Walking alongside Ray, Fluttershy could see the tension he held for whatever he was about to tell her. His shoulders were pulled up, the muscles showing through the shirt he wore. There was an air of seclusion around him, like he was trying to deny the presence of everpony besides himself. He seemed to be stuck in his head, silently moving towards a fixed destination without any conscious decision. Fluttershy felt her eyebrows lower into a V of concern.
There was something wrong with him, that much was easy to tell. If the Princesses had thought him dangerous, he must’ve done something to drive them to the extremes they had gone. A slow thought crawled over her. It was horrible and made her want to apologize to Ray instantly for even thinking it, but a small part of her held back. In case that horrible, wretched thought was even partially true, for even a moment. Fluttershy shivered, stuttering her step so that she was now just out of arm's reach if she truly was in danger. Not that she was, but, just in case.
She stared at the path as her inner battle continued, wishing that her terrible thoughts would just vanish. She kept her eyes to the path, not daring even the chance of meeting Ray’s eyes. She didn’t know anything about humans, and that included the fact that they might be able to read minds. It was a ridiculous thought, really, but there was always that small chance…
Fluttershy’s head bumped against the back of Ray’s leg, causing her to look up with a blush on her face. He seemed to barely notice beyond stepping closer to the door to his house, looking as if his own thoughts had consumed him. He gripped the handle, mindlessly entering the building. With a deep breath, Fluttershy followed him inside.
The home was larger than hers, and she didn’t mean that as in square footage. She had noticed it the other night at the party, but now that there was nopony else around to obscure her view, she could see that the ceiling was twice as high as hers. It made sense, seeing as Ray was almost four times her height, but it was still mind-boggling. The front room, which she had only a brief glance at before, was lightly furnished but otherwise comfy-looking. She felt herself easing into the area, at least, until Ray plopped down on the wooden rocking chair in the corner.
He rested his head in his hands with a sigh heavy enough that it made Fluttershy feel as if she was being pressed to the floor. Sitting like that, he suddenly looked three times his age, his hand running through his hair as he looked up at her, expression unreadable. He seemed to be waiting for her to do something, so she moved over and sat on the lapis lazuli sofa. His eyes tried to follow her the entire way, but they dropped off halfway through her short journey to the sofa.
Fluttershy tilted her head expectantly toward him, her ears twitching in anticipation for whatever noise he might make. He sat silently, his eyes trained on an unseen point on the ground. It was then that she saw how pained they looked, as if he was being reminded of something beyond her knowledge. The best explanation she had for it was the look of a kicked puppy, which made her feel even worse.
“There’s one rule to knowing me, to being my friend.” The suddenness of his voice made Fluttershy jump, but his eyes were still focused on the ground. She nodded anyways, not knowing if he saw. Either way, he continued. “Don’t ever ask me about my past, at least, not what happened in December in Pittsburg… December…” He took a deep breath. “It was bad.”
Fluttershy bit back her questions, seeing that the human friend before her needed her right now. Slowly, she felt herself nodding. Without looking, Ray returned the nod as he began chewing the bottom of his lip. He didn’t seem to mind the silence following as he continued to keep his eyes fixated on the ground in front of him. Fluttershy looked from the young human to the point on the floor he was staring at, then back.
After another couple seconds of silence, she asked, “Do you have tea?”
He finally looked up at her to answer, and something about his eyes made her breath catch in her throat. She tried to ignore it, but the moment was so long, so memorable, that it blocked out the noise of his answer. Shaking her head, she tried to even remember what she had asked, but found her mind drawing a blank. She blushed as she said, “I’m sorry. I-I think my mind was just a bit out of it a moment ago. Could you please answer it again… please?”
Ray gave her a knowing smile, before saying, “Yeah, I have some tea. I would offer to make it, but I’ve never drank it before, let alone made it.”
“That’s okay,” Fluttershy responded, brightening up at the prospect of a topic change. “I can teach you. It’s really quite lovely once you get good at making it. Not that I doubt your abilities, it just took me near a hundred times to get it right, but I’m sure you’ll do better.” Her blush deepened slightly as she muttered, “I was always scared of being burned.”
His smile seemed sad as he continued to give it to her, prompting her to ask, “Why do you smile like that?”
He frowned. “Like what?”
