring at her almost disdainfully. Fine then huffed, adjusted her glasses, and flipped her clipboard around for her to see, "We still have a lot of things to get through on this list. The sooner we finish, the sooner you get to head back to your coltfriend, understand?" she asked.
She turned back towards their current inspection, which was the fireworks display, tended to by several guards, only to find that her clipboard had vanished.
"Wha-where is my-?"
"Hurry up, Miss Print!" Twilight's voice called, causing her to look up, finding the lavender mare several feet away, holding her clipboard, "We have a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it!"
"Alright, we're here," Thorax announced rather blithely, stepping into the clearing at the center of the Hedge Maze, with Emerald following right behind, almost hesitantly.
Not that he could be blamed. He was, after all, about to see the rest of his family after nearly seven years without a damned word from either side. All things considered, he'd have to be insane to not be worried at the prospect of seeing them all again.
With that in mind, Emerald didn't quite restrain himself as he usually would, instead allowing his jaw to drop slightly at the sight of the absolutely packed graveyard.
Ponies and non-ponies of dozens of different colours milled about the area, speaking to each other rather animatedly. There were smiles abound on nearly everyone's faces, but there were just so many ponies!
Definitely more than the twenty-seven that had escaped alongside him, Gustave, Thorax, Will, and Little Strongheart, whom were the only non-ponies in their group. Evidently, they had guests.
Speaking of, Emerald could plainly see the towering form of Iron Will, who was happily, and loudly, laughing with a group of familiar ponies. Emerald smirked for a moment, eyeing the blue minotaur, before a distant memory played in his head, and he found himself glancing at his iron gray horns for a moment.
Emerald bit his lips, and threw aside the memory.
"Hey!" Thorax suddenly shouted, causing the noise filled yard to fall silent, before he jerked his head back, right at Emerald, "The guest of honor is here, ya know? What are you all just standing around for?"
Emerald had only a moment to process the sudden betrayal, before he was approached by a familiar blue mare,
"Well then," Trixie began, "nice to see you made it. We've been waiting, you know? Though," she added, "I'm not too sure if I like the circumstances," she muttered, giving him a scolding look, before it faded as a group of foals he didn't recognize surrounded her, all chattering happily. Emerald gave her a lame chuckle, before his hoof was grabbed and forced into a rapid shake,
"Oh my gosh, Emerald!" a bright pink earth mare chattered, flipping her long, curled red mane out of her sea-foam eyes, "It's, like, totally amazing that you're here!"
"U-uh, right, Blossom Heart, nice to see you too," he stammered, giving the earth mare a nervous grin, "Uh, how've you been?"
"Great! I run a flower shop in town, you should visit!" she gushed, gesturing to the mark on her flank, which was a small flower stalk that ended in a heart shaped flower of some kind.
"Hey, he's gotta say hi to everyone!" a yellow pegasus filly around Wisp's age chirped hotly, before she was forced to blow her long, orange mane out of her blue eyes, "I wanna give him somma my candy, so don't hog all his attention!" she accused, pointing a tiny hoof at Blossom. The older mare only stuck her tongue out at the filly,
"Oh hush, Butterscotch!"
"It's nice to see them acting all happy, don't you think?" a voice asked right beside his ear, causing him to turn to a royal purple unicorn, whose short yellow mane was cut into a bob-cut, with a horn peering through her bangs, "Much better than back then, right?" she asked. He nodded,
"Anything would be better than the Facility, Night Pulse," he said, causing her to nod,
"I suppose that's true."
"So, what have you been up to?"
"I'm a trainee for the Night Guard," she said, smiling brightly, her bright yellow eyes gleaming with delight, "I heard you joined the Guard as well?" she asked eagerly, "My specialty is scouting," she added, pointing at her mark, which was a series of four pink circles around each other, like some sort of sonar. He was about to answer, before a small figure suddenly slammed into his leg, squealing happily,
"Em!" the young male voice cheered, urging him to glance down, finding a short teenage colt, with an acid green coat and vibrant pink mane and tail, each styled into wild curls, baring a hoofful of melon seeds on his flank.
"Melon Seed," he greeted, smirking, "Did you get taller by any chance?" he asked, smirking as Melon's eyes lit up,
"You noticed?!" he asked, stunned, a wide grin splitting his face, "I knew it! I told Pumpkin Seed I'd gotten taller, but she didn't believe me!"
"That's because you're still a shrimp!" a squeaky voice piped up, just as a tall, lanky mare a head shorter than himself, baring a dark orange coat and a lighter orange mane and tail, strolled up to them, looking down at the shorter colt with a scowl, her mark of a pumpkin shaped seed gleaming proudly in the light.
"I'm not a shrimp!" Melon defended hotly, "You're just insanely tall!"
"I am not!"
"You're younger than me!"
While those two were arguing with each other over their respective heights, another pair of ponies, a set of pegasus twins, walked over to him.
The male of the duo bore a black coat with a vibrant yellow mane, while his sister was the opposite, sporting a banana yellow coat and a coal black mane and tail, and their cutie marks were equally opposite, with the male holding a black thundercloud, and the female a white rain cloud.
"Well well well-"
"-lookee who it is-"
"-our dear friend, Emerald!"
"Who'd've thought we'd see you again?"
"After all this time to boot!"
His eye twitched at their little game, but he smiled at them nonetheless,
"Light Breeze, Dark Breeze, I see you two are finally getting along," he remarked, eyebrow raised. Dark smiled, her teeth practically sparkling in the light,
"Well, what can we say?"
"We had a few friends knock some sense into us," Light finished, wrapping a hoof around his sister and pulling her into a rather rough hug.
"Yeah, Blossom kicked our rears."
"Now we're selling flowers by the bucket!"
"It's about time you two grew up a little," Night stated plainly.
"Hah! You would say that, Pulse!" a male voice interjected from behind both of them, with Night yelping in surprise as a brown hoof wrapped itself around her neck, pulling her into an unwelcome hug with a brown earth stallion, whose darker brown mane puffed out wildly, "You always were too serious, even after we left!"
Night growled, and shoved the stallion away,
"Shut it, Coco Butter!" she snapped, "I'd rather be serious than out of a job!" she snarled, causing Coco to hold his hooves up in surrender,
"Woah! Easy now!"
"Easy?! How can I be easy when you fail to pull in your half of the rent every month?! Your mark is a cookie, go work at a bakery, dammit!"
While Emerald was watching their interaction, far more amused by it than he probably should be, a hoof gently pat his leg.
He turned around, finding a pure white pegasus, with a set of vacant blue eyes hiding behind her straight silvery mane, which was long enough to drag across the ground, staring at him.
"It's nice to see you again, Misty Rose," Emerald greeted softly. She didn't respond for a moment, only giving him a gentle smile several seconds after he'd spoken,
"It's nice to see you too," she said slowly, her voice barely above a whisper, "... You can just call me Misty, okay?" He smiled, and nodded,
"Of course, Misty," he said, causing her to beam after a few seconds, "So, how have you been?" he asked tentatively.
"Oh, I've been okay. My therapist says I can go out into the Gardens again next week," she said happily, smiling distantly. Emerald was silent for a moment, before he smiled back,
"That's nice, Misty," he said, not entirely certain of what else to say to that. She smiled at him, before a pony, one whom he didn't recognize, approached them, and whispered into Misty's ear.
Her jaw loosened a bit, her eyes going distant, before she nodded slowly,
"Oh, my therapist says I should get home now to rest. I've had a lot of excitement today," she said, "He's worried I might not be able to handle any more. Okay?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Emerald just smiled and nodded,
"Of course, get all the rest you need, Misty. It was nice seeing you." Misty smiled at him, and waved goodbye to the group with one of her wings, revealing her completely blank flank.
"Bye bye," she murmured happily, with the stallion, her therapist evidently, gently guiding her back through the maze.
Emerald's worried gaze lingered on her for a moment, but was snapped out of it when a heavy blow struck his back,
"Hah! Good to see you're up'n about, Emerald!" the booming voice of Iron Will blasted apart his previous thoughts,
"Will," he grunted, turning to face the behemoth of a creature, "long time no see." Iron Will laughed, placing his hands against his hips,
"Ha! Long time is right! You've been keepin' Iron Will waiting!" the oversized goat said, flexing his arms,
"What?" Emerald asked, his expression twisting. What the fuck was he even looking at?
Iron Will paused, and actually turned a faint red,
"Oh, uh... Sorry 'bout that. I've got a job as a traveling self-help guru, helpin' ponies be a little more assertive," he admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "That's, uh... that's the character I put on for my speeches, hehe?" Emerald nodded,
"Right...I believe someone mentioned that to me once... well, the self-help guru part... the... 'character' part, not as much," he muttered, "So, uh... where are you headed?" he asked lamely. Iron Will perked up,
"Oh! Well, I've been thinking 'bout this little town not far from here, called Ponyville!" he said, earning a snort from the thestral, "Since that's where that whole 'Discord' fiasco went down, I thought the ponies there might need some help toughening themselves back up!" he said eagerly. Emerald snickered,
"Yeah, I guess that's true," he supplied, smirking, "Uh... good luck, then?"
"Ha! Iron Will doesn't need luck! He's got himself to back himself up!" he boasted, before coughing into his hand, "... might need to work on some new phrases," he muttered, before shaking his head, glancing around, "Anyways, you've still got a lot of ponies to say hey too, so I won't keep you any longer. It's been awhile since I've been in Canterlot, so I might as well take a quick look around anyways," he said gracefully, for someone of his size at least, backing away, only to almost trip over the still arguing Melon Seed. Iron grumbled for a moment as he stood back up, before gracefully, or trying to be at least, making his way out of the maze.
Emerald chuckled, though another pair of chuckles coming up behind him caused him to pause and turn around.
He found a pair of unicorns, both sporting a light blue coat, though the male of the two had a long, bright green mane while the female had a short, lighter, almost white, blue.
"Bright Spot, Dusty, nice to see you two... so strangely close together as well," he noted, his eyes immediately honing in on the pair of golden bands around their hooves. Dusty giggled, a hoof flying to cover her mouth,
"I know! Isn't it wonderful?" she said, leaning into Bright's side, "We got married two years ago!"
"And had a foal almost four years ago," Bright added, pointing to one of the foals crowding Trixie with a smile, "Our little Sunny Day is a little ray of sunshine, but Faust she is hyper!" he moaned, though it was clearly full of affection despite that, "I should know, since I take care of her while Dusty heads to work," he added, almost as an afterthought.
"Ah, but you couldn't keep it tucked between your legs, huh?" Emerald asked, causing the two of them to go red, and chuckle nervously.
"Ah... um... S-Sunny! Why don't you come over and say hi to another one of your uncles?!" Bright called, almost frantically. One of the foals with Trixie, a unicorn filly with a white coat, blue eyes, and a bright orange mane glanced over at them, before scurrying to her hooves and running over to them.
Once little Sunny arrived, she parked in front of Emerald, nearly tipping over due to her attempt at a sudden stop, and peered up at him with her big blue eyes.
"Hi!" she chirped, lunging at him to wrap a hoof around his leg. Emerald chuckled and wrapped his other hoof around her.
Hyper indeed.
However, he scarcely got his own greeting out, when she let go of him and ran back over to Trixie, which only got Emerald to chuckle when he noticed the dismayed expressions on Bright and Dusty's faces.
"Oh dear..."
"I guess somebody needs more lessons on being polite..."
A quiet giggle announced yet another pony's arrival, and an old pegasus mare, perhaps around Granny Smith's age, if not a little younger, waddled up to them, her faded white mane done up in a loose bun, and her aged bronze coat showing signs of wear and tear.
She took a few moments before arriving in front of them, taking a moment to peer over her half-moon glasses with a smile,
"Now now, she's only a little filly. She'll learn on her own time, I'd imagine," the old mare said,
"Amber Rock," Emerald greeted warmly, gazing at the familiar form of their Auntie Amber, who had been the one to teach him Equish all those years ago. She scoffed at him, waving a hoof,
"Now now, none of that! I'm your Auntie Amber, remember?" she asked, her still lively orange eyes twinkling at him. He smiled, and nodded,
"Of course, Auntie Amber."
