Chapter 4: Elken Spicy – Canterlot Brothel Exclusive
I was worried for Sweetie Belle. Something inside me wanted to stay with her and keep her safe, but I was just as vulnerable as she was when it came down to the nitty-gritty. We were both two foals in endless love. At least, that’s how I saw it. Silver-Lined was gliding through the air again with me on his back. Kiara used a spell bubble to levitate herself up in the air with us. We flew high above the clouds where the sun was. Things seemed much more vibrant up here.
“I haven’t seen Trotten for a while,” Kiara said distantly, “it really has been so long since we’ve all seen each other.”
Silver-Lined glided towards the ground and Kiara followed.
“That’s where we’re going now. We need to regroup with Elven Spices and Brass Tacks before we do anything else,” Silver-Lined said.
Trotten had begun to build a fence. I assumed that the zebras outside that saw it thought that the zebras inside were doing a pretty good job in containing the ponies. Barbed wire decorated the top of the encircling fence and the gates were open. As we entered a huge banner was sprawled from building to building in the central main street that read “WELCOME BACK REVOLUTIONARIES” Trotten was eerily quiet. A lot of ponies seemed to be leaving and entering the infirmary so that was where we went to first.
The infirmary was an old clinic which still contained an abundance of medical supplies. Doctor Phalanges and Nurse Silk Tourniquet ran the place. Many people didn’t like Doctor P. and Nurse Silk Tourniquet because of their bitter and harsh personalities so everypony went to Elven Spices for treatment. But apparently a lot of ponies had been injured in something and had to go to the infirmary.
I found Dumb-Bell with his front hoof in a cast. He looked a bit paler than when I first met him on our first operation. He and Silver-Lined talked for a bit and then he winked at me with a smile. Silver-Lined rubbed his own head with his hooves and Kiara stroked his mane. The hospital was filled with bloody, bruised and injured stallions.
“Apparently a patrol group of Discord’s Chaotic Commune caught up with the group. It must have been a large patrol group because they took all the mares and fillies, including Elven Spices to the Canterlot Brothel,” Silver-Lined explained.
“What kind of soup?” I asked.
Kiara and Silver-Lined raised a brow before talking again.
“Brass Tacks is still in intensive care so we can’t see him just yet,” Silver-Lined added.
Silver-Lined let me climb onto his back and we started for the illuminated palace of Canterlot. The palace was something that stood out in the nights; all the lights and neon signs captured the attention of everypony to come try their different soups. Sometimes loud music played out and Mom and Dad told me to cover my ears. The music contained groaning and other weird mare sounds, I thought it was neat that the mare was expressing the deliciousness of the soup they had at the brothel.
The ruins brought back memories which seemed so distant and surreal. A pile of skeletons was to my right and I was staring at it long and hard for a feeling or memory to come back to me. Nothing came. Maybe that wasn’t the pile, if it was it decayed awfully quickly. I just wanted to see the faces of Mom and Dad one more time.
As night drew near, the music began. Kiara looked at me with a worried expression and I bounced on Silver-Lined’s back to the music. Silver-Lined gave a hearty laugh before telling me to cut it out. The beat was all techno with a heavy bass. The mare’s moans and laughter sent chills down my spine.
“This music is so erotic...” Kiara said in disgust.
Silver-Lined bobbed his head with me, “It’s kind of catchy.”
Kiara clopped Silver-Lined and frowned at me, “Both of you stop that! Glace you’re too young okay? Silver-Lined stop encouraging the poor colt!”
Zebras guarded the Canterlot gate but they let us in. Nopony that wasn’t a Lost One would ever come here so zebras just assumed that anypony that entered hated their own kind and loved Discord. The streets were marked with brute-looking and punk ponies dressed in scary clothing which was often decorated with spikes and skulls. A lot of mares crowded the streets too. They were dressed in leather and lace and were caked with make-up. They stuck their legs out and clopped their hooves with a sinister smile.
“Maybe I should have left Glace back in Trotten,” Silver-Lined said to Kiara.
I hugged Silver-Lined’s back and crawled up to his neck. Canterlot emitted an unsafe vibe that I was going to get kidnapped or exposed to something I didn’t like. The music got louder as we approached the towering palace. The lights seemed much more blinding as we approached and I squinted. Scary looking ponies and zebras wandered around the front courtyard. Some were sitting on the steps drinking something which made the flinch and go for another swag.
“Who is this mare?” a zebra asked.
Kiara nudged Silver-Lined and I squeezed his neck as he took a bit too long to think of an excuse. The zebra just stood there, his eyes looked in opposite directions and he seemed a bit confused and out of it.
“She’s just another Lost One here to see the sexy mares,” Silver-Lined said.
