//------------------------------// // Chapter Three: Ragtag Friends and. . . You Did WHAT? // Story: Hopes 'n DreamsVerse: A Better Beginnings // by The HopesnDreamsVerse //------------------------------// "Hello!" The chimera-like mare greeted, a bright smile on her narrow, fairly pretty face. "I'm Scarlet Rosebud, and you must be Prince Meteor Star? I've got to say it's an honor to meet you. Our mothers are very good friends and I just thought I'd come over and welcome you to Ponyville." Was this supposed to be Aunt Starlight's idea of a good first friend for him? Now, she had tried many different types of ponies before, but never a pony quite like this walking absurdity. But then he relayed the yellow mare's words in his mind. She thought she'd come over and welcome him, thought to do it herself. "So, Starlight didn't send you here?" he asked after a moment, voice unsteady. Rosebud shook her head and tilted it. "No. Why would she do that?" she asked, clearly confused by the question. "I just figured somepony should come and greet you, and I figured that somepony should be me. Oh, also, I'm very happy to help. If you ever need anything, anything at all, you just come find me at my cottage over near the edge of the Everfree." She pointed off to the side, though Meteor couldn't see it through the crack. "And just come to me with any problem, woe, or worry and let your pal Rosebud take care of everything!" She concluded her speech, wings fluttering happily. Meteor stared at her. She was smiling, such a sweet, kind smile. It made the rest of her overwhelming overall appearance seem to melt away. Her eyes, demonic as they should seem, were just as bright and soft and kind as the curvature of her mouth. Meteor gave a little sigh. He didn't know what compelled him to open the door the rest of the way and give in to her visit, but he did it anyway. The hybrid mare stepped forward. "So, how are you adjusting? I mean, I know you only got here, like what, a couple of hours ago?" She asked, stretching out a broad pastel paw. Meteor stared at it for a moment, before slowly lifting a hoof onto it and letting her shake it in greeting. "T-that's right, I came on the one o'clock train. . . I'm. . . adjusting fine." Meteor silently cursed his inability to hold a normal conversation. It shouldn't have been so hard to answer a simple question. "That's great to hear," Rosebud purred. . . like literally purred like a cat. Meteor was very confused by that. Did Uncle Discord do that too? he wondered, caught off-guard. Rosebud didn't seem to notice, however, and continued. "Hey, so I heard from my mom that your stuff won't get here until tomorrow-" "—Uh actually, I—" "-so I was wondering if you'd like to maybe come over and hang out? It must be lonely in a big castle all by yourself. All my best friends are coming over too, so it should be fun." Meteor opened his mouth to decline, wanting nothing more than to be engulfed back into the world of O&O back in his room, but before he could get a word in, Scarlet's gaze traveled down his side and landed on the book floating just behind him.Her eyes brightened and she pointed a digit at it. "Oh, so you like Ogres and Oubliettes?" she asked. Meteor blinked, surprised. He hadn't expected anypony here to even know about the game. It was so full of math and roleplay that he didn't think the average pony would even like it. Then again, this hybrid mare definitely wasn't the average pony. "Yeah?" he answered. "Hey, that's perfect! That's actually what we're all doing over at the cottage, playing the game with my dad; and he's the most exciting player around." Her smile became a bit more fond as she mentioned him. "You've gotta come along now. It's a very fun game when it's with my dad. You do like playing the game too, don't you? So what do ya say?" she asked, before waiting patiently for his response. Meteor had to think about that for a moment. He really had to admit, the prospect of having new players to play against kinda thrilled him. So many new possibilities, new techniques, and tricks, new challenges! And it would be with Uncle Discord. According to Uncle Spike's stories, Discord was the cleverest player he knew back when they would play together when Spike was young, and he was the trickiest to best! Okay, maybe "kinda thrilled" was a bit of an understatement. He sighed. As much as he wanted to go back and read his book, he also wanted to actually play the game; Uncle Spike hadn't been back from the DragonLands for a long time and he didn't know how long it would be before Meteor could return to Canterlot. . . it was a gamble. Then he remembered his assignment and mission. As much as he loathed the idea of it, it was still a form of study, according to Mother, and he had never been one to weasel his way out of study. . . . He looked from his book, biting his lower lip, then back to Rosebud, who still stood there, patient and full of smile. Finally, he sighed, his