She paused from getting up off the sofa to tap a thoughtful hoof on her chin. She had to think a moment before answering, “Like the world is gray and there isn’t anything left worth smiling for. Like all the life just dulled and the sun no longer shines as bright as before. Like you can’t laugh without forcing yourself to.”
Ray looked slightly amused by the eloquent description, though it faded so quickly that she thought for a moment that it was only her imagination. With a deep sigh that bore enough sadness to lower her spirits, he replied, “The world’s different once you’ve seen it through a splash of blood.”
Fluttershy felt her jaw drop slightly. She didn’t know what he had seen, but he had just revealed that he had seen something of death. And, apparently, it hadn’t been pretty. She found that now she was staring at the ground, halfway from standing as she felt Ray’s eyes searching her. She stood abruptly, snapping her jaw shut and hopping off the couch. She began walking to where she knew the kitchen was by memory, looking back expectantly. Their eyes met, and she could see him trying to read her and her silence, to which she broke with, “Well, I don’t really know where you keep the tea, so you’ll have to show. If you want it, that is.”
He stood without speaking, striding past her, though their eyes never broke connection. He finally had to, however, when he turned the corner into the kitchen, and Fluttershy felt herself release held breath. What had made her do that, she contemplated as she followed him into the room. He wasn’t so intimidating that she was now fearing him. Maybe it was just his stark grey eyes, or the way he seemed to have emotions under lockdown in the most intriguing way. She shook her head yet again. What was going on with her?
She hastily followed him into the kitchen, finding that he was standing cross-armed by an open pantry door, a small box of bagged ginger tea on the counter. Had she really been standing there thinking that long? She resisted the urge to shake her head yet again, instead stepping closer.
“What do we need to do first,” he asked. He seemed to be avoiding asking what was really on his mind, opting instead to distract from it.
Not wanting to push the point, she answered, “Well, if you want your tea to be warm, you’re going to want to boil some water in a kettle or something.” Ray moved silently to one of the lower cupboards, pulling out a copper kettle and filling it with water from the tap. She watched him carefully as he placed it on the burner, turning the heat on high without her telling him so. The quick movements and hurried sense he gave off testified to his trying to keep his mind preoccupied. However, no matter how hard she tried to see past his eyes, she couldn’t see anything but his steel wall irises.
“Okay, now you need to pull out a couple of cups, preferably porcelain so it doesn’t ruin the plastic. Put a bag of tea in each cup and pour the hot water into it once it starts boiling,” she instructed. He continued to move quickly, pulling out the requested items and continuing to make the tea as she spoke. “Usually for these kinds of things we have biscuits or sandwiches to the side, and sugarcubes to put in, but we’ll have to make do. If that’s alright with you, that is.”
Ray simply nodded as he carefully poured the now steaming water into the two porcelain teacups. He silently went back into his pantry, returning with a small tub of sugarcubes. He picked up both of the teacups by their handle in one hand and kept the tub in the other. Fluttershy attempted to help him carry it, but with a single gesture, he dismissed them and motioned her to the front room. Realizing his mistake she cried, “You need a coaster unless you want to burn your legs!”
Ray gave her a sidelong glance with a wry smile that seemed artificial and forced. He paused, turning back enough to tell her, “Hot pads are in the second to bottom drawer under the sink. Don’t really know if I have any coasters, but those’ll do the trick.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement, turning to retrieve the hot pads. When she reentered the room, Ray was sitting calmly on the wooden rocking chair, staring out of the window. He looked as if he was once again lost in his thoughts, the teacups in his hand slowly falling towards his legs. She wanted to move to sit on the sofa beside him, but she found that she was hypnotized by his form. He was sitting there, looking all the worn old stallion he could, even though she knew he was nine years younger than her.
Something about it was intriguing, yet saddening at the same time. This young human looked so alone, so impartial to the world he was living in that it made her heart break. He even had those same lost eyes she had seen in Discord the first time he had truly opened up. Other than, it seemed to be the opposite in this case. The more they conversed, the more he seemed to conceal himself and guard his secrets. It was frustrating beyond words, but she had no place to object. He had been foalnapped from his own world no matter how awful and-
“I’m a member of the Apple family now,” Ray suddenly spoke, still staring out of the window. It took more than a second for Fluttershy to realize what he meant as she moved to the sofa, trying to place the hot pad as discreetly as she could on his knee. He extended one of the cups to her, which she took with a hoof. He finally peeled his eyes away from the window to give her a look, making sure none of the tea spilled in the transaction. “Not yet, actually. We still have a bunch of paperwork to put through at Town Hall, but they basically took me in right there and then. It actually seemed to Applebloom’s idea. She was the one who asked.”