Kiara nudged him again and he just smiled. The zebra gave a shaky nod and staggered past. The doors were large and were covered in graffiti. Silver-Lined asked if I could read it and I shook my head and he gave a content huff. Upon entering the Canterlot Brothel we were greeted with everything that had nothing to do with soup! My nose burnt to the smell of chemicals and cheap perfume and my eyes watered with the constant flashing rave lights. I cowered against Silver-Lined’s back and he and Kiara exchanged worried glances.
Somepony shoved Silver-Lined and I nearly fell off, thankfully, Silver-Lined used his left wing to keep me steady. They exchanged a few words until Kiara hushed Silver-Lined to not draw attention to us. The palace was full of skimpy looking mares and fillies which looked too tired to care about anything. A few sobbing fillies were upon a stage where three mares were spinning and doing fancy moves on poles.Lost Ones and zebras cheered. We moved up the stairs and wandered the halls where each room emitted more of that mare moaning and the sound of something thumping against the walls and floors echoed around up here.
“Where’s the soup?” I asked hesitantly.
Everypony up here was making out; some of the mares tried to push away but were slapped and kissed again. We followed a group of ponies into a theatre where everything was dark and laser lights blinded me again. Silver-Lined took a minute to adjust his eyes before falling to the floor with me crashing right after him.
Kiara helped him up and Silver-Lined went to see if I was okay before picking me up again.
“Celestia,” everypony looked at Kiara, “Discord... sweet Discord, Silver! What is wrong with you?” She asked.
Silver-Lined seemed a bit shaky on his legs and shook his head. “I- I’m fine, just a bit dizzy.”
The lights completely turned off and everypony was left in utter darkness. Somepony screamed and another pony laughed. Music played again, classical music before a techno beat was added with another heavy bass. A well-dressed, neat-looking mare walked on stage with a microphone placed in front of her.
“Hello zebras and fellow haters of ponies, I am Duchess,” the mare spoke, “welcome to my Canterlot Brothel.”
“Tonight a new band of merrily misfits has arrived and will be the stars of tonight’s show. Put your hooves together for the Prim Filly Double-Duo: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spooner!” there was a pause, “O- okay, never mind. Let’s welcome the exotic, the foreign, the never-before-seen mare with the weird accent: Elken Spicy!”
Silver-Lined and Kiara gasped as the pony caked in make-up and dressed in skimpy clothing trotted out with a worried expression. Her eye make-up was running as she started to cry. The music started and a familiar pony whom I loved very much was none other than DJ Pon3. Was she working for Discord? Or working against her will? She didn’t have her signature smirk; instead she looked serious and solemn.
This mare that danced sluggishly looked familiar, though she was too caked-up that I couldn’t make her out. The cutie mark should have given it away from the start, red leaf, green leaf surrounded by white sparkles; Elven Spices. I gave it some thought; the name wasn’t all that creative.
As the show went on I could feel Silver-Lined’s back muscles tensing and I hugged him harder to calm him down. I shut my eyes tight and waited for the show to be over. Everypony laughed and shouted vulgar comments that made me want to cry. Kiara stroked my mane and Silver-Lined’s wings rubbed against me, making me feel safe and secure. The lights seemed to fade out and the music abruptly stopped and I opened my eyes.
Somepony or something had broken in through the rooftop. There was gunfire and a brawl and everypony hit the floor as a bullet bounced off the walls. Silver-Lined ran out of the room, Kiara following right behind him. Out here a lot of ponies were lying on the ground either dead or injured. A pony in a blue jumpsuit and a wavy orange mane fired her gun at a zebra and another pony with a wavy blue mane with the same outfit ran towards us. The blue pony kicked his hind legs into Silver-Lined’s face and Silver-Lined stumbled back.
“Stop!” Kiara yelled before studying the stallion, “you’re... Soarin’.”
The pony kept a straight face and led us towards the orange maned pony, “Spitfire, these two aren’t hostiles.”
Silver-Lined’s lip was bleeding and my heart ached. I began to stroke his mane like Kiara did and he winked at me with a grateful smile. More ponies in blue jumpsuits battled it out with Lost Ones and zebras. I’ve heard stories of the Wonderbolts and there heroic actions and events. I didn’t realize they were still alive during this entire Discord ordeal. Soarin’ and Spitfire tossed Silver-Lined and Kiara a gun as we battled our way through the palace. There wasn’t much to do as the other Wonderbolts had the situation under control.
“What are we doing?” Kiara asked.
Spitfire turned around and fired her gun over my head. I turned around to see a zebra in the middle of falling over his hooves.
“Trying to free as many ponies as we can,” Soarin’ replied, “we’re trying to change things back.”