"Now then, let's have a look at you!" Auntie Amber said, reaching out a hoof, "C'mere you!" she demanded, a command Emerald was fully willing to follow. He approached her and she, in a fashion oddly similar to the one Granny Smith had done upon first meeting her, began scanning him. "Ooh, I just knew you'd turn out to be a looker!" she gushed, giving his chest a hard tap, "Aha! With muscles like this, you must be fending off those city mares with a stick!" she praised warmly, causing Emerald to flush, and rub the back of his head with a hoof.
"I... wouldn't say that, Auntie," he said, his mind drifting back to a familiar shade of purple.
For an instant, his heart was alight with a pervasive warmth, seeping into his blood and coursing through his very being.
"Oh?~" Auntie Amber sang in that strange way that all elderly ponies seem to, "Does that mean you've already got a mare for yourself?" she asked. Emerald stiffened, Thorax's words from earlier coming to mind.
The warmth died.
"I... no, Auntie. No I don't." Auntie Amber's eyes narrowed at him, before she giggled,
"If that's what you think, little one. On another topic, I must say, your Equish is superb!" she gushed, "And even that nice accent of yours is practically gone!" Emerald nodded,
"I suppose I had a good set of teachers."
"Haha! Your darn right you did!" she said, laughing loudly, "I might be old, but I've always been an excellent teacher!" Emerald shook his head and sighed, turning away from his laughing Auntie, only to nearly jump back when he found a small earth filly, bearing a bright yellow coat and a soft white mane and tail, both very poofy, and a set of wide green eyes being held up to his face by a pair of bright crimson hooves.
He blinked, and stared at the foal, who couldn't be more than a year old, if even that. She stared back at him, chewing idly on her back hoof, before she let go and laughed a little, now holding out her hooves to him.
There was an older, feminine giggle from behind the filly, before he suddenly found a small one year old cheerfully sitting on his head a moment later.
He grimaced slightly, carefully balancing the shifting foal, who was now very happily giggling at her new perch.
"Aw, isn't that cuuuute?!~" the foal's mother giggled, clapping the aforementioned crimson hooves together, "Cotton Tail likes you, Emerald!"
He spared a half-hearted glare at the mare, who merely flipped her sky blue mane out of her pink eyes,
"What?" she asked innocently,
"As nice as it is to see you again, Red Sky, please get-Cotton Tail, was it?-off of my head."
Red pouted, and deftly snatched up the filly, cradling her in her hooves while tickling her stomach,
"It's okay, Cotton, Uncle Emerald is just pretending to be mean!"
"I'm... not sure that's the case, Sky," an unfamiliar stallion muttered, approaching them cautiously. He bit his lip, and brushed down his dark blue fur, and even started cautiously twirling his vibrant yellow mane with his magic, all the while refusing to meet Emerald's gaze with his equally dark blue eyes, "He seems... kinda intense, don't you think?"
Red scoffed, and stuck her tongue out at the stallion,
"Don't be such a wimp, River!" she admonished, gently rocking Cotton in her hooves, "You say that about every single pony you ever meet that doesn't have a smile on their face!"
Emerald shook his head and, after a quick glance around, slipped through the crowd around him.
He loved his family. Absolutely adored each and every single one of them, and couldn't wait to meet them all again...
But right now, he needed to be alone. He needed to think. Thorax's earlier statement about his and Sparky's... affections having diminished was still haunting him. Auntie Amber's comment only made things worse, as well.
As much as he loved and missed his family, he needed to think, needed to calm down and think this through.
Something was wrong, after all.
Applejack grunted as she laid down her final bucket on the far-too-soft-for-her-own-good grass, and very nearly had to keep herself from following right along with it.
She'd been wrong about how hard it would be to get all them supplies outside. What she'd thought would only take a few hours ended up taking only two, since Steeled was surprisingly tough for an old grouch. Didn't mean it was any easier, though.
Now that that was done, all they had to do was get started on building everything. Now that wasn't going to be easy.
Now, normally, a little bit of hard work like this wouldn't get her in such a foul mood, but, usually, she was working with her family or her friends. This time? This time she got this old feller who can't seem ta keep his opinions to himself!
"Bunch of lazy little shits," Steeled muttered, almost slamming down his own bucket, glaring off towards the barracks, where Applejack could see a few of the guards training, or some such, "look at 'em, with their fancy little weapons that I slaved over, and they can't even repay the favour? Peh," Steeled spat.
Applejack was wrong about Steeled. He wasn't anything like her Uncle Bruised. Oh no, Uncle Bruised was stubborn and didn't like others, but he wasn't anywhere near as petty as Steeled Hoof was being!
Fer example: Steeled didn't like others 'cause they didn't seem to help him when he wanted them to, but he was too darn prideful to ask for help in the first place, and then he blamed them for not helping!
And that was just the guards around the castle.
But Applejack couldn't help but wonder...
What did he think of Emerald? He made it pretty clear he didn't like him, but if it wasn't for her mentioning him, then Steeled wouldn't have let her help him carry his things outside. It just didn't make any sense to her. Not one bit.
She'd thought about asking him, once or twice, but always thought better of it at the last second.
Speaking of asking him things...
"So, why'd we hafta bring all this out here?" she asked, "Ya said somethin' 'bout getting 'em ta the guards, an' this don't look like a good place ta build anythin' like a float, so..." she trailed off when she noticed the sour look on his face,
"Well, them little shits aren't going to do any helping," he growled, glaring off towards the training guards, "So we'll have to move all this ourselves before gettin' started."
Applejack blinked,
"Whaddya mean they ain't helpin'?" she asked, frowning, "Ya didn't even ask." Steeled huffed,
"Look at 'em," he snarled, waving a hoof at them, "they're just playing around with those weapons! Bet they don't even know how to properly use the fuckin' things!" Applejack glanced over at them, specifically the one using a sword against a training dummy.
"Looks like they know how ta use 'em ta me," she said, raising a brow at Steeled, who only scoffed,
"Pah! As if some mare like you would know anything about weaponry," he snarled, and Applejack only just managed to keep herself from bucking the old goat halfway across the field,
"An' you do?" she couldn't help but ask in return, "'Bout usin' 'em, I mean," she added quickly.
"'Course I do!" he snapped, as if offended at the idea of her not knowing, "I used to be a Guard, and a damn good one! I was the best of my unit, back in the day!" he suddenly boasted, and glared over at them, "And now look at 'em! Lazing around, barely trainin', no motivation, it makes me sick! I was a proud Veteran of the Knight Class, and what kind of chumps come after me? That!" he sneered, pointing a hoof at them viciously.
Veteran? Like her Grandpappy? Was that one of those fancy Titles, like the one that Emerald had?
She didn't know how to respond to Steeled's... attitude. It was mostly 'cause she didn't really know how important these Title things were, in the grand scheme of things.
She should probably ask Twilight about them. Or Emerald, since he actually has one.
Though, if Steeled was such a big shot, assuming he ain't lying or anything, then what was he doing working as a blacksmith? He might be a tad old, but he managed to move a ton of that stuff up the stairs without her help, so he wasn't too weak or nothing.
"So, uh... why're you a blacksmith, then?" she decided to ask. Who knows, maybe if he told her, he'd lighten up a tad? Granny Smith was always a lot happier after telling one of her stories.
"Some bullshit 'bout 'not having a good attitude'. Peh!"
Why ain't I surprised?
"Oh great, the vampires're comin' out," Steeled suddenly snarled. Applejack looked up, confused, and turned to the training field again.
She stared, wide-eyed at the group that had come out of the castle, watching as they laughed and talked with each other.
For a moment, she wasn't sure what she was seeing, but, eventually, she realized.
Thestrals.
But.... there was something.... different about them.
They had the fangs, the ears, the wings, heck, they were even pretty thin, just like Emerald.
But... still. There was just something about them that felt off.
Suddenly, it hit her.
They were acting just like ponies.
Now, she didn't fancy herself as racist or anything, but she was always distinctly aware that Emerald was a different species when she talked to him. She had to, or she'd forget he was wearing that disguise of his, and she didn't want to offend him again.
She felt plum awful about it every time. She'd say something about ponies, and he'd just say something like 'I'm not a pony', and it would feel like her guts were getting twisted and pulled out every single time he'd said it.
But looking at them now, just walking around like it's nothing, no disguises, no armour, no nothing, and she was just struck by how... normal they looked.
Why, if Steeled hadn't said anything, she might've just looked right past them, without even noticing that they weren't ponies.
But that got another thought working through her head
Why was Emerald wearing that disguise in the first place? Sure, Ponyville might of been a tad skittish at first, but that was mostly 'cause of the Everfree and all the freaky critters roaming around in it. Here these thestrals were, minding their own business without nary a second glance from the other guards, and yet, he was walking around keeping himself hidden.
Why would he need to do something like that?
A quick glance at Steeled Hoof was all the answer she needed, in the end.
There were just some ponies who wouldn't accept him, is all.
Applejack shook her head. Even if other ponies weren't gonna accept him, she and her friends would be more than happy to!
Though, Applejack had to admit, sometimes it didn't really feel like they were friends.
She frowned at the random thought, before tossing it aside. Sure, they had their differences, and didn't always get along, but they'd been through thick and thin together. And that was how it was always gonna be!
Pinkie stared up at the massive cake in front of her, idly wondering if she could sneak a few bites without anybody noticing.
"Don't even think about it," Gustave suddenly snapped, pointing the icing covered spatula at her. Pinkie giggled,
"About what?" she asked innocently.
"Eating the cake," he said, "I used to see that look pretty often, and always before some of our stock would go missing. Now that I'm Head Chef, that kind of shit isn't going to fly here, so don't."
"Don't be silly, Mr. Chef!" Pinkie said, "I'm an earth pony, I can't fly!"
Gustave sighed, pausing the spreading for a moment,
"I honestly can't tell if you're being a smart ass or if you genuinely think I meant it like that," he muttered, "and believe me, that's not a good thing."
Pinkie only giggled at Gustave's response, before she was once more distracted by how absolutely massive the cake was!
It was amazing! Six amazing layers of sugary goodness, and the best part? Even the smallest one was taller than her! Ah, a sugar lover's paradise!
Pinkie could even feel herself beginning to drool at the mere thought of tasting something so amazing!
But another thing that was really great, was that she got to help make it! It was always amazing to see something that she baked turn into something that could be so super-yummy, and the smiles that nearly everybody got when they ate them only made everything better!
"You sure you don't want me to help?" Pinkie asked, for maybe the fifth time, "I can start on the second one!"
She'd been super excited when Gustave had left and came back with the frosting, and she'd been more than happy to help ice the whole thing! But, for some reason, he didn't want her to 'ruin another one of his cakes'.
Which was funny, since she'd never ruin a perfectly good cake!
"I'm sure, Miss Pinkie," he said quickly, causing the party mare to pout.
"Well.... okay! You want me to do anything else?" she asked eagerly. Maybe he needed more goodies? Ooh! Maybe she could try making that special recipe the Cakes showed her for the National Dessert Competition in a few months?!
Gosh, what was it called again? The 'MMMM', or something?
Hmm... no, the Cakes really wanted to make it for the competition, and it would be pretty rude to make it without their permission.
But there were still plenty of other things she could make, like pies, cookies, cupcakes, more cakes, scones-!
"That won't be necessary, Miss Pinkie," Gustave said, glaring down into the bowl of icing, "Though, it is time we begin on the second one," he said, almost begrudgingly. Pinkie saluted,
"I'll be right on it, Mr. Chef, sir!" she chirped, before zipping over to the counter, where the ingredients were laying, before excitedly beginning to make some more.
While she was happily throwing everything together, Gustave started chuckling.
"My my, how you've managed to become such good friends with Emerald, I'll never know," he said. Pinkie, having heard that, spoke up,
"Why?" she asked. Why wouldn't they be friends?
"You two are so vastly different," he said, "and if that wasn't enough, I recall him absolutely loathing the last pony he met with a personality vastly similar to yours," he started humming to himself, "hmmm... I wonder what makes you so different from them. What is it about you that he finds charming enough to befriend, that the other simply didn't have?" he asked.
He didn't see it, since she was turned away from him, but Pinkie couldn't help but frown.