“And you said yes,” Fluttershy asked, instantly feeling like an idiot for asking. Of course he had. He had just said he was a member of the Apple family.
Ray still answered her, though it wasn’t what she expected to hear. “Regrettably, yes.”
“Regrettably,” she questioned, tipping her head to the side in confusion. Why would he regret agreeing to being a member of any family. At that, why would he regret choosing to be a member of the Apples. They were probably the best family in Ponyville, and definitely gave the most benefits. Her mouth began watering at the thought of their zap apple jam spread over morning toast.
“Regrettably,” he confirmed, his face grim. With a deep breath, he continued, “The plan had always been to fight as long as I could, and then, in the end, I would just let myself die. But now, I have a family that keeps me connected to this world. A direct bridge from my world to yours, if you will, that tethers me to life. Before, I was free to die without any consequences. Now…”
“What,” Fluttershy exclaimed in horror, shooting out of her seat and spilling her tea. “How could you say such an awful thing? Why would you ever, ever think such a thing about yourself? Don’t you know you have friends here that would miss you once you were gone?”
“Friends,” he scoffed indignantly. “Are you claiming to be my friend?”
Lifting her chin, she declared, “Why yes I am. Why not?”
“For one, you and I have hardly met each other past a couple conversations, and for two, I am not one to make friends with.” He paused, licking his lips before continuing, “If you knew the half of what I’ve done in the past-”
“I wouldn’t care,” she interrupted firmly. “Whatever it was you did, I know that isn’t you anymore. I can see it. And I know that I, or anypony for that matter, could come to love you for who you are!”
“Even if it meant loving a murderer,” he shouted back. Dead silence filled the room, and Fluttershy could feel her jaw once again drop in surprise. Ray looked down towards the rug once again, but this time his guard broke. She could see the fear of hurting somepony in his eyes, the self hate for whatever he had done in the past. He was biting his bottom lip now as his eyes teared up. She tried to speak, to say anything at all, but her voice failed her. Instead, a pitiful squeak was all that came out. She looked down, sitting down in contemplation.
He couldn’t really be a… that awful thing could he? He was so young, but, then again, so old. It would make sense now, everything he said about it and all of his actions thus far. He wasn’t a normal human, that much anypony could assume, but he was much more than just a special case. He seemed to be something else entirely, not just an abducted boy from a different world, but a being like nothing else in any world. She had never wondered about alternate worlds, alternate universes, until now. Then again, her world had never been much bigger than caring for animals, even after all of her experiences outside of Ponyville, she’d been able to go back to her little cabin. Now, without him, there would be no going back if Equestria fell to those brutes Twilight had described. Twilight…
“That’s why Twilight chose you, isn’t it,” she asked quietly. “Because of… whatever your past was like?” Instead of receiving an answer, she heard a sniffle from the corner where Ray was sitting. Looking back up at him, she saw that he already had several tear streaks down his face, a fresh tear silently rolling out of the corner of his eye. She nearly gasped, but stopped herself. Now was not the time for interrogation. Right now, her friend was going through something terrible and needed her to help him, even if she didn’t really know how.
She suddenly felt selfish about what she’d just been doing. Who was she to try and get him to disclose his secrets to others that he had barely met. He was right, they hardly even knew each other, so why did she have the right to know his deepest secrets? Even worse, she had badgered him to the point of tears, which made her feel like crying herself. She dived onto him, wrapping her hooves tightly around his neck, nuzzling her cheek against his. He made a noise of surprise, but quickly returned the hug.
She tucked her cheek against his neck as he extended his neck to place his head on hers. His arms wrapped around her back and tucked under her wings to complete the hug. His longer arms were able to reach not only her back, but also reach all the way up to her head. She suddenly felt something scratching on the inside of her ear. It was a strange, but welcome sensation, taking an itch she didn’t know she had away and leaving her wanting for more. She leaned her head into his hand involuntarily, silently asking for more of the wonderful feeling, to which he granted.