Silver-Lined cocked his head in thought as we galloped. A zebra tackled Spitfire and brought her to the ground. A Lost One bit Soarin’ on the neck and he gave a howl. Silver-Lined knocked the zebra off of Spitfire and fired his gun while Kiara used her unicorn magic to throw the Lost One into the wall with enough force to crack it.
We reached the ballroom where the battle turned into a full-fledged war of the Wonderbolts against zebras and Lost Ones. The large windows were shattered and I spotted some of the Wonderbolts guiding the mares and fillies outside into the courtyard where the war continued. We galloped down the stairs and darted past everypony. Waiting outside was a yacht of pure blue and gold, the same color scheme of Kiara. We boarded the yacht with everypony and it began to set flight. The Wonderbolts in the palace all flew out at once like a flock of birds and pushed the yacht away into the distance.
* * *
Cloudsdale; the pinnacle of peace and untouched by both the effects of war and Discord. Unicorn Wonderbolts cast a spell on each pony which wasn’t a Pegasus with a spell that allowed them to walk on clouds. Soarin’ and Spitfire requested that Silver-Lined, Kiara and I see them at the Cloudsdale Stadium, the Wonderbolts HQ.
A lot of ponies ran the circuit around us while we walked across the cloud field. They were all training to become part of the Wonderbolts revolution. Soarin’ and Spitfire hadn’t said anything for a long time and there was an awkward silence between everypony until I spoke up.
“I love you guys,” I said.
Soarin’ rubbed my mane and Spitfire pecked me on the cheek.
“There’s nothing wondrous about us anymore... we weren’t able to help Equestria at all,” Soarin’ said.
“We were thinking of calling ourselves the Thunderbolts because of the force we strike back with. We’re trying to lead a revolution. Did you guys hear about Manehattan? Rarity’s gotten Sweetie Belle back and refused to help Discord,” Spitfire added.
“Discord visited Manehattan?” Silver-Lined asked.
Soarin’ and Spitfire nodded but Soarin’ spoke. “Discord seemed pretty pissed but characteristically he laughed and wished her the best of luck in her revolution to rise up against him. He said, and I quote: ‘Have fun trying to defeat me again’,”
“We rescued Sweetie Belle,” I said, “she’s really pretty, just look at her next time! I really like her mane!”
Everypony laughed.
“Silver-Lined Cloud, Rarity told us about you. You too Kiara. And Elven Spices and Brass Tacks. By the way, Elven Spices is just getting checked for any ‘diseases’ that horrible place would have been carrying.” Spitfire said.
“We wanted to thank you for what you did for Manehattan, this revolution is growing quicker than we really expected thanks to you. What we’re trying to do is strike some fear into Discord, like you’re doing. But it seems you’re trying to win back the The Elements of Harmony,” Soarin’ said.
* * *
Capital of Chaos – Discord’s Domain
Nopony will ever be ready for what Discord has in store,
Let Rarity disobey,
Let the Wonderbolts have their play.
But no one will ever rise against the Spirit of Disharmony ever again...
Ever.
It seems the only way to strike fear into everypony is to be orderly and dictate everything...
When can Discord have his fun?
Discord twiddled with the rock-hard ball of yarn again. He seemed so bored but was busy plotting details and plans in his corrupted mind. He stroked his beard and giggled to himself. Sweetie Belle was with Rarity. Discord couldn’t just simply kill Rarity. That will just ruin all the fun! Where’s the fun in killing the game so soon when the party hasn’t even started? It was the thing that always gnawed at Discord’s brain; he couldn’t destroy the Elements of Harmony or Mane Six because it went against everything that went on in his mind. It may seem weird, it may seem stupid, but Discord could never ruin a game he was planning... ever.
* * *
I sat on Soarin’s back as we flew back to Trotten. Elven Spices was in Kiara’s little flying bubble. We laughed and joked and played. Soarin’ and Spitfire decided to relocate to Trotten while more Wonderbolts relocated to Manehattan. The revolution was going along smoothly. We had Rarity’s industrial expertise and the Wonderbolts brawn... we just needed Twilight Sparkle’s knowledge of spells.
We reached Trotten. Brass Tacks kissed Elven Spices as we touched down. Brass Tacks had two black eyes and a busted muzzle wrapped in bandages. Although the bandage limited his speaking capabilities, he still communicated with us.
“Twilight Sparkle is apparently working in a laboratory somewhere in Equestria,” Brass Tacks reported. “I heard two zebras talking about it while they took the mares and fillies to Canterlot.”
I looked back towards the Canterlot Brothel palace. That place wasn’t for soup; it was for something more dark and sinister. I wanted to cry and scream for being so naive! Silver-Lined gave me a hug as one of my tears stained his back.
“Fillydelphia?” Spitfire suggested, “that place is too ahead of time to be part of this era. It’s so cyberpunk.”
We all looked at each other. It was worth a shot.