She felt a doozy coming on.
Fluttershy was... surprised.
When Rainbow had left and Spitfire had decided to engage her in conversation, she'd expected the orange mare to quickly grow bored after their talk broke away from Emerald, but the stunt mare seemed interested in her life.
"Oh, you take care of animals?"
"Wow, must be tough living so close to the Everfree. What kind of animals do you find 'round there?"
"You take care of how many animals?! On a daily basis?!"
What surprised Fluttershy the most, however, was that Spitfire didn't seem to be faking any of it.
She might not be an expert on ponies, but Spitfire appeared to be genuinely interested in her. And she honestly found herself feeling the same.
"Oh my, I can't imagine how scary all those stunts must be!"
"I couldn't possibly imagine flying in front of all those ponies..."
"I don't think I could ever lead ponies the way you could..."
It was nice. It wasn't often that she met somebody who wanted to listen to her, rather than the other way around.
That wasn't to say she didn't like it, oh no! She loved listening to her friends talk to her. It meant that they trusted her to listen to their problems and whatever advice she was able to give, and, in return, they were happy to help her whenever she had any problems herself.
But, she was really the only one in their group who was interested in animals. Aside from their own pets, none of her friends were keen on learning more about animals. Well, except maybe Twilight, but that was less for fun and more because she liked learning and knowing things.
Still, they were her friends, and she'd even managed to get them all on her own, for the most part!
She didn't need someone to hold her hoof and tell her what to say. She just... stayed herself, and everything worked out.
Although... it was a bit odd, sometimes. They were all just so different! Sometimes it felt like their friendship was just hanging by a thread, but it always seemed to snap right back together just before it could break.
She supposed that was just a testament to how strong their friendship was, if it could survive the same things that nearly broke it.
Her most recent talk with Spitfire was sadly interrupted when Rainbow Dash finally returned soaking wet and covered in bits of cloud.
"Hey everybody, I'm back, and I've cleared a pretty good spot!"
Rainbow couldn't help but puff her chest out in pride.
Yeah, clearing the sky had taken a bit longer than she'd thought it would, but she guessed that it made sense, since Canterlot probably got a different kind of cloud than Ponyville, thank to its higher altitude.
Still, she wasn't captain of the Ponyville Weather Team for nothing! What might've taken a less experienced pegasus a few hours, took her only thirty minutes!
"Nice, and in half the time Soarin usually takes," Spitfire praised, standing from where she'd been sitting by Fluttershy, lazily stretching her back, "Alright, let's take a look at it, see if that was time well spent at least."
Rainbow let out a totally cool squee, and eagerly jumped back out the window,
"Awesome! C'mon!"
As expected, it didn't take the group long before they arrived at Rainbow's cleared spot, and she couldn't help but beam proudly at the look of surprise on the Wonderbolt's faces.
"Damn, you did all this in forty five minutes?" Silver asked, looking around in surprise.
"Thirty," she corrected, "The rest was trying to find a good spot with flat ground and plenty of grass," she said proudly.
And why wouldn't she be? She'd managed to clear nearly an acre's worth of sky all by herself, something that usually took at least three ponies an hour.
Of course she'd never admit that those fifteen minutes were actually used to catch her breath while also trying not to die of overexertion. Finding the spot had actually taken her less than a minute.
"Wow, I gotta say, I'm impressed," Spitfire said, looking around with a calm eye, "I wasn't expecting you to clear this much. I also didn't need this much, but more space is better than less," she admitted. She landed a moment later, looking over the sizable field sitting pretty underneath the now open sky, "This isn't bad. In an ideal situation, we'd be practicing above the clouds, but Canterlot's altitude makes that too hard, so some soft enough ground ought to be good enough, and it doesn't get much softer until after some rain, which is now gone, of course," she said, before turning back to Rainbow, "Nice work, rookie. You just might be Wonderbolt material. You ever think of tryin' out? We've got plenty of room in the Academy, you know? After that, it's not too far from the Reserves."
Rainbow Dash did not go red in the face.
She most certainly did not nearly burst out squealing.
And she definitely did not have to fight the urge to rush over to Spitfire and hug the life out of one of her greatest idols.
All that she did do, was calmly smile, and nod.
"Really?! I've always wanted to join the Wonderbolts! You guys are awesome!"
That... sounded a lot cooler in her head...
Silver laughed, while High Winds giggled a bit in the background.
"It's nice to see such an energetic fan," High Winds said, smiling brightly, "Usually it's just a bunch of big crowds. It's always been better to have one-on-one interactions," she added.
"Pfft, isn't that why you had those nasty rumors circulating about you three years ago?" Misty Fly said. High Winds turned to her, sporting a large, cheerful smile, which caused Misty to go a weird shade of white,
"Hmm? What was that, Misty?"
"Hehe, n-nothing!"
"Hmm, if you say so."
Rainbow didn't pay much attention to that little by-play, since Spitfire continued speaking,
"If you are thinking of tryin' out, which I'm guessing you are," she added jokingly, "then you should know that you'll be facing some pretty stiff competition, more than you'd expect. We've been getting some good cadets lately who are going through the Academy's training program, so you're gonna have to really work your ass off. Think you can do that?" she asked. Rainbow nodded,
"Totally! 'Hard Work' is my middle name!" Rainbow boasted, proudly puffing out her chest. Spitfire laughed, causing Rainbow to deflate slightly,
"Glad to hear it!" she said, smiling brightly, though it was quickly wiped away when she narrowed her eyes, "Hmm... since you'll be tryin' out sometime, why not show me what you can do now?" she asked, and pointed at the waiting members, "Why don't you take Soarin's normal spot for our warm up?" she offered, "We might not need another pony for our show, but the warm-up's free game. We can even consider it the Academy's preliminary test, if you want. So, are you up for it?"
"YES!!"
"Something tells me you're excited about this."
After some more ribbing, Rainbow finally got into place next to Fleetfoot, nearly shivering with excitement, and, maybe, some nerves too.
Oh, this was gonna be awesome! She'd totally impress the Wonderbolts, and they'd have to let her into the Academy! And once she was there, Wonderbolt City, here she'd come!
Damn, if only her other friends were around to see this! Fluttershy was great support, if a tad quiet, but if everyone was here, then that would be radical!
Hmm.... then again, maybe not. Rarity had zero real interest in anything flight related-she didn't even make flight-safe clothing, for hay's sake!-and that one time at the Best Young Fliers Competition didn't count, since that was more about how her butterfly wings looked than how they performed. Applejack was pretty much the same, though she appreciated her weather working a lot more than the others. Pinkie would be excited, but more because she was one step closer to her dream, than actually because she was flying with famous ponies. Twilight would be happy for her, no doubt, but her interest in wings extended to Emerald and Emerald alone, if that one time she caught her ogling him while he was unconscious yesterday meant anything.
Honestly, that pony thought she was subtle. And that was coming from her!
She had zero problems admitting that-to herself-since the one, and pretty much only, time she'd tried getting a date, which was shortly after she dropped out of flight school.
Dear Celestia, she hoped she never saw him again. Not after that mess.
Thinking about it, her friends really had zero interest in some of the things she did, but they were always supportive despite that.
Rainbow laughed to herself.
Faust, she was lucky to have them, huh?
Rarity hummed a song to herself as she sewed, the only other sound being that of Sapphire and her group's hooves against the wooden stage. The outfits were coming along nicely. A nice, pretty set of black, skintight outfits, each one embroidered in different colours around the legs and neck to accentuate their wearers colour scheme. Blue for Sapphire, orange for Lavender, blue and pink for Berry and Cherry, and bright yellow for Grapevine, each in wonderful looking swirls.
She didn't truly need anything that would take away from their performance, nor did she want to make something that would obstruct their movements either, so she went with this, perhaps too simple, design.
It wasn't her best work, by far, but they would serve nicely.
A few more moments passed under her machine, before she sighed, cleaned some things up, and held Sapphire's outfit into the air, admiring the way the light practically vanished upon touching the dark fabric, yet glowed when striking the blue.
"My my! That's just the kinda thing I expect from a pony as tal-en-ted as you, Rarity!"
The booming voice of Sapphire startled Rarity into the air, while also breaking her concentration, causing the outfit to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap.
Once she landed back onto the floor, she held a hoof to her chest in an attempt at steadying her heart, and whirled to face Sapphire with a severe expression on her face, momentarily forgetting whom she was with.
Sapphire, for her part, just gave her a sheepish laugh,
"Sorry?"
Rarity's glare remained for a moment, before it fell,
"No, no, it's quite alright. I suppose that's merely what happens when I allow myself to get caught up in my work," she said, before suddenly recalling whom she was talking with, "O-oh, but there's no need to worry!" she quickly added, her eyes darting from side-to-side, "U-um, if I may ask, what is it that you needed?"
Sapphire smiled at her,
"Oh, nothin'! Our practice is f-i-i-in-ished! I just thought I'd come take a look at you work, and I must say, your work is fan-tas-tic!"
"Oh!" Rarity blushed, "Well, thank you Miss Shores, I always appreciate compliments," she said honestly, before glancing down at the outfit, frowning, "Though, I'm not sure I believe these are worth such praise. They are by far not my best work," she admitted, "I only have so many materials here." Sapphire just scoffed at her,
"Nonsense! Your work is am-a-zing! Don't you let anybody tell you otherwise," she gently threatened, wagging a hoof at the designer, "got it?"
Rarity stared for a moment, before tittering,
"Of course, Miss Shores," she said, only for Sapphire to cut her off,
"Ah ah ah! That's Sapphire to you, missy!" Rarity stiffened slightly, and swallowed the lump in her throat,
"N-now, I couldn't possibly-" a noise from Sapphire prevented her from continuing, especially as the pop-star's eyes began to narrow in warning. Eventually, Rarity conceded, "Very well... Sapphire."
As expected, Sapphire beamed at her,
"Now that's more like it!"
Rarity laughed a tad more, and, using her magic to drag them into the air, revealed each of the new outfits,
"Oh my! You're a real quick worker, huh?" she asked, eyes darting over each outfit hungrily,
"Well, only the best for my customers," Rarity said, smiling sagely, "After all, how could I possibly give anybody something if I don't give it my all?" she asked. Sapphire laughed, gently rubbing the fabric of one of the outfits,
"I certainly agree! My audience deserves only the-very-best!" she cheered, "If I ain't singing my heart out every show, then I'm not doing it right!" she claimed, before turning back to the stage, "Hey girls, Rarity here has got our outfits ready!" she called, and glanced back Rarity, "You don't mind, do you?"
Rarity shook her head and, after gently folding each one, presented the outfits to the approaching mares,
"Not at all!"
She watched with a poorly veiled smile on her face as each of the mares took their designated outfit, each one marveling at the feel of the fabric and beauty of the, highly simplified, designs. Even if it wasn't her best, it still warmed her heart to see someone, anyone, appreciate her work.
Rarity practically glowed as she watched them.
This. This was the kind of thing she lived for. The art of creation. The beauty of making something for someone else, and the magic that came with them liking it.
This simple thing made her feel alive each and every time she experienced it, and it never. Got. Old.
And it only ever got better when she was experiencing that same thing with her wonderful friends!
Although... things weren't always so easy. She, unfortunately, remembered the time where they hadn't appreciated her dresses for them. Oh she remembered that time all too vividly, and most often in her nightmares.
But still, once they'd finally seen the error of their ways, the amount of adoration they'd put into those outfits had nearly caused her heart to burst!
It was proof, really, that friends truly made everything there was in this world better than it had ever been before. Even if, at times, they can be the greatest of nightmares, that didn't change that they also brought with them the greatest dreams of all.
Twilight hastily checked another thing off of the list, scarcely paying any attention whatsoever to what she was actually checking off, while also bidding a half-hearted goodbye to the group she'd just 'inspected'.
While normally she'd be putting her all into making sure something like this was going according to schedule, it was more important to her that they finished as soon as they possibly could so that she could go looking for Emerald.
-bloodydyingcoldhewasn'tbreathingbreathingbreathing-
He was probably getting pretty fed up with whoever had been assigned to look after him by now.
"Miss Twilight!" Fine Print snapped at her once again, "Please hold on a moment!"
