“Please hold still, Miss Elysia. It’ll only sting for a second.”
“I’m trying…Ow!”
Zozer squirmed and whimpered as Doctor Silver dabbed at her cuts with a cotton ball. He was gentle and precise with his movements so as to not increase the pain. Once he finished, he carefully applied a bandaid to the area before moving to her side which was speckled with nicks.
“You said it would only hurt for a second, now you’re doing more?” Zozer complained, wincing at the sensation.
“In order for your cuts to properly heal, I need to cover all of them. When unicorn magic is used in such a manner, it can be hazardous to the healing of wounds and gather at the surface.”
“I have no idea what you just said but can you please leave your medical talk for later?!”
“Zozer!” Meadow scolded from her side. “He’s trying to help you. You were the one who got yourself hurt, the least you could do is make it easier for him.”
“I had to, that selfish bastard hurt Flusk! I was putting him in his place.”
“What you were doing was worrying Meadow,” Whisper chimed in. “She was terrified and you ran off without thinking!”
“It’s not like I can’t handle myself. She knows that.”
“I don’t know that.” Meadow hesitated on her next words. “...You’re not as strong as you used to be. You can’t expect to come out alright whenever your anger leads you.”
The room went completely silent after she said that except for the sound of Doctor Silver rifling through medical supplies. Meadow proceeded to situate herself on the floor and held herself with her wings in a way to comfort herself. She hid her face behind her feathers and closed her eyes, her form appearing distraught.
Zozer wanted to leave her crinkly hospital bed to console Meadow but she knew that Doctor Silver or even one of them would force her to stay put. She had to patch up all her wounds first.
To her relief, Whisper lowered down to her and embraced her, allowing the pegasus to conceal her face. But it only made Zozer feel more guilty. She had allowed herself to be bested by somepony who didn’t even deserve the win. If she had been strong enough, she could have got revenge for Flusk and wouldn’t have distressed her marefriend. Instead, she was stuck being delicate and incompetent, someone others had to shield. And her resistant spirit was testing everyone else’s patience, especially Meadow's.
“Please don’t ever do that again, Zozer.”
She lifted her head to Meadow pleading with her, eyes wet with tears.
“Don’t kill yourself trying to prove your worth.”
Her gaze softened, seeing how upset she had made Meadow. She reached her arm out and caressed the top of her head, disheveling her mane.
“I won’t, I promise.”
The promise wasn’t complete sincerity but it was enough to see her marefriend smile again, trusting her word. She highly doubted that she would be killed for pursuing Drizzle again, he hardly hit her. He had one lucky shot and escaped before she could attack back. The next time she encountered him, he wasn’t getting away. It wasn’t exactly breaking her promise if she didn’t die.
“Feeling better, love?” Whisper asked softly to Meadow, giving her a small peck on the cheek.
“Mhm,” Meadow nodded. “I’ll be okay.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Zozer grinned at them, watching her marefriend and her metamour lean against one another affectionately. As they did, Doctor Silver finished tending to Zozer’s wounds and packed up his supplies.
She sat up straight, immediately feeling uncomfortable by the number of bandaids lining her body, lightly pulling at her skin as she moved. The urge to rip them off became suddenly unbearable.
“How long do I need to wear these?” Zozer inquired, distesting a bandaid on her arm immensely.
“At least a week. The unicorn magic will seep out within a few days but the lacerations themselves will take longer to heal. As long as you replace the bandaids once in a while everything should be fine.”
“Replace them?” She looked at him as if he were crazy. “You’ve seen how many I have, right?”
“I understand it’s a bit tedious but I’m sure the ones who brought you here would be more than willing to help.”
“Of course, I’ll take good care of her.” Meadow agreed, smiling warmly.
“But the gala’s in four days…”
Zozer deflated like a balloon, sulking over the fact she would have to wear all these bandaids underneath her dress. It was long enough to cover her legs and torso but the rest of her would be exposed. She would make her entrance to her first “royal” gala looking like she had just escaped a catfight. Which wasn’t entirely wrong…If you replaced the cat with an overreactive unicorn.
“I’m sure we can find a way to make it work,” Meadow placed her hoof on Zozer’s arm comfortingly. “I said I would do your makeup, didn’t I? I can try and blend it with your skin tone, nopony will even notice!”
“Really?” Zozer’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I love you so much!”
She threw her arms around Meadow in glee, startling the pegasus and forcing her backwards onto her hind legs. She quickly stabilized all four of her hooves on the ground before she could fall over and breathed a relieved sigh, embracing her partner shortly after with a small smile.
Doctor Silver uncomfortably cleared his throat, unsure what to do with himself during their display of affection. “I’ll go prepare a prescription cream for you to take home.”
After Doctor Silver returned with Zozer’s prescription, the group left his office and made their way into the hospital lobby.
The waiting area was mostly vacant, consisting of multiple black seats lined in a row and occupied by few patients. A mother and her antsy filly took up two while a draconequus in the corner was kicked back with a newspaper. Being that it was a Wednesday night, the receptionists would not be tending to as many patients on a weekday. It also meant that the three of them would have no trouble at all finding their friends.