mind made up. "Alright," he said in a tone he hoped came off as coolly. And I can read on the way there, so I might as well, he thought. Rosebud fluttered her impressive wingspan excitedly, happy to have found a way to get through to him. "Great! Well, alright, let's go then shall we?" She was purring again. . . . Meteor nodded slowly and exited the castle as she trotted down the front steps. He pushed the door closed, the sun immediately beaming down at him and reflecting off his lenses. He followed her down the steps, for the first time noticing that her back legs were that of a brown-coated goat, ending in pink cloven hooves that faded to blue at the tips. Even stranger than that was her complete lack of a cutie-mark. He blinked the confusion away before opening his book and continuing to follow her down the main street, keeping one eye on the book and the other on where he was going easily — he had a lot of practice doing that over the years. Not so many ponies were out now, and thankfully Emerald was nowhere in sight. Seeing that there were fewer faces and noise, calmed Meteor down greatly. He was content to spend the walk in peaceful silence, reading, but Scarlet Rosebud clearly had other plans. "So, tell me about yourself," she purred as they walked. Meteor sighed, once again turning his mind away from his read and deciding to play along. "Uh, well, I like books and. . . outerspace. I study astronomy. My telescope just arrived so. . . ." He trailed off, absently wondering what information was normal to speak of first thing and what was best left to being discovered over time. Rosebud's eyes flashed. "I love reading too, it's just so relaxing. I have a friend who likes space as well, she's always up for exploration if it's on our planet or beyond." She chuckled softly. "She's the same age as you y'know, and just as shy, I think you'd get along well." Meteor Star wrinkled his nose. I'm not shy! I'm just. . . inexperienced. Still, like the O&O surprise, the thought of somepony here having the same interests as him had never crossed his mind, and at that moment he felt very stupid because of it. Then something struck him. If Rosebud had said that her friend was his age, that meant that she, herself, wasn't. "Oh. . . how old are you?" he asked. "Twenty," she said simply and Meteor stopped in his tracks a moment. Here he was, seventeen, hanging out with an adult that wasn't one of his immediate family. It was an age gap that was big enough that it just didn't feel right to him for them to potentially be friends. Why would an adult what to be my friend anyway? Before Rosebud could notice he had stopped, he regained the function of his legs and caught back up with her. He shook his head, he really shouldn't have been so surprised by these things, but then again, it was a new environment. Or maybe I'm just dumb. . . , he growled in his head. They were now passing by a nearby yard lined with bushes. "Let's see, I do also like to study up on some things. . . ," Rosebud continued. "Like different school subjects, for example. I know I've graduated but there's always more to learn and teach. I tried teaching at the schoolhouse before but. . . uh, it didn't really work out." Meteor was about to ask what had happened in an attempt to engage in the conversation, but there was a sudden rustling in the nearby bushes that distracted him. It was quickly followed by a hushed: "Pssst! Rosie!" The unicorn stopped and turned to look at the bushes, Rosebud coming up to his side to look as well. He was puzzled and jumped a little as a long light pink foreleg, ending in a reddish-brown hoof, popped out of the leaves and waved in a beckoning motion. "Rosebud!" the owner of the leg said a little more urgently, and Meteor thought he saw the glint of green eyes and the shadow of a narrow face in the depths of the leaves. "Strawberry?" Rosebud asked, an amused eyebrow cocked and a confused half-smile forming on her muzzle. "Come here! Quick!" the voice said. It was a bit gravelly but not deep, anyway, it was hard to tell in such a hushed tone. Rosebud trotted forward, Meteor following slowly as he closed his book. As soon as they stepped up next to the bush, another hoof immerged, and before Meteor knew what was happening, he and Rosebud were both being thrust into the foilage. "Strawberry Sundae, what the hay are you up to now?" Rosebud asked, smirking as both she and Meteor crouched down so the bush concealed them completely. Strawberry Sundae, now that Meteor was next to him, was a very tall, pink-coated earth-pony, with very curly brown hair of two different shades, and brows knitted together in concentration as he peered through a hole in the bush. His cutie-mark, from what Meteor could see of it, was a bowl of ice cream topped with a seemingly random assortment of items that he couldn't quite make out in the dim light. "I'm trying to get back at S'more for filling our comedy act with standup! If this goes