Twilight was, unwillingly, brought to a stop by a green glow completely suffusing her person, halting her movements in place.
Fine Print appeared by her side, looking visibly drained and huffing like she'd just run a marathon, her horn's aura flickering like a broken light,
"My-*huff*-word! What in the wo-*huff*-world has gotten into you!" she sputtered, her magic finally fading away.
Twilight stared at the slightly older mare, feeling a rush of guilt hit her chest.
"I-I'm sorry, Miss Print," she apologized lamely, biting her lip in embarrassment while looking at anything other than the mare in question, "I just... I really..." she trailed off, unable to defend herself.
Fine Print stared at her for a moment, and, once she finally caught her breath, she sighed.
"It's... alright, Miss Sparkle," she said gently, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder, unsubtly taking the clipboard away from her, not that she was bothered in the first place, "I know what it's like to have my significant other suffer an... accident, and not be allowed near him for a time," she admitted, "So I can... sympathize with what you're going through, but this is no way to act," she said.
Twilight flinched at that, and looked away,
"I-I know..." she muttered. And she really did.
But she was just so worried! Every second that went by without him in her sight kept filling her with this cold dread, deep within her chest. It kept building and building and building-!
-notmovingnotbreathingnosoundnoheatnolifedeaddeaddead-
She didn't know how long she could stand it!
"You must really care about him, huh?" Fine Print suddenly asked, startling Twilight out of her spiraling thoughts.
"Huh?"
Fine Print chuckled, and adjusted her glasses, smiling almost fondly,
"That look on your face... I know that look. I saw it in the mirror, once," she muttered, her bright eyes twinkling softly, "... alright," she finally said. Twilight blinked,
"Wha-?"
"Go on," Fine Print said, suddenly giving her a small push, which caused Twilight to stumble slightly, "you really want to go to him, right?" she asked, earning a confused nod from Twilight, at which Fine smiled, "Then go ahead! I can finish the inspection on my own, you know?" she added, before she scoffed, "Though, with how deep in your head you were, I imagine I would've had to even if you did stay."
Twilight just stared at her for a moment, not comprehending,
"Y-you want me to...? A-are you sure...?" Fine sighed, and regarded her with narrowed eyes,
"Don't you have a coltfriend to go to? Why are you wasting time talking to me?"
Twilight stared for a bit longer, before her face lit up like a star,
"Th-thank you! I-I'm sorry that I couldn't-but-thank you!" she stammered out, before spinning around and darting down the street.
Emerald, here she comes!
Unbeknownst to her, Fine Print sighed behind her.
"Honestly, that filly..." she muttered, glancing down at the clipboard, which was filled with scratchy, manic looking hornwriting.
'Is he okay?'
'What if he's hurt?'
'Where is he?'
"Whoever that colt is, he better treasure that filly," she muttered to herself, gently erasing them, "because she definitely treasures him."
For a moment, he thought he'd managed to escape, but a small tug on his tail quickly killed the thought.
Sighing inwardly, Emerald turned around, coming to find Butterscotch standing right behind him, a great big smile on her face,
"Oh, hello Butterscotch," he greeted warmly,
"Hi Emerald!" she chirped, thrusting out a small package in her hooves at him, "Here! I made you some candy when I heard I was gonna get to visit you again!" she said. He paused for a moment, glancing at the carefully wrapped box, finding himself staring at his own reflection in the golden foil, before gently accepting it,
"Thank you, Butterscotch," he breathed softly, staring at it almost in wonder.
After all this time, she had still thought to make him something?
"It's a bunch of chocolates I made!" she gushed, breaking him from his thoughts, "I'm really good at making candies, especially butterscotch, but chocolates are my favourite! They're caramel!" Emerald stared, and chuckled a tad,
"Well, I look forward to trying them later," he said. She tilted her head,
"You're not gonna try 'em now?"
"Well, no. I don't want to spoil my dinner, after all," he reasoned. She 'hmm'd for a moment, before nodding,
"Right! My parents say the same thing!"
"Your parents?" he couldn't help but ask, raising an eyebrow, "But I thought..." he trailed off, not wanting to bring up the memory, but he was surprised by Butterscotch's laughter.
"Yeah, I know! I can't believe my real mom and dad didn't want me, but these really nice ponies adopted me a few years ago, they're over there, see?!" she squealed, turning and pointing at a pair of ponies huddling by the wall.
They didn't seem to notice for a moment, but the male eventually elbowed the female, and they both gave a rather sheepish wave.
Emerald scanned them for a moment, and committed them to memory, making a note to check for their records.
... Just in case.
"Well, they look like good ponies," he said instead, smiling when Butterscotch started rapidly nodding,
"They really are!"
Their little talk was interrupted, however, when a familiar little buffalo approached them,
"Um, excuse me?" Little Strongheart asked timidly,
"Strongheart, nice to see you," Emerald greeted, "How're things with the Appleloosans?"
"Oh! They're doing great!" Strongheart chirped, "And our tribe is much happier than I've ever seen them!" she added excitedly, "We even found the one who faked that deed!"
"You did?"
"Mhmm, turns out it was a pony in a very well made buffalo costume that stole the deed and sold it to the Appleloosans!"
"That's... less impressive than what I'd imagined," he admitted.
"I thought the same."
"Your tribe?" Butterscotch suddenly asked, tilting her head, prompting Strongheart to turn to her,
"Yes, my tribe! It's a group of buffalo like myself, who-!"
Emerald smiled at the interaction, but rather than wait for their attention to divert back to him, he stealthily crept away.
Well, he tried, at least. He was one of the more recognizable members of their group-if not flat out the most recognizable-so even as he wormed his way past talking individuals, he was almost immediately brought into conversations by those he was passing.
"Emerald, you're looking great!" one stallion greeted him, practically jumping and wrapping his hooves around his neck. The sound of twinkling magic invaded his ears, before he was bombarded by a third hoof wrapping around his torso,
"Yay, you're here!" a younger male voice echoed,. Emerald struggled for a moment, and managed to pull away, eyeing his attackers.
One of them was a tall pegasus with a gray-ish white coat, a long crimson mane and tail, and a pair of bright silver eyes, which matched the mark of a snowflake in the center of a solar corona.
The other was a younger unicorn colt, with a dark red coat and a short, vibrant scarlet mane and tail, with his bangs hanging just above his bright yellow eyes. He was sitting down in front of him, his front right hoof clenched in front of his chest, contrasting the empty spot where his front left hoof used to be.
"Winter Sun, Fire Hoof, it's nice to see you two again," Emerald remarked once again. Winter laughed,
"Isn't it?" he asked, spreading his hooves, "I mean, you get to see me again!" he boasted. Fire Hoof scoffed, and punched the older colt with his only hoof,
"Agh!"
"You really need to quit acting like that," Fire said, his voice surprisingly deep for someone only four years older than Wisp, "Honestly, this is why you can't keep a mare." Winter flinched back, as if struck,
"What?! Blasphemy!"
Emerald sighed, shaking his head,
"Well, you two certainly are lively," he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Fire sighed,
"Yeah, I'm sorry for his behavior. But after we got a place of our own over near Trottingham, he's been obsessed with getting a marefriend. Shame he can't keep one," Fire said, growling the last part at Winter, who merely looked affronted,
"I told you, blasphemy! I can so keep a mare! It's not my fault they can't keep up with me!"
"Whatever you say, Mr. One Pump."
"Wh-wha-how do you know about that?!"
"We live in the same house, moron!"
"That was one time!"
"Yeah, one time every time!"
Emerald was not comfortable being here anymore.
It must have shown on his face, since Fire Hoof sighed, apologized, then proceeded to drag Winter away with his magic.
Emerald stared after them for a moment, before groaning into his hooves.
Why me?
"Having trouble?" a wonderfully familiar voice mocked, causing Emerald to sigh once again,
"Hello to you to, Trixie," he groaned, rubbing his temples as he turned to the blue magician, now devoid of the trail of foals following after her, who smirked at the exasperated look on his face, "What can I do for you?" Trixie laughed,
"Wow, you really look worn out," she noted, "Have you talked to everyone already?" she asked, only to laugh when he shook his head,
"No, there are still a few faces I haven't seen," he replied, eyes closed, "Murky Waters, Dusk Wing, Hot Streak, Quick Step, Lemon Pop, Jet Stream, Scented Oil, and Starlight are the only ponies I haven't seen yet."
Trixie nodded at the names, but paused once Starlight's came up,
"Yeah... you might not see Starlight for a bit," Trixie said, a tad evasively, "She's... well, to be frank, I think she's avoiding you right now." Emerald's head snapped up, fixing her with a heavy gaze,
"What?" Trixie shrugged,
"Yeah, it's weird. I've seen her slink away from you a couple times. It looked like she wanted to talk to you, but lost her nerve and skittered off," she admitted, narrowing her eyes, "Then again... she hasn't talked to me either..."
"You think she's avoiding all of us? Thorax and Iron as well?"
"Not sure, but it's likely," she said, glancing off to the side, "Oh, hey Jet! You said hi to Emerald yet?" she called, prompting Emerald to follow her gaze.
A black pegasus stallion with a dark gray mane and tail, styled into strange looking upward spikes, was just standing there, his charcoal eyes glancing away from them, almost looking embarrassed.
"Oh, uh, hey, Trixie," Jet Stream muttered with a chuckle, finally approaching them, "Uh, yeah, actually. Er-wait, no-I mean I haven't talked to him but-you see I was plann-I came over to say hi!" he spat out quickly, his dark face turning an even darker shade, which got a laugh out of Trixie and the others surrounding them,
"Aw, poor Jet, he's getting all flustered!" Emerald heard Blossom giggle,
"Yeah, he's in front of his cruuuuuuush!" he heard Coco Butter murmur, though it was followed by the sound of a smack, "Ow!"
"Knock it off."
Emerald eyed Jet for a moment, taking in the way his eyes traveled everywhere but where Trixie was, and nearly sighed.
"So, Jet," Emerald said, deciding to throw the embarrassed fool a line, hiding a frown when he almost desperately took it, giving him his full attention, "What have you been doing these past six years?"
"Uh, well, I've, uh..." his eyes flickered over to Trixie, "Well, you see I've been, uh, practicin'!" Emerald nodded,
"Nice... you gonna tell me what for, or do I need to guess?" Jet went a brighter shade,
"Oh! Sorry, I've been practicin' for the Wonderbolts!" he gushed, the blush fading, "I know that Spitfire managed to get in, and I want to be just like that!"
"So, you're a stunt flier?" Emerald asked, earning a nod from him,
"Yeah! My goal is to aim for the Wonderbolts Reserves' top spot!"
"The... Reserves?" Emerald asked, that didn't make much sense, "If you want to be in the Wonderbolts, why are you aiming for the Reserves?" he asked, confused. Jet just shrugged,
"I doubt I'd get into the Wonderbolts proper, just like that. Their rosters completely full, and I'd need one of the current members to quit, and that isn't happening anytime soon, so, I'm going for the Reserves!"
"Pretty smart idea, all things considered," Trixie praised, smirking at the way Jet suddenly turned into a blubbering mess,
"Y-you really think so?!"
"Sure, why not?"
A loud laugh from behind him got him to turn, finding a bright yellow earth pony, with a brighter yellow mane and tail styled into a set of strange drill-like pigtails, and dark yellow eyes smiling up a storm. Her cutie mark appeared to be a slice of lemon on a popsicle stick. Beside her was a pegasus mare with a dazed expression, a light blue coat almost hidden under the absolute mess of a seaweed green mane she had, which fell to the floor in large, almost stringy-looking, clumps, leaving only a single grass green eye peering through. Her cutie mark, which was a green and black marsh, was the only real part of her visible.
"He's really got it bad," the mass of hair spoke, "Don't you think, Lemon Pop?"
"You got that right, Murky!" Lemon cheered, letting out another laugh, when it faded into a happy sigh, "Wow, it's great to see everyone again, especially you, Emerald," Lemon purred, advancing slightly on him, her hips swaying slightly.