They stayed like that for longer than Fluttershy realized, as the sun began setting in the distance, giving the room an orange look. After a while longer, the smell of tea reminded her of their original intentions. Looking down at the area where she had spilled her tea, she grimaced. She would have to remember to give him bits for the cost of having it cleaned out. He seemed to notice her movement, lifting his head off hers, looking where she was. His tearstained face seemed to understand her worry as he looked down at her, smiling softly.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” he muttered, reaching an arm out from around her bodice to wipe his eyes. He swallowed and sniffed. She hadn’t realized it, but he had set an empty tea cup to the side.
“You drank your tea,” she said with a mixture of surprise and delight. Then, quirking her head to the side in confusion, asking, “Did you drink that tea without any sugar?” He nodded with a wry smile. “How was it.”
After a moment of thoughtful contemplation, he answered, “Bittersweet.”
She giggled at that. She didn’t really know why, and she instantly began blushing after she did. This in turn made Ray smirk, and Fluttershy giggled once again. She got off of his lap, waiting for him to stand and followed him into the kitchen. She didn’t really know why Ray was heading to the kitchen, but she knew that she didn’t want to be alone in a room in someone else’s house. It just felt… awkward.
He opened a few drawers, looking for something, before finally finding the correct one. Pulling out a dish towel, he began moving back to the front room. Seeing the purpose for the towel, Fluttershy told him, “Oh, you don’t want to have just that. You need a carpet cleaner of some sort. Otherwise, the tea will end up permanently staining your carpet.”
He nodded in understanding, moving back to the drawers in search of some cleaner. As her eyes tracked him, they glanced over the stovetop clock, which read…
“6:47,” she yelped in surprise. “Oh, gosh! Is that really the time?”
Ray looked over at the clock and answered, “Well, I think it is. It’s what I’ve been using, so either it’s on time or the Apples have been to lenient with my timing.”
Panic filled Fluttershy as she remembered that she had promised to meet Discord at the Barly Palace at seven. That gave her barely enough time to get over there, let alone getting dressed. And if she was late, oh what would he think? She knew Discord better than anypony, and if he found out about her being late for the first time because she was with Ray, well, drama was sure to unfold.
Turning to Ray, she stammered out, “I’m really sorry about having to leave so soon, but I forgot that I’d previously planned to go on a date with Discord tonight!”
“So you two are dating,” he questioned as she turned to leave. She was glad for it, because she could instantly feel her face heat up like an oven. Instead of answering, she rushed into the front room and out of the door. She felt awful about it, but she knew she couldn’t be honest with him if she answered his question. She began flying as she passed the garden she and Angel Bunny had planted outside, flying as quickly as she could towards Ponyville.
The wind blew in her hair, reminding her that she hadn’t had the time to brush it, let alone clean it, after she had helped Angel Bunny’s mate with birthing. She would just have to hope she didn’t smell like the bodily fluids that were spilled during birth. She knew that Ray was too kind to mention that kind of thing, but with Discord, the whole matter was unpredictable. Besides, with Ray’s small nose, maybe he didn’t smell that kind of thing.
She landed in the center of town, looking this way and that, trying to remember if the Barly Palace was to the left or right from the town house. After taking a wild guess she darted to the left. She recognized a building not far from the restaurant, and she turned in the direction she now recognized where the building would be. She stopped briefly to take a breath, spotting the elegant sign that hung above the entrance depicting a silver pony maitre’d holding a covered plater bordered by gold strands of barley.
The place was too fancy for Discord’s taste, that much she knew, so he ad to have something special planned for the evening. She briefly wondered what they might be, but stopped to finish the distance between her and the front door. A gray unicorn with a brown goatee and slicked back mane stood beside the door, looking at a clipboard on a pedestal.
“Ms. Fluttershy, if I am correct,” the stallion asked, eyeing her and the clipboard.
“Correct,” she answered, out of breath from her run. The pony nodded and opened the double glass doors with his magic, gesturing her in. She did so, slightly confused that he wasn’t wearing a clown costume or something else silly. It seemed that Discord hadn’t arrived yet. Another pony, an orange mare with a white mane was there to escort her to her seat.
Fluttershy watched her surroundings intently, looking for any signs of oddities or general chaos. She found nothing but fancy ponies sitting at fancy chairs waiting to get their order of fancy food. The walls were the same fancy black marble with soft candles in them, and the chairs and tables were the same fancy, well carved spruce. She actually found herself slightly disappointed at it, seeing as all of their dates thus far had left her laughing and slightly dizzy. She was so busy studying her surroundings that she almost ran headlong into her waitress, who stood by a normal table set for two.