right, I'll show him that trickery beats jokes anyday," he answered in a mutter, before giving a small sinister chuckle that made Meteor flinch. Rosebud chuckled at him delightedly, before suddenly gaining a more serious expression. "I thought bickering over which of your acts are better is what made everypony enjoy the show?" Strawberry sniffed. "Well, yes, the rivalry is what makes us so popular! But I for once would just like a good show with only what is clearly the best source of comedic relief. I even told him that was what we were going to do this time, and what does he do? Start the show with his signature opening and does his joking anyway! As for you two, I simply called you over here to make sure you didn't get caught in the crossfire." He ended his explanation with a smirk, looking proud of himself. Meteor blinked in confusion and pushed a branch down with a hoof to peer out across the street. On the other side, right across from them, stood a pastel orange stallion with dark pink and maroon curls that reached just above his broad shoulders. He had his back turned and he seemed to be chatting with a silver pegasus and a white unicorn mare with her hair tied back in a bun. Meteor, now that he saw both the victim and the pranker, immediately remembered them as the two stage performers he had passed earlier. "So what's the plan?" Rosebud asked, fully invested as she leaned over Meteor to get a closer ear of the stallion's words. Strawberry pulled out a cream pie, seemingly out of nowhere, and held it up. "This is a device shipped straight from my father's old factory. Now it may look like a regular old pie —and we both know S'more loves pie—, but! When I press this button-" He pointed to a silver bump located on the pie tin. "-It will activate a countdown, then all I have to do is slide it across the way to him, he'll see it, and just when he thinks he'll enjoy some of it. . . it will erupt in a huge explosion of cream! It's perfect." Meteor looked to Rosebud, who glanced at him excitedly. "Is he always doing stuff like this?" he murmured to her. Rosebud shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much. But it is entertaining," she answered before looking back out through the leaves. Meteor sighed, "Ogres and Oubliettes" sounded much more appealing than pranks to him right now. Strawberry shifted his hooves and placed the pie on the ground, then he lifted the edge of the bush slightly, readied a hoof, and shoved the pie into the open. To Meteor's surprise, the pie slid unrealistically across the street, stopping only when it reached the spot of ground beside the other stallion's forehooves. The silver pegasus, who had looked very unamused up until this point, widened her eyes and pointed a wing at it. As she did so, the orange stallion looked down with half-lidded eyes, eyes that opened completely when he saw the pie. He looked around before returning his gaze to the unsuspecting prank. Strawberry started snickering and trembling with excitement at Meteor's side. There was a dot of red light that appeared on the pie tin and immediately, the cream exploded at an angle towards the victim! Meteor thought for sure the stallion would get completely covered in it. But, surprisingly, before the cream could even graze his coat; the stallion gave a skilled bounce upward, his short, poofy tail propelling him up like a trampoline. He leaped over the eruption, making a backflip before he landed a few feet away on the other side, away from the splatter. He turned around and smirked as the cream succeeded only in messing up the dirt road. Strawberry's jaw dropped practically to the ground, Meteor's following. Rosebud's brows shot up, as if impressed, but she clearly didn't have the same shocked reaction as the two stallions. Strawberry recovered quickly however, his mouth reaching back up to form a frustrated grimace. He shot forward, bursting through the bush as if to confront his comedy partner. Meteor and Rosebud followed, though they didn't have to go very far, because as soon as they burst out of the underbrush, the pastel orange stallion was already there, grinning in Strawberry's face. "Didn't take you for a litterer, Strawb," he said. The guy looked extremely smug while Strawberry glared at him, their eyes just inches apart, though not at all intimidated. "S'MORE! I don't know what kind of trick you're playing at, but let me be the first to tell you that it's not a very funny one!" Strawberry hissed, stamping and scuffing the ground with his hoof. "Well then, I guess you're just not the comedic genius you thought you were, huh?" S'more mocked, smooth and amused. Strawberry pinched his mouth and puffed his cheeks in fury at that, all while S'more's smirk grew even wider, his half-lidded eyes widening with delight. "How'd you learn to do that move, Marshmallow?" Rosebud asked, putting a hoof on Strawberry's shoulder and pushing him back a couple of steps, changing the subject