Emerald stiffened, and carefully began sliding away,
"Oh... So you haven't forgotten me, Pop?" he asked, shivering slightly when she closed the distance between them, almost teasingly pressing her chest against his,
"Oh, how could I forget a stallion like you?" she nearly moaned, only for a yelp to leap from her throat when she was pulled away by Murky,
"Down girl," Murky's dazed voice whispered as she stepped over the yellow mare, her absurdly long mane and tail obscuring her entire body as she passed.
Emerald relaxed slightly when Murky got close, and looked down, making eye contact with the only visible part of her face, the lone eye,
"Thank you for the help, Murky," he said, smiling slightly.
"It wasn't any trouble," she said, her tone hinting at a smile, "I know Lemon's always been.... forward with stallions," she said, diplomatically, "so I came prepared to defend everyone's innocence. Especially yours."
Emerald's smile faded, replaced by a much more strained version,
"My... innocence?"
"Your V-card."
"My...?"
"Your virginity."
"...."
"Your-"
"I get it."
Murky nodded,
"Cool, I was just makin' sure."
Emerald stared at her for a moment, before sighing,
"Right.... thanks," he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Lemon huffed, and stood back up,
"Oh come on, Murky! You can't keep blocking a lonely mare's advances like that," she scolded. Murky's eye blinked, and, with a tilt of her head, she turned to face Lemon,
".... Didn't you bring home four stallions and a mare in the same day last week?" Lemon sputtered,
"I did not!"
"Then what was all that sticky stuff you were covered in?"
".... Ice cream."
"Yeah, even though neither of us were at the shop, and neither of us ever bring the product home. Honestly, running an ice cream joint should really cool your-"
Emerald walked off before he could hear anything else.
He was uncomfortable again.
Thankfully, he was provided with a distraction when a red coated teenage colt bolted in front of him, his white streaked red mane waving erratically in a way that suggested he hardly took care of it. Even the horn peeking out from it looked poorly cared for.
"Emerald!" he cheered excitedly, giving the older male a wide, almost manic looking, grin, "I've been waiting to talk to you all day!" he added, pointing a hoof at him dramatically. Emerald only blinked, before quirking an eyebrow at him,
"That so, Hot Streak?" he asked, staring down at the younger male, unimpressed. He had a feeling he knew what the boy wanted to talk about.
"Yeah! I wanted to ask if you could shoot fireballs!"
Figures.
Emerald sighed, but nodded,
"Yes, Hot Streak, I can breathe fireballs," he admitted, frowning when Streak's smile grew wider, now looking almost painful in its size,
"Will you?!"
"No."
He smirked at the way the brat's face fell. Honestly, one might think he'd just killed the colt's puppy.
"Wha-why?!" he demanded, pouting. Emerald huffed,
"Not only am I not going to be breathing any fire near the grave, I don't see a reason to indulge your inner pyromaniac," he said, then muttered, "Though, I'm not too sure it's inner and not outer anymore..."
Hot Streak pouted further at him, before stomping off, his cheeks puffed.
Emerald sighed. At least he wasn't throwing a tantrum.
Again.
Applejack grumbled to herself, the nails she held between her lips acting as a muffler for the string of curses she wanted to start muttering.
About twenty minutes ago, right after they'd moved the float parts closer to the castle gates, Steeled had just up and left her right before they got to actually building the floats, muttering something about 'gettin' back to real work'.
So now here she was, busy building a bunch of floats from the plans he'd left behind, without so much as a thank you!
Applejack calmly sighed through the nails, but an angry slam of her hammer betrayed her thoughts.
Why that no good...!
He hadn't even had the kindness to send anybody around to come and help her in his stead! And he was making such a big deal about the guards not having anything to do, too! It wasn't right for somebody to just up and do that kind of thing.
"Hey there, you alright little missy?" a loud, booming voice asked from her right, startling Applejack into dropping her hammer,
"Agh!" she yelped, jerking her hoof away from where her hammer had just landed, narrowly avoiding a potential bruise.
"Oh, sorry about that!" the voice said again, this time from a bit closer. Applejack, a tad peeved, turned to face the pony who'd startled her, only to come face to face with a distinctly non-pony torso.
She stared at the blue furred chest in front of her for a few seconds, before her eyes trailed up, finally meeting with a set of bright yellow eyes belonging to a minotaur.
The minotaur met her gaze easily, and waved,
"Howdy there! Name's Iron Will, traveling self-help-guru! I couldn't help but notice you here, buildin' all alone and looking pretty ticked," he explained, before his smile dropped and a look of honest concern plastered his face, surprising Applejack, "So, you alright here, ma'am?"
"Uhh..." she began, before shaking her head, "Uh, yeah, I'm good!" she managed to say, before sending the pile of parts a grimace, "I was jus' s'ppossed ta build all this with somebody, but 'e ended up leavin' halfway through," she said, a slight note of complaint in her voice.
The minotaur, Iron Will, frowned,
"And you just let him?" Applejack blinked at the question, and nodded, hesitantly,
"Well... yeah?" she said, "I mean... He's a real grump of a stallion, an' there's no way 'e'd listen ta me, so what was I s'pposed ta do?"
"'When someones treats you like a mat, show them that you're more than that!'" Iron Will said, smirking at her, "If somebody doesn't want to listen, then make sure they listen!" he added, almost thoughtfully, "You might not think you can, but the first step forward, is choosing to take it."
Applejack blinked, digested the odd minotaur's words for a moment, before she nodded,
"'Kay... what does that mean?"
Iron Will blinked, and his smile fell,
"Crud, and I thought that one was good to go..." he muttered. Applejack regarded the minotaur for a moment, then shook her head,
"Look, if yer tryin' ta cheer me up, I 'ppreciate it, but I really gotta finish all this," she said, gesturing to the large assortment of yet-to-be-used materials. Iron Will nodded,
"Right! Of course. Sorry to bother... but maybe you'd like a helping hand or two?" Iron Will offered, looking almost hopeful. Applejack blinked, a bit stunned at the sudden offer, and very nearly turned him down on reflex. However, her eyes had ended up landing on the large pile for a moment, and an old memory came to mind of the time she tried harvesting the entire orchard by herself.
With that thought at the front of her mind, she ended up nodding,
"I sure would 'ppreciate that, Iron Will," she thanked with a tip of her hat. Iron Will chuckled, his deep voice causing her chest to vibrate,
"No trouble at all, miss!"
"Hey now, none'o that 'miss' business. I'm Applejack, but ya can call me Aj, if ya like."
"Applejack?" Iron muttered, before snapping his fingers, reminding her a bit too much of Discord, "Hold on! You're one of the mares who made friends with Emerald!" he chirped, before laughing, "Haha! I wasn't expecting to run into one of you for a while yet!" Applejack blinked, and frowned,
"Ya know... Oh, ya'll must be part'o that family'a 'is," she noted, smirking a bit when Iron Will nodded,
"That's right!" he said, puffing his chest out in pride, which got Applejack to chuckle at how similarly he did that to Rainbow, "So, he talks about us?" Iron Will asked, beginning to sort through the materials, and grabbing some of the wood beams, easily lifting nearly double the weight she'd carried up here as though it weighed nothing.
"Uhh..." she droned, stunned at the sight, but managed to collect her thoughts after a second, "S-sometimes. He ain't the most open po-er-thestral in the world," she said, and grimaced, "Me an' the others only jus' found out 'bout 'im bein' the Champion this mornin'," she added, frowning at the memory.
It wasn't like she didn't understand why'd he'd gone and kept that kind of thing secret. She didn't go around telling everybody about her work, and it wasn't even something she was keeping secret! Putting that whole thing aside, she didn't really know a single pony who actively talked about their job, except Pinkie and Rarity, secrets or no.
Besides, everybody had their secrets, even her.
She didn't exactly tell anybody about her old friend Rara. The only one who might know was Rarity, and that was only because they both grew up in Ponyville.
Speaking of Rara, she hadn't been able to keep up with her after they lost touch. She wondered how her career was going over in Manehatten...
Shame she'd probably never find out.
... Maybe she could ask Emerald for help? He seemed to know a lot of famous ponies, oddly enough. Maybe one of them has heard something about Rara?
Hmm... something to think about, she supposed.
But the point was, everybody had a secret, and just because they didn't go around telling everybody, didn't mean they weren't friends.
Speaking of, she might've just made a new friend in Iron Will, whose help was speeding things along massively.
It took several hours, long enough for the sun to begin its descent past the horizon, but, eventually, they finished. They managed to erect not one, not two, but three massive looking float bases, all placed near the training grounds, where the guards were happy enough to help move them despite how late it had gotten.
"Whoowee!" Applejack cheered, wiping off a layer of sweat on her forehead, "Now that's a mighty fine lookin' set of floats!" she said, and Iron Will agreed, letting out a booming laugh,
"They sure are!" he said, "Shame we'll only see what they look like tomorrow," he added, frowning slightly. Applejack nodded,
"Eeyup, but jus' think 'bout it. When these things come floatin' down the street, it'll be 'cause we built 'em!"
Unlike someone...
Thoughts of Steeled Hoof soured her expression, but Iron Will didn't pick up on it this time.
"No kiddin'!" he said, scratching the underside of his nose, smiling widely, "Hard work always pays off in the end!"
"You said it!"
Applejack had to admit, she was pretty proud of herself. Sure, this wasn't much compared to harvesting the orchard every year, but it was honest hard work, and that made all the difference.
"Is there anything else you've gotta do?" Iron Will asked as the guards began rolling the floats off, leaving the two of the alone in the small field. She frowned, and hummed to herself,
"Hmm... don't think so," she admitted, rubbing her chin, "I was jus' told that Steeled needed mah help, an' now the floats're all built. I was never told ta help decorate 'em'er anythin'. I guess that's everythin', then," she said. Iron Will nodded, and held out his... paw? Hand. It was a hand.
"Well, it was nice meetin' and workin' with you, Applejack," he said, prompting her to return the shake,
"Pleasure seein' ya as well, Will!" she agreed, "An who knows, maybe we'll see each other again?" she added. Iron Will laughed,
"Ha! With Emerald around, I wouldn't be surprised! That stallion seems to get himself into all kinds of trouble," he said, then narrowed his eyes, playfully, at her, "though, from what I've heard, the six of you mares aren't any better. Maybe I shouldn't let him go back with you..."
This time it was Applejack who laughed,
"Ha! As if ya'd be able ta! If Pinkie doesn't pry him away, ya'll can be sure that Twilight would!"
Pinkie clapped giddily to herself.
It was done! After all that mixing, cooking, and decorating, it was done! It was big and it was done!
"Haha! Even better than I'd imagined!" Gustave guffawed from next to her, looking up at the glorious confection before them.
It was massive, six layers total, and completely covered in pink frosting! It was decorated with designs of draping white, and copious amounts of nice juicy fruit around the edges, all topped off with a mouth-watering chocolate drizzle, still dripping wet down the sides!
If she didn't know any better, she might've thought she'd just died and gone to Cake Heaven!
Wait, did she?
...
Nope! Still alive!
And it only got better!
There were two of them after all!
Her eyes kept dancing between the two confectionery delights, her mouth practically dripping a waterfall onto the floor,
"They look so good!" she agreed, her eyes alight with stars. Gustave nodded,
"Of course they do! I made them, so how could they turn out any different?!" he boasted, and Pinkie couldn't help but agree with him, even if she'd helped out,
"Wow.... now what?" she asked curiously, turning to the older cook with a pep in her step. Gustave kept staring at the cakes for a moment, before muttering,
"We put them in the freezer," he said, "for tomorrow."
Pinkie nodded, and turned back to the cakes. That was a good idea. The freezer would keep them nice and fresh, and prevent the frosting from-
"What?!" she nearly shrieked, rounding on Gustave instantly, "But-but they look so yummy! We-we can't just leave them!"
This was horrible! Such delightful delectable delicacies should be enjoyed right away! You couldn't just put something this amazing in the freezer! That would make it all hard and some water might freeze on top and make the frosting all watery when it gets taken out for tomorrow!
Gustave shook his head, his features grim,
"I'm afraid we must," he said solemnly, and Pinkie knew that he understood her. He understood the tragedy that could come from leaving these poor things alone in the cold freezer!
"B-but what about the fridge?!"
"It's not big enough."
"Make it big enough!"
"If only we could."