“Flusk!” Zozer shouted.
Everyone in the room glanced up as Zozer sprinted towards three mares near the front, Whisper and Meadow following her at a slower pace. Heartstrings, to the right, waved at her with her wing and Scarlet, to the left simply nodded at her sudden presence. In the middle seat, Flusk sat holding a red-tinted gauze to her nostril, looking particularly fatigued. She perked up when she saw Zozer approaching her and managed a small smile.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you badly?” Zozer didn’t waste time questioning her.
“I could ask the same about you,” She gazed at the bandaids covering Zozer’s body. “You look much worse than I do.”
Zozer brushed away her concern. “It’s just some scratches, they’ll heal eventually.”
“They’re more than just scratches.” Meadow glowered at her.
“That’s beside the point. Are you okay?” She repeated once more.
“I think so,” Flusk replied unsurely. “He did break my nose but they told me that all I need is rest and it will heal by itself. I’m quite lucky that I don’t need surgery. Although, I’m not sure how long these nosebleeds will last.”
From her left, Scarlet leaned into the conversation. “I know you don’t give a shit about what I have to say about him but I think you should. He hurt you, Flusk. Not with just his words either. You need to leave him before he does something worse.”
Flusk immediately avoided Scarlet’s gaze, disregarding her opinion on the matter. They had discussed this once before and it hadn’t gone anywhere. It only resulted in Flusk exploding on her and making it clear she had no intentions of cutting off Drizzle. Seeing how she was using the current situation as leverage for her judgment only made Flusk angrier with her.
“Wait, this isn’t the first time? Have I been missing something?” Heartstrings inquired worriedly.
“This is the first time he’s physically harmed her but he’s said things to her in public before. Unless of course Flusk isn’t mentioning things happening between them in private. I figured something was going on after the cafe incident…” Zozer thought out loud.
“How long has this been going on?” Meadow asked Flusk.
“I…I don’t know.”
She seemed confused, failing to recall her memories of her beginning with Drizzle. It was as if they faded together as one, becoming discernible and lost, all except the important ones. Her reminiscence of the past was happiness and laughter, it completely contradicted the negativity and incriminating evidence her friends had made against him. Surely the times he had spent teaching her magic, the deep conversations about life and beyond and his unconditional comfort on her worst days meant something. He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t care about her.
She couldn’t deny that he punched her, the bruising on her nose and the blood pouring out rapidly couldn’t be masked. But she could understand that he was going through a lot mentally and all this misunderstanding from everypony around him was making it worse. It was no wonder why he lashed out so often and took it out on her. He didn’t truly mean it, it was just him unable to cope with his feelings.
“I don’t understand, I was just talking to Drizzle earlier today at the hospital. He seemed fine to me…Well, maybe a little off.” Heartstrings muttered, remembering how she had found him in his hospital room, back turned and talking to himself.
“Drizzle was in the hospital?” Zozer appeared taken aback, glancing at Flusk for an explanation.
“You really haven’t told them anything have you?” Scarlet replied sharply to Flusk.
“I didn’t think it was important. It was a private matter.” Flusk fixated her gaze away from the tense discussion.
“Private matter or life on the line? We both thought he was going to die that day and you know it.”
“Die?” Zozer sighed exasperatedly. “Would someone please tell me what happened? This whole back and forth isn’t helping.”
Flusk glanced toward the receptionist's desk, observing a pony assisting a patient with sign-in. Then she looked to the mother and filly awaiting their turn, her daughter staring Flusk right in the eyes with her hoof in her mouth. From her peripheral vision, she saw the draconequus peeking from behind their newspaper, eavesdropping on their conversation. This place wasn’t the ideal spot to talk about what happened on Mount Mooncaster, nor with so many who would be eager to tell the unicorn magus for a reward.
Flusk spoke in a hushed voice. “I’ll tell you but in a more secluded area. There are things I’d rather the general public not know about.”
The group departed the hospital and trekked on a trail to the outskirts of River Breeze, only the empty valley around them, the village houses behind and birds flying high above would be their witness now. It was a bit far to be called a “secluded area” but seeing how Flusk stressed the situation, the others compromised on the travel away from home. It gave them a chance to enjoy the scenery if not anything else.
Once Flusk was comfortable with their distance, they settled themselves on a lush hill overlooking the village. Flusk proceeded to tell them everything, the book she found about Mount Mooncaster, the journey she embarked on with Drizzle and Scarlet, the crystal cave, what happened to Drizzle once he read the old book and how he refused to correct the doctor on his diagnosis and acted as if he was hiding something.
Aside from Scarlet, the others appeared speechless about this retelling and didn’t dare interrupt her the entire time, even at the end when she was left with silence. Whether it was because they were coming to terms with the trio now being seen as criminals by the crown or that they had gone to an area forbidden for many moons was hard to decipher. Zozer appeared to be the most troubled by this new information as she wore an anxious expression, many questions seeming to loom through her mind.
For a change, Whisper was the first one to speak up. “I’m not very knowledgeable about magic but from the readings I’ve stumbled across on Mooncaster, his behavior isn’t entirely out of the ordinary. It was speculated that the princesses were hiding something powerful there.”