somewhat. S'more —Or was it Marshmallow? Meteor wondered in confusion— rocked a little on his shaggy-fetlocked forehooves. "Oh, just a little something mom taught me. Sunny's just jealous because he was never able to do it properly." He turned his head to look at Strawberry again with his icey-blue eyes. "Your Pie Logic abilities are all out of whack, dude," he said. Strawberry lifted his head indignantly. Meteor blinked in confusion. Pie Logic? He looked over the two again. Now that they were before each other, Meteor could see that while Strawberry was very tall, easily almost as tall as Rosebud; S'more was very short. The top of his head only reached just under Strawberry's chin and only his hair made him look a tiny bit taller. He also noticed for the first time the splashes of lighter coloration both earth-ponies had on their flanks, one of their legs, on one of their eyes, and on one of their ears, the only difference between their markings was that they were flipped, both ponies having them on different sides. The only pony Meteor knew to have those unique markings, was his Aunt Pinkie Pie. S'more's eyes flicked over to Meteor as the unicorn prince stared at them. He raised a brow and turned his head to look at him fully. "What'chu looking at, Stretch?" he asked coolly. Meteor recoiled, mildly offended. Hey! I'm an average 13 hands! he thought huffily, but he didn't think saying it would make much of a difference. "Nothing," he mumbled instead, looking away from him and instead watching as three other ponies approached them. One was a black pegasus with a shaggy pastel rainbow of a mane, thick eyebrows, and intense magenta eyes that made her resemble some sort of raptor. On one side of her was a large white earth-pony with short sandy hair and vivid green eyes that seemed to glare almost like Prism's own, but there was a certain wariness to them too. The other was a pretty white unicorn – no, a very light blue colored unicorn – with a blue-violet mane streaked with navy, made up in a neat bun wrapped with a braid, well, except for two wavy locks of hair that hung over the edges of her face. She was one of the mares S'more had been talking to. "Toast, what in Equestria was that?" the pale unicorn asked, sounding amazed, looking over the ponies before her. Her trailing eyes landed on the unfamiliar Meteor and a dusting of pink immediately graced her cheeks. Now who's Toast?! Meteor wondered furiously, looking around. It seemed to him like they were just throwing names around now with no particular pony belonging to it! Maybe this was a bad idea. . . . For some reason, S'more was the one who answered the pale unicorn's query, lifting a hoof in a tiny shrug. "Like I said before, just a little trick. Why? We're you impressed?" He gave her a sly look, making the unicorn recoil and her blush deepen. "Ah-hah! So you admit it was a trick!" Strawberry exclaimed randomly, pointing hooves at S'more. Rosebud spoke up again, walking into the middle of the group. "Alright, settle down," she chided softly and patiently. "Is this any way to act around a new friend?" she asked. Meteor sniffed, thinking he was no such thing, but everyone quieted and Rosebud continued. "Everyone, this is Prince Meteor Star, he just came in from Canterlot. I'm sure all of our parents told us all about his coming to live at the Castle of Friendship?" Before she had even finished speaking, Strawberry gasped loudly, his eyes going wide as he stared into Meteor Star's own. "Oh! I didn't realize— y-your Highness!" he exclaimed in shock. Immediately he dropped to his knees, spread his forelegs out in front of him, and bowed so low that his face was practically pushed into the dirt. Meteor lifted a hoof and blinked, startled. "Uh, no that's fine, I-I may be a prince but I'm not important enough in the Hierarchy for. . . ." He trailed off. When he thought earlier that he should get more respect, this wasn't what he meant at all. Strawberry lifted his head just enough to peek out at him with his gentle emerald eyes. His shorter counterpart chuckled heartily and put an arm across Strawberry's shoulder. "Now you're just embarrassing yourself. 'Genius'," he laughed and quotated with his free hoof, making Strawberry Sundae scowl up at him. If looks could kill. . . . Rosebud shook her head at the two and pointed to everypony in turn. "Meteor, this is Pastel Prismarine, we just call her Prism." Prism, the black pegasus, lifted her chin, her eyes staring into his very soul. She lifted herself an inch above the ground and crossed her arms importantly. "This is Honeycrisp-" Rosebud pointed to the big white earth-pony, whose hunched form straightened as Meteor looked at him. "-Diamond Crest, the friend I told you about-" The pale blue unicorn's blush deepened yet again, turning her face a dark scarlet, and she looked away timidly. "-Strawberry Sundae, though we all just call him Sunny because it's easier-" Strawberry Sundae jumped to