Pinkie sank to the floor in despair, as the world lost colour all around her. This couldn't be happening! Such a horrible, terrible thing couldn't possibly be happening! The cakes were so young, they shouldn't have to go through that kind of thing!
But alas, Pinkie was powerless. Through muted ears, she was forced to watch as Gustave, looking as grave as she felt, ordered the others into pushing the large, yummy, delicious looking cakes into the cold, desolate freezer.
The freezer door slammed shut, and the world returned to normal.
"Welp, that's done!" she chirped, bouncing back onto her hooves, smile already in place.
"Yes, and with that, your job here is also done," Gustave said, turning to face her, a claw outstretched, "It was wonderful working with you, Miss Pinkie." Pinkie blinked, and stared down at the offered appendage, before giggling and, completely ignoring it, jumped forward and wrapped her hooves around him,
"Yeah! It was a lot of fun baking cakes with you too, Mr. Chef!" she gushed. Gustave had stiffened when she wrapped her hooves around him, but he'd managed to relax a bit, and even gave her head a gentle pat.
"Y-... yes, it was rather fun, I suppose..." he said, sounding hesitant. Taking the hint, Pinkie let go and bounced back,
"Ooh, maybe we can team up again!" she said, "Wouldn't that be amazing!? Imagine all the parties we could bake for!" Gustave's eye twitched,
"Ah... yes. I suppose that could be... interesting," he said slowly, as if weighting each word carefully, "But... perhaps not for a while?" Pinkie blinked, and titled her head,
"Why not?" she asked innocently. Yeah, why not? It would be really fun, so why would they wait?
Gustave stared at her for a moment, before sighing,
"Frankly, I don't think I could handle you again any time soon," he admitted without a trace of shame, "You're too hyper for me. I'm honestly stunned that you and Emerald can get along even half as well as you seem too. For multiple reasons."
Pinkie blinked, then nodded,
"Oh, okay!"
"... You accepted that fairly quick."
"Why wouldn't I? You said we can team up again someday!"
"I... suppose I did. Dammit."
Fluttershy felt a little guilty, sitting next to Spitfire while Rainbow and the others soared through the darkening sky, with the sun having begun to set an hour ago.
She hadn't done anything to help. She'd just... been there, while Rainbow went out and helped the Wonderbolts. She wished she could've done something, but... she just wasn't strong enough a flier.
For that reason, she was busy staring at the ground, trying, and failing, to push away the raw guilt bubbling in her chest. She felt so awful! The Princess had been so nice when she asked for help, but she just couldn't do it!
"I should probably thank you, Fluttershy, before I forget," Spitfire suddenly said, breaking Fluttershy from her thoughts.
"Wh-what?" she asked, her head whipping to face the orange mare, her eyes wide and confused. Thank... her? F-for what?!
"Wh-why would you want to thank me?" Fluttershy asked, "I-I-I didn't do a-anything!"
Spitfire turned to her, smirking,
"I wouldn't say that," she said, and turned back to the field. Fluttershy blinked, and followed her gaze, finding Soarin watching the other pegasi with a smile on his face. "Soarin and I don't get along too well," Spitfire suddenly admitted, prompting Fluttershy to turn back to her, looking stunned, "It's not that we don't like each other or anything, he's a good friend, but we're just too different. He's honest and carefree, and I'm pretty strict. I know that," she said, furrowing her brow, "Thing is, that argument you two walked in on wasn't the first one we've had. Sure, it wasn't much, he was just being annoying with his weird pie obsession, but it definitely would've escalated if you hadn't come in."
Fluttershy blinked,
"B-but I-?"
"You helped me calm down," Spitfire interrupted her, glancing back at her firmly, before returning to the fliers, "I've been trying to get Soarin to take things seriously since I met him, and I've never been able to. Like I said, that argument would've escalated. But then you and Dash over there came in and caught my attention. Then Dash up and leaves to clear this area," she muttered, scoffing slightly, "I like her enthusiasm, but she's a fan, and I tend to just nod along whenever I hear a die-hard fan like her start talking. It's a nasty habit, I know, but I can't really bring myself to care. I deal with too many of them, so I can't possibly give them the attention they deserve. I'd go crazy if I did," Spitfire said, chuckling slightly, and turned to her once again, "... I'm rambling, aren't I?"
"O-oh! N-no, not at all!" Fluttershy said quickly, "I-it's okay, I don't mind listening," she added, more quietly. Spitfire sighed,
"That's exactly what I'm talking about. I wanted to stop thinking about Soarin's pie obsession, and you were willing to listen to me, an almost complete stranger. And, considering what the Princess told me about you, that's quite the feat for a mare as shy as she claimed you were. So thanks."
Fluttershy stared at Spitfire in surprise, and blushed,
"O-oh... U-Umm..." she fidgeted slightly, rubbing her hooves together, "I-it wasn't any trouble." Spitfire chuckled, and nodded,
"You know... I had a feeling you'd say that," she muttered, before standing and facing her, "Well Fluttershy. Thanks, again, for what you did. I really needed it," she spared a brief glance at her teammates and Rainbow, who had finally finished their routine, and landed gently against the dirt, then turned back to her, "and with that... we're done here," she said, smiling, "I still have my own things to do, but you and Dash over there have finished what we needed you to do," she gave Fluttershy a playful salute, "Thanks again, cuz-" she winked, "-I'll go tell your friend you're finished here, and you can be on your way."
The breath left her body in ragged pants, her wings and chest pulsing with the familiar burn of exertion and holy shit was it awesome!
She knew, and had always known, that the Wonderbolts were the best of the motherfucking best in all of Equestria, but holy fuck she'd been underestimating them!
The way they moved was flawless, perfect in every way. They were perfectly in sync with each other, and barely even had to glance at each other to know exactly what to do! She'd always thought that she had everything it took to be a Wonderbolt and more, but this proved her wrong. Like, 'the sun is made of water' wrong!
She was probably one of the faster fliers in Equestria, but if that little hour long session was anything to go by, then she was not the fastest flier.
Fleetfoot was quick, able to maintain her top speed going upwards, spin around, and match her own speed before breaking away, all without losing even a bit of speed. And she didn't even look winded!
Sweet Celestia, Rainbow could only really perform the Sonic Rainboom going down, and even then it took a lot out of her!
Even the others, while definitely slower than her, managed to outlast her like crazy! Nearly ten minutes into their session she'd been panting like a dehydrated dog while the others just muttered something about 'stupid warm-ups'.
She guessed this was just the kind of thing you had to expect, putting a mostly self-taught/self-trained pony against a bunch of total pros.
And that wasn't even talking about their actual stunts! She'd always thought her own tricks were wild and impressive, definitely on par with the Wonderbolts, but in comparison? Her stunts were way easier!
In, pretty much all of, her stunts, she only had to worry about how fast she was going, what was in her way, and how to look cool. She had figured the Wonderbolts were the same, but holy shit she was wrong!
There had been a temporary pause in their session, mostly to let Rainbow catch her breath-and wasn't that a blow to her pride?-and High had ended up asking her about her own personal stunts. She'd been very happy to boast about her skills to the Wonderbolts, but the way they just smiled at her had irked her, and she'd asked what their deal was.
Turns out the Wonderbolts' stunts were... a lot more complicated than she gave them credit for. Though, to be fair, she usually flew solo, so she wasn't really aware of just how much more complicated group stunts were.
Seriously, keeping track of not only your speed, but five other ponies' at all times, as well as their locations and what they were about to do? Fuck, that was not something she usually did.
Still, it was awesome! The Wonderbolts were everything she'd thought they be and more!
The smile was still stuck to her face when Spitfire approached,
"Nice job, rookie. A bit rough around the edges, but you've got potential. The Academy will take care of you, no doubt about it," she said. Rainbow beamed,
"D-does that mean I got accepted?!" she asked eagerly. Spitfire frowned, and made a sound,
"Noooot quite. Like I said, we can consider this your preliminary exam to get in, but this is just the physical part. There is an actual exam you need to take. Plus I've gotta fill out a bunch of paperwork, but, apart from that, I'd say you did well enough," she admitted, "Not perfect, mind you, but, hey, who is?"
Rainbow Dash stared at her idol for a moment, before nodding.
Yeah, that totally made sense. Can't just let anybody who can fly decently well into the Academy, right?
.... But an actual test? Shit, she'd have to ask Twilight for help...
"So, uh... when is this test?" Spitfire grimaced,
"Well, we gotta wait for this term to end. The Academy is pretty similar to regular school. Learn shit, practice shit, graduate. This term started about a month ago, so you'll have to wait. Wouldn't exactly be fair to just let you in, and the Academy likes its 'equal opportunity' stuff, you know?" Rainbow nodded, reigning in her slight disappointment,
"Cool, cool... so, uh... what exactly is this test like?" she asked innocently. Spitfire smirked, seeing right through her without issue,
"Sorry rookie, but you're just gonna have to wait to find out," she said, then chuckled, "buuuut, I'll give ya a hint. It's about some stuff you'll have learned in Flight School, so you don't need to worry too much," she revealed.
Rainbow stiffened at the admission, but valiantly kept her face straight.
On the inside, however, she was freaking the fuck out!
Shit, shit, shit!
Now she definitely needed Twilight's help!
"Well, now that we've got that outta the way, I'd like to say thanks for clearing the area, it really helped," Spitfire began with a smirk, breaking Rainbow from her ruminations, "but we've got things from here. Your work here is done, so you and Fluttershy can head out. It's getting pretty late anyways," she added, glancing at the orange stained sky.
"Oh! Uh, yeah!" Rainbow stammered, "Er.... night?" she muttered, drifting off over to Fluttershy, who was patiently waiting for her.
"See you at the Academy, rookie! And see you some other time, cuz!"
"Oh... um, goodbye... cousin?"
"Oh, uh, yeah! See ya, Spitfire!"
"That's Captain to you, rookie!"
"Y-yes sir, Captain!"
"Mhm! Got-ta say, Rarity, your designs are spec-ta-cu-lar as always!" Sapphire gushed, strutting around slightly in her new outfit, "Nice and breathable, easy to move in, wooo! How you ain't famous yet is a mystery to all ponykind!"
"Oh my, you're far too kind, Sapphire," Rarity tittered, flushing faintly. Sapphire rounded on her, smiling,
"Now now! There won't be any talking like that! If I say it, I mean it! You are, with-out-a-doubt the best designer I've had the pleasure of meeting!"
Rarity smiled at the praise, and felt herself warm up as well.
As expected, her designs had come out spectacularly! Oh, yes, she'd had to make a few, minor, adjustments once they all tried them on, but, a part from that little hiccup, they were flawless.
They were, as Sapphire had said, breathable and easy to move in. Exactly the kind of thing a group of dancers needed!
And goodness, did they look spectacular! Why, if it wouldn't have made her all sweaty, she might've been tempted to hop on stage and join them herself!
But alas, she'd stick with her darling Ponytones back in Ponyville as far as such performances went.
... Goodness, she couldn't quite recall their last performance, had it been that long? Oh well, she'd just have to schedule a slight get-together, and perhaps a rehearsal for them! She was sure Toe-Tapper and Torch Song wouldn't mind, though Big Macintosh might be a bit harder to schedule for.
"You're words are worth quite a lot to me, Sapphire," Rarity admitted,
"Really now? And what makes you say that?" she asked, sounding curious. Rarity fidgeted slightly,
"Well... I am not sure if you're aware, but you were, without a doubt, my first big customer. Before then, I'd been limited to Ponyville, and, while I was fortunate enough to have Hoity Toity take an interest in my designs, you were the first individual who truly took interest." Sapphire blinked at her,
"Was I now? That can't be right, didn't Hoity purchase quite a few dresses and suits from you? I believe I recall seeing them somewhere before..." she noted. Rarity nodded,
"Well, yes, he did. But the designs he was interested in were made for my friends, and, even then, I never received any sort of real boost in business or any such thing after he appeared. Perhaps I did receive a few more orders than usual, but nothing to truly connect the two. But after you bought my designs, I've had such an increase in orders that I doubt I'll be wanting for business for quite some time yet!"