“Your seat, madam,” she said calmly. Fluttershy nodded as the waitress left, looking around suspiciously. There had to be a touch of Discord around here somewhere. Looking around, she found an clock on a far wall. Squinting to see it, she saw that it read 6:58. Maybe he wasn’t here yet…? She continued to deliberate it as she took her seat. As soon as her hindquarters were firmly settled on the chair, the world began to spin.
Before she knew it, the world stilled, leaving her eyes spinning as a familiar voice cheerfully shouted, “Greetings!”
As her head settled back onto her shoulders, she looked around, finding herself in a drastically different room than before. The walls seemed to be made of large green, blue, and yellow balloons, making it look like a bouncy castle. There was a stage made of sugarcubes, with Discord standing in the center. He wore a serious looking tuxedo, but the situation in which it was worn seemed more to be satirical than for solemn purpose. She already found herself giggling at the sight, and she’d only been in the room for a good five seconds.
Discord gave her a sly smile as he cried, “Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise we have tonight! Our very own Fluttershy has had the blessed opportunity to join us tonight. Let’s all give her a big round of applause.”
A large group of Discords appeared around her, all clapping with their hands levitating in a circle. She giggled once again as the Discords cheered for her, a small blush glowing on her cheeks at the attention. They all vanished as Discord teleported to the seat in front of beside her, slightly startling her. He wore a loopy grin as he asked, “Surprised?”
“Yes,” she answered modestly, “and pleasantly so.”
“Good, good,” he said juberously. “I had hoped as much.”
“You did well on this one,” she complimented, taking in more of the bizarre scenery. “It’s very… energetic.”
“Well, you know,” he said, twirling his hand around, “when you mix a little Pinkie with Discprd and add a smidge of Ray, you get a strange work.”
“What do you mean, Ray,” she asked, earning a double take from the Lord of Chaos.
“Oh, you know, his strangely natural height and vague curiosity.”
“I… don’t,” she muttered, her mind drifting off as she remembered the encounter on the road with the Princesses and subsequent discussion they’d had. Discord continued to speak, but Fluttershy didn’t hear it as her mind began to drift involuntarily to their discussion. It replayed over and over as Discord began to serve food and simultaneously perform all sorts of feats with his chaos magic. She laughed halfheartedly at his jokes and managed nods convincing enough for Discord to not notice… at first. However, after fifteen minutes of the facade, he noticed his date’s absentmindedness.
“Fluttershy,” he began tentatively, snapping her out of her reverie. “What’s wrong? I know it has to be something on your mind, so could you please tell me what it is?”
Fluttershy knew there was no point in trying to deny it, so instead she asked him, “Discord, you said you could see somepony’s past with a touch of the hoof. Did you see into Ray’s past?”
A grimace passed over his face, briefly, but in enough time that she could see the pain it held. After several seconds of silence, he muttered, “Yes. Yes I have.” After another bout of silence, he added with solemnity that was rarely heard from the draconequus, “The kid’s been through some rough stuff, stuff you wouldn’t understand.”
“Is it true, though, that he’s a… a… murderer,” she asked, afraid of the answer.
Concern and confusion passed over Discord’s face in a waterfall of emotion as he considered. Finally, he answered, “No, he is not a murderer. Just… something else.”
A wave of relief flooded over her at the news as a separate wave of confusion collided with it. How could he be something else? And why did he view himself as a murderer if he really wasn’t? The questions vanished as she felt the cool scales of his eagle paw wrap around her hoof. She gasped at the familiar yet sensational feeling, looking up into the concerned eyes of her dearest friend.
“What brings up the question,” he asked, his eyes boring into hers.
“I came across Princess Celestia and Princess Luna interrogating him… I think,” she replied. Discord nodded, muttering something about seeing it too. Before she could ask, he leaned forward and grabbed her from under her forelegs, causing her to gasp at the suddenness. He lifted her into the air, pulling her close in a vaguely risque motion, renewing her blush in full force.
“How about we just dance tonight,” he suggested, not a hint of mischief in his eyes. She nodded faintly, trying to remember to breath with their closeness. “Yeah,” she murmured slowly, “that would be nice.”
Slowly, the room transformed into a ballroom as the two became one in an unsaid dance, their rhythm matching but distinctly different as the silence was dominated by the physicality of the two dancing their concerns away.