his hooves and puffed out his pink chest proudly with a smirk, S'more still managing to keep his draped hoof in place. "-and of course, his brother, Toasted Marshmallow S'more." Rosebud pointed to the orange stallion, her smile widening just a hint more as she did. Toasted Marshmallow S'more grinned and waved slowly despite the short distance. "Hey, you call me any of those you like," he added with a wink. "While we may be the same blood and the same age physically," Strawberry began. "Mentally, S'more is much younger and we are nothing alike!" he claimed bad-temperedly, turning away from his twin and crossing his hooves, doing so making him teeter forward so he had to catch himself before he could fall flat on his face. Toasted Marshmallow shrugged his unoccupied shoulder. "Eh, I can live with that!" he dismissed happily, still leaning on Strawberry. The pink stallion rolled his eyes at him and immediately shoved him off. Honeycrisp took a step forward, eyes searching Meteor quizzically, making the unicorn's fur prickle. "Do we really need Royalty in our. . . group? Seems a little late for a new addition," he asked, his Southern-accented voice was deep, slightly flat, and clearly grumpy. "It's never too late to add a new friend," Strawberry pointed out matter-of-factly. Rosebud nodded her slender head in agreement. "Exactly." Honeycrisp snorted and dismissively rolled his eyes, leaning back on his hefty yellow hooves. "Wait, hold up," Meteor spoke, before anyone could get any ideas. "I just got here. I'm not ready to just join your friend group. I'm not even ready to make friends at all—" He stopped himself, again remembering why he was here. "Uh, not yet at least. . . ." There was an awkward silence for a moment before Diamond Crest cleared her throat, her face pleasantly pale once more. "Well, uh, then let's just start off slow. How about we start by going together to Rosebud's place and sharing that game of O&O?" she suggested, smiling softly. Everypony brightened at that, and the more smiley of the group let out excited whoops. "I'm ready to beat all of you," Prismarine claimed, a small smile slipping onto her short, stoic muzzle. "Not if I beat you first!" Strawberry Sundae exclaimed, pointing a hoof at her. Toasted Marshmallow stepped into the middle. "Guys, guys, don't lie to yourselves, you know I'm the champion," he said. Honeycrisp gave a chuff of disagreement. "Just because you've won two times in a row doesn't mean you're going to keep winning." "And Marshmallow only won because Discord let him. Uncle Discord could beat all of us with a snap of his claws if he wanted to, we all know that," Diamond added, nodding to Honeycrisp. "But he doesn't. He knows it's only fair," Rosebud said. "And who knows? This guy might end up being better than all of us. He is Princess Twilight's son, after all." She lifted her elbow and nudged Meteor in the shoulder. Meteor shrugged and blushed. “I'm. . . okay,” he admitted. “Hey come on, let's see what you got, man!” Toasted Marshmallow exclaimed, stomping one hoof forward to emphasize. “Yeah, think you can beat us, Princey?” Prism taunted. Meteor sniffed. “Uh, let's just get there?” he asked, getting a little impatient and uncomfortable. “Last one to the cottage is a rotten apple,” Prism shrugged, raising slightly higher into the air. Before anypony could say anything, she was gone. The only remaining indication that she had even been there was the blur of her multi-colored tail streaming behind her. Meteor blinked in surprise. Marshmallow let out a small hum and began to bounce along the road after her as if his hooves were attached to springs. “C'mon!” Strawberry yelled to the remaining ponies, arching his hoof over his head. “We don't want to get left behind,” he too began to spring after Prism and his brother, though his bounds were comparably slower than either of them. Meteor was puzzled. Was this something friends did? Race each other here and there for no apparent reason? Apparently so, as Rosebud, Diamond, and Honeycrisp began galloping after them hurriedly. Meteor followed, not really getting the point, but also not wanting to be the rotten apple of the group. The journey there wasn't very long, just go down an alley, turn down a road, and go over a bridge. The cottage was right ahead now, though trees somewhat obscured it, it was still noticeable, especially since it seemed to be a whole story higher than when he had once flown over it in a chariot, complete with an odd purple tree protruding out from a balcony near the top. Maybe Uncle Discord expanded? It made sense, what with the family having grown since he and Fluttershy got married. Finally, he skidded to a halt on the cute little grass-covered bridge, which bent over a creek that was wrapping around one side of the house. Prism had already gotten there and was leaning against one of the many birdhouses scattered about the yard. It really wasn't surprising to Meteor about her