Sapphire stared at her for a moment, before smiling,
"Well then, I'm glad I could be of help!" she gushed, then giggled, "But don't thank me too much. I never would've discovered you if Em hadn't vouched for you," she admitted. Rarity blinked, and nodded,
"Yes, of course... Although, if you don't mind me asking, what was it you were in Ponyville of all places for if not for me?" she asked. Sapphire laughed,
"Oh, well I was actually visiting to give Em a late birthday gift, and I happened to mention looking for a new designer for my tour. He said you were a good one and pointed me right-to-you~"
"A late birthday gift?" Rarity found herself asking, "When was his birthday?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. She couldn't recall him ever mentioning such a thing.
In fact... she couldn't even recall Pinkie mentioning it!
"On Nightmare Night. He turned twenty-three."
Rarity frowned, and committed the knowledge to memory. She was sure Pinkie would like to hear about this.
And if there was anyone who deserved a Pinkie Party, it was him.
Sapphire suddenly clapped her hooves together,
"Welp! As fun as all this was, it's getting pret-ty late!" she said, "Me and the girls have to head to bed! We'll need all the rest we can get for tomorrow! And I bet you do to!" Rarity glanced around, her eyes landing on the clock moments later,
"Oh my, 9:30?" she said, surprised, "I'm afraid I'll have to agree!" she added, beginning to clean her little work area.
"Well, it was great to see you again, Rar-i-ty!" Sapphire sang, "See you tomorrow then!" she chirped, and left, her hoofsteps gradually fading away, followed quickly by several other sets, leaving Rarity alone in the auditorium, cleaning.
She bit her lip suddenly, and shivered.
Something... didn't quite feel right, all of a sudden.
Twilight panted heavily, and finally came to a halt, having to lean against the nearest building to catch her breath.
For the past two hours, she'd been running around Canterlot, trying to find where Emerald was. With every passing minute, with every failed attempt, she could feel herself getting more and more frantic!
What had started as a worried jog, had soon turned into a panicked run as she raced around the city, failing to find that green stallion.
In the back of her mind, Twilight noted that she was being a little crazy. Emerald was fine, and all this running around, earning looks from the nearby nobles, probably wasn't worth it, in the end.
But the rest of her mind just kept replaying that scene, over and over again.
-A hoof grasped her shoulder, forcibly pulling her forward and onto the ground-
-a gasp-
-silence-
EMERALD!
She shuddered, feeling the slowing beat of her heart pick up once again.
Logically, he was okay. She knew he was safe, and, most importantly, alive. She knew, sheknewsheknewsheknew!
But she had to see him, had to know for certain!
Because what if he wasn't? She needed to be there, to see that he was okay. She needed to feel his strong, warm, beating heart to know, to make sure!
Twilight shook her head, dispelling the distracting thoughts with ease, decades of studying coming in handy for something other than learning for once.
With her head clear once more, she took off, immediately taking the first right she came to-
-and running face first into what felt like a brick wall.
The 'Oof' sound the wall made as she fell, however, painted it as anything but.
For a moment, she was dazed by the impact, but then her mind caught up with her, and she scrambled to her hooves.
"Oh sweet Celestia, I'm sorry! I-I wasn't-I didn't see-!"
"It's fine, I get it. You can quit failing to speak now," a sarcastic male voice replied. Twilight blinked and looked up, before freezing at the sight of the red and white stallion.
"H-hang on, aren't you...?" she trailed off for a moment, "... Emerald's brother?" she asked instead, unable to come up with a name.
The stallion scoffed,
"Yeah? And you're Twilight Sparkle, one of his... friends," he said, then smirked at her, revealing a set of unusually sharp teeth for an earth pony, "Name's Thorax, but call me Peppermint when I look like this," he said, gesturing down to his body.
Twilight blinked, and gave Peppermint(?) a once over.
...
What was he talking about?
"Umm... Okay, Th-Peppermint?" she stammered slightly, her thoughts beginning to race once more.
He'd been over in the Royal Medical Wing just before Emerald was discharged, so, maybe, he knew where he went?
Her eyes light up, and just as she was about to ask him, he spoke up,
"I'm not telling you where Em is, Sparkle," he said with a frown, completely cutting her off. Twilight sputtered,
"Wh-why not?!" she demanded, feeling a tad offended. Peppermint(?) shrugged,
"He needs to relax. Having you there, especially now, would probably get him worked up," he said, then sneered slightly, looking away, "He's bad enough already. I just had to mention it, didn't I?" he added, more to himself, and glanced back at her, "I'm not letting him get even more distracted. So you can just head on back to the castle or where ever," he said, turning and walking away.
Twilight frowned, feeling her worry spike once more.
What was wrong with Emerald? Why was he distracted?
Was he hurt?! O-or scared?! Or what about-?!
Peppermint(?) sighed suddenly,
"You're like a cloud, you know? Honestly, what are you so Hivedamned worried about?" he asked, turning back to her, scowling slightly, "He's in good hooves, so quit freaking out. You're spoiling my appetite," he said. Twilight blinked, not quite sure how she was supposed to take that.
"Now now, Peppermint," an older mare's voice suddenly said, "Is that any way to talk to a lady?"
Peppermint(?) scowled,
"She's a friend of Emerald's, so I really don't think it matters how I speak to her," he defended, turning to the right. Twilight followed his gaze reflexively, and almost gasped.
Walking up to them was an absolutely gorgeous mare, the likes of which not even Canterlot models could compare. And, judging by the myriad stallions, and the few mares, behind and around them that were staring at her, she wasn't the only one who thought so.
A snow white coat so pure it made clouds look tainted, expertly groomed down in such a way that she seemed to shine. A curly golden mane that appeared as soft as silk cascaded around her face, framing her face, one filled to the brim with soft curves and elegant features, with golden strands. A single, immaculately cared for, horn jutted from her forehead, causing her bangs to divert, falling down and over her left eye, hiding it from view. Contrasting her brilliant appearance, her eyes were a deep, dark green that seemed to pull in the light, yet shone with an inner light that was so obviously magical in origin. A brilliant green heart, surrounded by darker green flames adorned her flank, accidentally, or purposefully in some cases, drawing the eye to her supple flank, supported by strong legs not commonly found in unicorns.
"Is that so?" the model-esque mare asked, glancing at Twilight with interest, the dark jade of her eyes twinkling. Twilight swallowed unconsciously, and found herself responding,
"Y-yes."
The mare smiled, showing off a set of perfectly white, perfectly aligned teeth that could've blinded someone were it earlier in the day, and clapped giddily.
"That's wonderful!" she breathed, the soft, melodious tones of her voice soothing to the ear, "I've heard many great things about him. We have yet to meet, though I plan on changing that within the next few days," she said, before letting out a soft tinkling sound, reminiscent of a bell.
It took Twilight longer than she'd like to admit to realize that the sound was really the mare giggling.
"Oh!" the mare suddenly gasped, "My my, where have my manners gone?" she asked herself, extending a lone hoof, "It's a pleasure to meet you, dear." Twilight stared at the offered hoof for a moment, hesitating to take it out of the irrational fear that she'd somehow sully that pristine white coat. After a moment, however, she realized that she was hesitating, and shook the offered hoof,
"U-umm, hello!" she chirped awkwardly, smiling back at the mare, "I-it's nice to meet you too!" she squeaked. The mare giggled at her, taking back her hoof to cover her mouth,
"Your name is... Twilight Sparkle, correct?" she asked, earning a hasty nod. She smiled and nodded, as if confirming something to herself, "That would mean you're also the prized student of Princess Celestia herself, yes?"
"U-umm... yes," Twilight admitted, turning a faint red, not used to someone off the street taking so much interest in her.
"I must imagine, then, that you'd know quite a lot about magic. It must be hard to get out with all the studying I'm sure you do," she said, smiling sympathetically. Twilight blinked,
"O-oh... well, it's not that hard," she muttered, and looked up at the mare, "D-do you study magic as well, Miss.....?" The mare giggled once more,
"Oh no, I'm afraid I've learned all the things about magic that I need to know already. But I do admit, I have a hard time finding time to head out. I have quite a lot of children, you see, and a mother's job is never done, right Peppermint?" she asked, turning to Peppermint(?) with a knowing smile. He sighed,
"Yes Mother," he droned, as if bored with the conversation.
Twilight's eyes nearly bugged out at that.
Mother?!
She glanced at the mare, and then back at Peppermint(?) a few times.
B-but she can't be that much older than me!
There was no way a mare like her could be a mother! She looked far too young to have a son, let alone one who appeared around Twilight's age!
The mare chuckled,
"Oh yes, I get that reaction quite often," she said, smiling at Twilight, "It's quite flattering, really. It's nice to see that this filly's still got it," she added teasingly. She glanced up at the sky, and turned to Peppermint,
"Well, it's getting late, and I'd really like to meet this Emerald before we head home, dear," she turned to Twilight, still smiling, "This was a pleasant meeting, Ms. Sparkle. I do look forward to seeing you again at the wedding," she added, smiling knowingly.
Twilight turned red,
"W-wedding?!" she stammered, eyes looking around frantically, "I-I'm not getting m-m-married!" The mare smiled,
"Of course you're not, Ms. Sparkle," she said teasingly, though it held a hint of something else, "I meant your brother's wedding."
At that, all the steam-and consequently the embarrassment that caused it-went out the window, and left her just staring dumbly.
"My... my brother's wedding?" she asked herself.
"You didn't know?" the mare asked, looking honestly surprised, "I would've thought he'd told you... Why wouldn't he? You are his sister, after all," she said curiously, before shrugging, "Oh well, I'm sure he has a... good reason," she finished, turning to walk off, "Come on now, Peppermint."
He clicked his tongue, and followed dutifully after the mare,
"Yeah yeah..."
Twilight stood there for a moment, lost in her thoughts. It wasn't until she heard Peppermint(?) speak that she realized the two of them were leaving.
"W-wait!" she called without thinking, "I-I never got your name!"
Th-this was Emerald's family, right? S-so shouldn't she at least know their names?
The mare paused and turned to face her, a soft, almost embarrassed, smile in place,
"Oh dear, did I forget?" she asked, then tittered softly, "My apologies. My name is Chrysalis. It was very nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle."
Emerald sighed quietly, having finally gotten a nice place to himself.
Admittedly, it wasn't the best spot, but, given how everyone seemed distracted with catching up with everyone else-something he should be doing as well, his mind supplied-it was decent enough for now.
He currently sat, hidden, on the other side of the grave-not before paying his respects, of course-where the stone was blank. Again, it wasn't not a good hiding spot, by any means, but it was working well enough at the moment.
There he sat, currently deep in his own head, while that one sentence kept replaying, over and over again.
Also, the heck is up with you two?
He knew something had changed. Had felt it the second he touched that stupid crown, but he'd dismissed it, thinking it was his damned stomach.
He recognized it now. A strange... hollowness. Something was missing. He didn't know what.
Whatever it was, it had something to do with his diminished feelings for Sparky, and it was, without a fucking doubt, connected to the Elements.
How could it not be? The only thing in his-their lives that had changed were the Elements. Logically, that meant the Elements were somehow behind all of this.
But, even so... it didn't make sense.
...
No, it made perfect sense. Discord had altered the personalities of the girls, somehow, so it stood to reason that the things that countered him could do the same.
But that thought left a chilled feeling in his bones.
Were the Elements of Harmony influencing his feelings?
Of course, if that was the case, then how far did it go?
Wasn't it suspicious that the six, later seven, of them all ended up in the same town, right next to where the Elements were stored, just before they needed to be used again?
Discord had all but shouted at Emerald that he was the Seventh Element, the Element of Sacrifice-stupid fucking name by the way-not that it had chosen him. That implied that he'd always been the Element of Sacrifice. That, again, implied that he was the only one who could use it, since, after all, he was it.
If that was the case for him, then, didn't that mean that the girls, those six mares, were the only six mares in all of Equestria who could wield the Elements?
What were the chances that six, later seven, specific individuals would all end up in exactly the same place at the same time, exactly where they needed to be?
Now, one could argue that Mother had sent him, the only one who could be the Seventh Element, to Ponyville to protect the six of them, but... Not only had jack shit happened, but why him?