speed, she was the daughter of the Captain Rainbow Dash and Co-Captain Thunderlane of the Wonderbolts after all. Marshmallow was also there. He had picked up the pace earlier on, seemingly to make sure he beat Strawberry Sundae and the others, and now he was chuckling amusedly at a butterfly that had landed on his nose. “Took you long enough,” Prism grumbled. Strawberry, who was panting heavily with hunched shoulders, all of his long legs spread in an arch, pulled himself up to Marshmallow's hooves as the butterfly finally floated away. “I *gasp* almost *gaaasp* beat you!” he managed to gasp out. Marshmallow looked down at him and patted him on the head. “Nice try bro-bro,” he teased fondly. Meteor himself was panting, and he glared in Prism's direction, not liking her one bit. She turned her eyes on him. “Hey, not my fault your all a bunch of slowpoke losers okay?” she snorted. Rosebud gave her a look. “Rude much,” she said, putting a comforting hoof on Meteor's shoulder. Not that Meteor needed comforting, name-calling was very dry to him and it didn't faze him like it had when he was a colt. “No, that's fine,” he said to the drac-pony. “At least I'm not a jerk,” he retorted to Prism, who merely laughed at him gruffly. There was nothing pretty or likable about her laugh, it sounded more like if an angry dog was panting, and that angry panting dog was in pain. Diamond lowered her head. “Guess I'm the rotten apple,” she said dejectedly. Honeycrisp put a hoof on her shoulder for a moment. “Hey, ah've seen rotten apples before, and you're not one of 'em,” he said before stepping off the bridge and up into the yard. It wasn't really a comforting tone, but it seemed to do the job; Diamond smiled after him with a warm light in her sea-green eyes and her cheeks turned a lovely rosy red. “So, we're here!” Marshmallow exclaimed, coming up in-between Prism and Honeycrisp and reaching out his front hooves to pull them both under his arms. “Ready for me to beat you two again?” he asked, eyes flickering between the two. Both ponies scowled at him, Prism glaring intensely, and Honeycrisp quickly escaped his grasp, pushing the other earth-pony back onto all fours. “As if!” Strawberry retorted. “I'm going to win this time, I'm sure of it.” “I'm pretty sure you got your hopes up, kid,” Prism hissed. “Well, my character does have some of the more powerful stats,” Rosebud purred. Everypony was now moving as a group up the last bit of path to the cottage, Meteor in the middle, feeling trapped between so many warm bodies. “I distablized Squizard last time, maybe I can do it again?” Diamond mused. Pretty quickly they were all chattering earnestly. Meteor felt exhausted at the buzz of voices in his ears, and he was grateful as they stopped once the ragtag group entered the building. That gratefulness was cut short when he realized why they had stopped so abruptly. They were in the cottage living room, and from the doorway on the opposite wall came two distinct voices, one was frantic and upset, the other guilty as charged. “How could you be so irresponsible?!” the softer, more upset mares voice exclaimed. “T-to be fair, I've done stuff like this in the past and it's always worked out,” the deeper, guilty drake voice chimed quickly after. Meteor recognized Fluttershy and Discord's voices immediately. What had happened? He'd never heard Aunt Fluttershy yell before; though honestly, her yelling wasn't much louder than her normal tone, but it was still a bit of a shock tp hear. “That doesn't make it any better! Please, it's like your not taking any of this seriously!” Fluttershy retorted. “I am taking it seriously Flutters, I. . . look, it will all be fine, I'll just go after them,” Discord reasoned. “That oversized kitten's magic might be strong but I can best her with some stealth and a little bit of luck,” he claimed, sounding completely in control of whatever situation had occurred. The group of younger ponies exchanged bewildered looks and mutters. Rosebud raised a paw to silence their wonderings and stepped into the kitchen. She had probably also used that signal to stop the rest of them from following, but nopony was obaying the suggestion. They all began to slowly walk after her, Meteor bringing up the rear as he was reluctant to get involved in this. “Mom? Dad? What's going on?” Rosebud's voice came as the group poked their heads around the corner. Fluttershy and Discord turned to their daughter abruptly, Discord floating above the ground, his snakelike self twisted in angles in the air. “Oh, Rosebud we. . . ,” Fluttershy cut herself off and bit her lip, she hadn't changed much since her younger years, her hair was still pink and glossy, not a gray hair in sight; and her face was still youthful, only the faintest differences to her complexion could be seen if one really studied it hard enough. The only thing that one could see to be different at first glance was the way her mane was now pulled back in a Prench braid that draped over one shoulder, and it had been that way for many years now. Discord spread out his arms and grinned. “Well heeeeey! Rosey, sooooo. . . uuuhhh, good to see you!” he exclaimed, grinning wide yet stammering slightly. Rosebud cocked a brow at him and frowned. “What did you do this time?” she deadpanned. Discord waved a paw dismissively. “Oh pfft, it's nothing really, everythingssssss- ALRIGHT, FINE!” he scowled for a short moment before speaking again. “I may have been setting up this, er, fake quest for you and your friends to go on that involved your Aunt Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Wonderbolts. I took them to this remote part of the Everfree Forest without consulting them and you kids were going to have to rescue them, buuut. . . I guess I didn't quite account for the possibility that a certain, arch-nemesis to them would send. . . a powerful Sphynx to come capture them. . .?” He trailed away, cringing as most of the group let out gasps of horror. “WHAT?” they all exclaimed, eyes wide and jaws slack. Meteor could only gape as he felt something sink in his belly like dread. “Dad!” Diamond Crest squeaked, ears flattened against her mane. “Aunt Rainbow!” Strawberry followed, lifting a hoof to his mouth in astonishment. “Uncle Thunderlane. . . ,” Rosebud breathed, before scowling and looking up at her father with dangerous eyes. “Dad! You just let that thing take them? Why, would you do that?!” she yelled. “I could do nothing to stop her,” Discord said quickly, holding his palms out before him in a 'calm down' motion. “Sphynx can paralyze the magic of any creature at will as long as they're in a certain range. I could do nothing magical to get them out of there, I only regained my powers once she left with them!” “Why, were you setting up a fake quest for us anyways?” Honeycrisp grunted. Discord eyed him before his gaze switched to Strawberry and then Marshmallow skeptically. His eyes finally landed on Meteor. “Oh, and who's this?” he slithered, avoiding the answer. Meteor was wide-eyed. At the same time of his concern for his multi-colored aunt, he was also completely in awe of the draconequus before him. “Prince Meteor Star,” Marshmallow said almost immediately, sliding across to Meteor's side to put a hoof over his shoulder, but Meteor flinched away. “Huh, huh?” Marshmallow prompted while withdrawing his hoof, his smile slightly crooked and one-sided. “That's not important right now,” Honeycrisp snapped at them before Discord could say anything. “Tell us that you're going to get them back,” he demanded, stomping a hoof. Discord crossed his arms indignantly. “Of course I will,” he scoffed. Fluttershy came to his side, still looking sour. “Well, you better hop to it, Mister,” she huffed, reaching up and yanking Discord down to her eye level by his snowy beard, before glaring into his eyes fiercely. “Ponies, like Rarity, must have realized something's up by now and we don't want to cause some sort of panic.” Discord's eyes half-lidded. “Yes, Ma'am,” he purred silkily, a terrible smile crawling across his muzzle. Fluttershy sighed and let go, letting his beard bounce back up to slap him in the face, not that he minded or that it did much. Suddenly, there was a flash of white light and he was gone. Meteor blinked out of his daze. Fluttershy folded her wings and turned to the group of younger ponies. “Don't worry dears, he'll get them back,” she said, voice soft and promising. Rosebud rubbed between her eyes with a paw before letting out a deep breath. “You're right. I just hope it's soon. . . .” “Oh!” Diamond fretted, she had been pacing after being told the news, but now she stopped and turned towards the kitchen door. “Mom's going to be so distraught, I've got to get to her,” she said urgently. Strawberry nodded. “All of our moms will be. It's best we search them out,” he added. Fluttershy nodded in agreement, putting a hoof on Rosebud's shoulder. “Yes, you all go and be with them.” She turned her gaze to Rosebud. “I think you should stay and comfort your brother, he seems a little shaken by the news and I know you're better with calming him down than I ever have been,” she murmured, smiling a bit sadly. Rosebud turned to look at the other side of the kitchen where a staircase stood, leading up to the second floor. Meteor followed her gaze to see a pale brown colt, around ten or eleven, huddled halfway up the stairs and half-hidden by the wall. His teal eyes were wide and his pink curls draped over one side of his face. He looked startled. The drac-pong nodded and turned back to the others. “You all go, I'll catch up,” she said. Everypony in the group nodded in agreement. Meteor wondered if this was his chance to escape back to the Castle, but the dread in his stomach wouldn't let him abandon the ponies his mother spoke so highly of. And so he followed the half-distraught group out of the cottage. So much for O&O, he thought subconsciously.