Why move the most skilled guard in Equestria to a small town in the middle of practically fucking nowhere, in secret mind you, when she could have officially, and reasonably, sent a small task force to set up a base in Ponyville to protect the Bearers, while publicly announcing she was doing so to mitigate the dangers of the Everfree Forest?
The records he'd looked at before heading to Ponyville had mentioned that Mayor Mare had asked for a small force to come to Ponyville, but all her request had been denied.
Why?
Of course, this was just him, so it could all very well be a coincidence. The mother of all coincidences and a million to one shot to boot, but a coincidence nonetheless.
But what if he wasn't the only one?
Mother had done the same thing for Sparky, sending her right where she needed to be, at the same time that Sparky was panicking over Nightmare Moon's return. Being the studious little bookworm that she is, she would, of course learn about the Elements... of... Harmony...
...
Fuck, this was... fuck this was... this was beginning to freak him out!
Of course she'd find the Elements with how studious she was! That was exactly who Twilight Sparkle was, after all! Not only that, but, hadn't she learned about Nightmare Moon's return the same way?! By studying books! Because that was who she was!
But did the Elements have a part in that, too?
Was Twilight Sparkle a studious little shut in because that was just how she'd been born, or had the Elements of Harmony groomed her to be that way?
After all, it was her shut in nature that not only got her to learn about the Nightmare's return, which would prompt Mother to send her to Ponyville-had she known Twilight would be the Element of Magic, or was that a whim brought on by the Elements' influence?-but it had also somehow roped in the only five individuals who could use the others Elements and get her to rediscover the Element of Magic!
Not only that, but why had she accepted the friendship of those five so easily?
She'd had friends in Canterlot, three-or was it four?-mares she'd spent time with since her schooldays. Yes... he remembered them now that he thought about it...
Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, and... Moon Dancer? Yes... no, wait... there was a fifth one, wasn't there?
Who...?
... Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings. Dro-Bon Bon's roommate.
She'd been friends with her before, but why had she never thought to visit?
She'd accepted Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy extraordinarily easily-suspiciously easy, even-but she had been almost completely disconnected from her old friends. Yet... they were similar, in some ways.
Logically, it didn't make sense. According to the report, she'd blown off her old friends not long before she'd just gone and accepted five other mares as friends, whom she'd not even known for a full day at that point, then all but completely forgot about her old ones.
Come to think of it... he was in a similar position.
It was as though a film over his mind had been pulled away. Looking back on it, there was absolutely no way he would've gotten along with Pinkie as well as he had. The last pony he'd met with a personality even half as grand as hers had pissed him off so completely, he'd nearly blown his disguise and roasted her alive!
The same applied for Rainbow Dash. He'd always had a severe hate for those who lazed around during work. Yet rather than hate, he'd only disliked Rainbow Dash, and had, eventually, grown to respect, if not like, her.
And Fluttershy's personality would've driven him away almost immediately-who wanted to deal with someone so pathetic?-but he'd given her a chance and approached because she was family.
...
What if the Elements were responsible for that as well?
Discord could manipulate reality, and the Elements had to be able to do the same to repair the damages he'd done. Who's to say they didn't make sure he'd be related to Fluttershy?
After all, he somehow got along fairly well with the only six mares who wielded the other Elements. And Discord had more than happily shown him-shown all of them-what happened when the Bearers weren't in sync. Or present.
...
Fuck.
The Elements, seemingly, manipulated Twilight Sparkle's growth and personality, apparently brought his uncle and Fluttershy's mother together to make her-and that might not even be the end of their reality bending 'guidance'-and even influenced his thoughts into getting along with the other Bearers, and presumably influenced the others in the same way, all so that they could be friends and got along. The 'magic of friendship' was, after all, the key to using the Elements of Harmony.
For a moment, his mind went still, allowing the sounds of his family behind him to filter through his ears.
...
The Facility.
With creeping dread, his mind went haywire at the realization.
The Facility.
The Elements.
The Facility.
No... no...
He was the only thestral who was taken. He, the only one. The Facility, the place that made him in who he was today.
Or had it?
If the Elements were as substantial a factor in his-their lives as he thought, then...
Were they responsible for The Facility's existence?
Did that mean...
He was made by the Elements?
The one who brought him and his family so much suffering...
He who tormented them for His sick plans...
Were the Elements responsible?
If that was true...
His breathing suddenly picked up, his heart rate beginning to skyrocket.
No, no no no no no nonononononononononononono-!
His throat burned as his stomach twisted. He could feel-taste-the bile rising. He was going to be sick!
He shook his head, but nothing was helping. Something was wrong, he couldn't-couldn't breathe!
His back slammed against the grave as he backed awayawayawayaway-
For an instant, the world went black-
-before returning just as quickly.
His eyes shot open, quickly followed by his head. He barely registered the blinding pain that struck his skull, and only distantly heard the sound of pained cursing beside him.
His head was pounding, not at all helped by the way his heart was beating in his ears.
Muffled voices eventually tried piercing through the haze. It wasn't until someone started shaking him that he realized he wasn't alone.
Blearily, he blinked his eyes and shook his head. The voices were coming in clearer now.
"-ck my fucking skull! What the fuck is his head made out of?!"
Well, Thorax was coming in clear, at least.
"Ha! Told you that would work, Dusk!" a male voice boasted from a few feet away. A masculine female voice from right beside him, opposite Thorax, scoffed,
"I don't care what you said, Oil, it's not proper procedure!"
"As if we'd be able to do proper procedure! Isn't there something about not moving a patient in case they're injured?"
"So, uh... I don't need to run for help?"
"No, Quick, everything's fine."
"Nice."
He blinked a few more times, letting the fuzziness of the world slowly focus back in. Once that was finished, he turned to face the three voices.
The closest of the three was a coltish looking pegasus mare. With a mane as black as his own cut into a military style buzz cut, coupled with a midnight red coat that barely hid some well developed muscle, he doubted the mare in front of him was anyone other than Dusk Wing. The cutie mark of a feathered blue cross on her flank only proved it further.
Behind her was an effeminate unicorn stallion baring a royal purple coat and and bright lavender mane and tail styled into long curls, similar to Rarity's. His startlingly orange eyes twinkled humorously behind the rectangular frames of his rimless glasses, while an equally orange perfume bottle on his flank did the same thing.
Beside him was a tall earth mare with bright green eyes, a snow white mane wrapped in a tight bun, and a chocolate brown coat. Her equally white, and very short, tail was pulled into a loose braid, allowing clear viewing of her cutie mark of a winged hoof.
"Scented Oil. Dusk Wing. Quick Step," he greeted, startling the three into looking at him.
"Emerald, are you alright? How are you feeling? Any pain or discomfort anywhere?" Dusk immediately asked, forgoing greetings for a moment. He shook his head,
"I'm fine. A bit of a headache, but that's it." Dusk scoffed, her mouth twisted into a frown,
"Yes, the stallion that just fainted is fine."
"Are you gonna help me or not?!" Thorax suddenly snapped, growling at him. His hoof was being held up to his forehead, where a small gash oozing an almost neon green liquid sat. Dusk grunted, and rushed over to Thorax, bandage, somehow, already in hoof.
"Sorry Thorax, I figured the unconscious body was a little more important than, what amounted to, a paper cut on your head." Thorax growled,
"Oh shut up."
While those two were busy, Emerald turned to face Scented and Quick,
"So... how's life?" he asked shamelessly, causing the feminine stallion to laugh,
"It's going pretty good! Dusk and I got married a few months ago and we're still working out our new schedules, but, aside from that, everything's fine." Emerald hummed, and glanced at Dusk,
"I see... am I gonna have to be on the lookout for a baby shower invitation anytime soon?" Scented laughed again,
"I hope not! Dusk would kill me if I got her pregnant anytime soon!" he joked, though his smile diminished somewhat, "Even if we wanted a foal right now, she's been getting more hours at the hospital, and my incense shop is getting more popular lately. We don't really have the time anyways."
Emerald nodded and rose to his hooves,
"That's perfectly understandable," he said, his eyes darting around for an escape route, but found none. Scented nodded once more,
"I know."
"So, now that you're attempt at diverting the conversation is over, mind telling us what the fuck just happened?" Quick suddenly asked, almost casually.
"I'd rather not," Emerald defended lamely, "It's... complicated."
"Yeah, because that excuse is completely valid," Thorax deadpanned. Emerald growled,
"You're the one who opened his mouth," he snapped, missing the way Thorax flinched.
"That was uncalled for," Quick Step scolded, staring Emerald down. He glared right back at her, but eventually gave in when he went over his words. He sighed, and slouched to the ground,
"Yeah... I know. I just... had a bit of a crisis," he admitted.
"What kind of crisis?" Trixie's voice asked, prompting Emerald to look up and find himself surrounded by every member of his family,
"Yeah, what's wrong?" Blossom asked,
"Come on-" Dark Breeze began,
"-You can trust us!" Light Breeze finished.
"We're here so you can relax," Night Pulse added, smirking at him, though it died when Coco started leaning on her,
"What are we here for if you can't tell us what's wrong?"
"""Yeah!""" Butterscotch, Pumpkin Seed, and Melon Seed chorused,
"It's not healthy, you know?" Bright Spot asked,
"Keeping it all in," Dusty added,
"Yeah!" little Sunny Day chipped in,
"Tell us," Red Sky said simply, "or does Cotton need to give her Uncle Emerald hugs?" she teased, holding up the filly, who garbled at him while River looked on from behind,
"C'mon, tell us!" Winter Sun urged, followed by Fire Hoof,
"Yeah! Don't hold back on us!"
"It's not healthy for a young stallion to keep things so close to his chest," Auntie Amber cut in,
"She's right, you know?" Dusk said,
"Yeah, what're you afraid of?" Murky asked bluntly,
"Maybe you need a little help... relaxing?" Lemon asked, only for Murky to smack the back of her head,
"Down girl."
"Just tell us already!" Jet snapped, looking nervous.
Emerald blinked, letting the words of his family wash over him.
He smirked, and a small chuckle escaped him. Soon that small chuckle started growing, until it became a full laugh that startled a number of the individuals surrounding him.
"Woah, you go crazy or something?" Thorax asked, unhelpfully. Emerald smirked, and shook his head,
"No, no... I'm perfectly fine. Better than ever," he added, glancing around meaningfully. Eventually, however, he sighed, "I was just thinking about... The Facility, and stuff," he said, somewhat evasively.
"What the hay are you thinking about that place for?" Blossom asked,
"What, are we not good enough company?" Coco asked, earning yet another smack, "Ow!"
"Shut. Up."
Emerald shook his head,
"I dunno. Things have just been moving pretty quickly, lately," he said. There was a round of nodding around him,
"Yeah, makes sense," Quick said, "Moving fast isn't always the best thing. Even for racers," she added,
"You just have to slow down, and takes things one at a time," Dusk said seriously, frowning as she looked at him, "... It's getting late. Maybe you head back and get some rest. After today's excitement, I think we all might," she added, a little more positively.
"Alright," Emerald said, getting back to his hooves, making sure to stretch his back in the process, "I think... my head will be clearer in the morning," he muttered.
Though, this whole Element business won't be...
He hid a frown at the thought.
"I'll walk you back," Trixie suddenly said, moving to stand beside him, "Just in case," she added teasingly. He scoffed, but nodded,
"Thanks."
"Hey, what is family for?"
"Alrighty everyone!" Auntie Amber's voice suddenly boomed, causing everyone in the area's attention to immediately whip to where she stood, standing firm despite her age, "Off to bed with all of us! After tomorrow's celebration, we'll all meet up back here. Understood?!"
The resounding cry was enough to hurt Emerald's ears, but the smile on his face hurt a lot more.
-----
He bid Trixie good night once they made it to his room-which was located right next to the other Bearers, of course-though he wasn't exactly looking forward to sleeping right now.
Who knows what sort of demented nightmares would visit him tonight. And after the fiasco with Discord, he had a feeling Luna would be a little too swamped with the rest of Equestria to bother checking in on him.
He sighed, and locked the door behind him. He didn't want to have to deal with anyone bothering him right now. Right now, he just needed to sleep. Maybe... maybe this whole Element business will seem easier to deal with in the morning?
...
How the fuck was he going to tell the others about this? They needed to know.
...
Shit.