“Do you believe it’s real?...” Flusk asked, sounding as if her whole perspective of the mountain would change depending on Whisper’s answer.
“I’ve never been there so I can’t say for sure myself but I’m not against the idea of them locking away artifacts inside, artifacts that should never be brought out ever again. I think you may have stumbled upon one that you shouldn’t have.”
Her heart sank, realizing a crucial detail to her story that Whisper had made her aware of. It all started with a book, and then another book that Drizzle was infatuated with the moment he laid eyes on it. She was so focused on his sudden outburst inside the cavern that she had forgotten what preceded it.
Drizzle had always been a bit withdrawn but now he always wanted to be alone. And today he had taken his actions further than she anticipated. That book was cursed, it changed him into somepony she no longer recognized, and it terrified her.
“If what you’re saying is true, and that book did do something to him, he’s now running off to who knows where with whatever abilities it gave him. I think we should be worried.” Scarlet added.
“We should tell the princesses, they would know how to handle this!” Meadow attempted to remedy the situation.
“And what are we going to tell them when they ask how he got the book? Drizzle wasn’t the only one who went in, I’m sure they know there are three of us. Me and Flusk would be arrested on the spot for knowing information.”
“I don’t mean to be rude but isn’t that sort of your fault? You all chose to go inside knowing the consequences.” Heartstrings replied.
“Uh, no, going to Mooncaster was Flusk’s idea, not mine. I was dragged along with that pompous asshole because she wanted to go.”
“But you still went, didn’t you?”
“Why are you trying to turn this on me? Are you asking for a fight?”
Between the tense exchange of Heartstrings and Scarlet, Flusk snapped and shouted over both of them, “We won’t tell anyone anything!”
It appeared Flusk had a gift for making her peers go quiet as everyone concluded their debates on the situation and glanced at her perplexed. Realizing her mistake in allowing the pressure to seize her, she took a deep breath and composed herself before explaining.
“Princess Regalia and Princess Aphrodite can’t know about Drizzle, neither can anypony else. While it might be morally right for me and Scarlet to come clean, it also would overcomplicate the situation. We were there with him when the book altered him, we wouldn’t be given the chance to explain before they potentially threw us behind bars. Alternatively, you all could explain to them instead but even then, you would all be considered suspects for knowing anything. We’d all be in trouble for being involved.”
A few of her friends nodded in agreement solemnly, the weight of this predicament becoming clearer.
“It’s a horrible choice, perhaps the worst but I think it’s best if we let this play out. I don’t know where he is right now but if we spot him again, we can confront him. But for now, all we can do is wait.”
“The Stone Hedge Gala is Saturday, right?” Whisper turned to Flusk. “We have a few days to find him before then. If not, everyone received an invitation, he’ll most likely attend the gala.”
“Do we really want to chase him around a glamorized ballroom?…” Scarlet asked, sounding rather exhausted thinking about the idea.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” Whisper grimaced. “I’d like to enjoy the night with my partner.”
Noticing her marefriend speaking more, Meadow gained the courage to join in, although not for the same reason. “As much as I’d like to help with the search, I’m afraid I’m a bit too busy up until Saturday…” She nervously wrung her hooves together.
“Yeah, me too,” Heartstrings agreed. “My mom wants me to help in the hospital for the next few days, something about an overload of paperwork…Yay.”
“Chaos doesn’t want me to go anywhere after the Mooncaster thing so I don’t think I can help, sorry,” Scarlet replied with monotony.
Her shoulders fell with disappointment, seeing almost all her friends had a busy schedule for the rest of the week. Some she suspected were possibly relieved to have an excuse to not help with the search. And although Whisper and Zozer hadn’t stated their plans yet, Flusk could only predict they would be too busy as well.
It was fine, she could search for him herself. She was responsible for him and the situation, it was only fair that she found him. But would there be enough time before the gala?...
“I hope you find him, Flusk,” Whisper said. “I’ll keep a lookout too. If there’s anything we don’t need it’s having to involve other civilians in this mess. Let’s try to find him before Saturday.”
After the serious talk, it devolved into more light-hearted stories between the many friends. Flusk chose to listen instead of partake this time, her mind running with far too many anxiety-inducing thoughts to get into a happy mood. Zozer seemed to be the same, a disturbed expression still present on her face. Meadow had asked her a few times if she was alright during the discussion and she eased her concerns each time. But whenever the sweet pegasus was no longer gazing in her direction, she was frowning and twiddling her thumbs.
Zozer had always been the type to shrug off her feelings ever since they had first met and refused to admit when she was hurt. But she often communicated her feelings to her marefriend, viewing their communication as highly important. This time, she avoided doing so altogether and Flusk couldn’t help but wonder why she was so perturbed.
Relievingly, the hectic Wednesday they had all endured was beginning to come to an end as the sun drew closer to the horizon, its bright rays disappearing prompted the group to pack up. They traveled back into River Breeze together but said their goodbyes once they made it into town, hopeful to be reunited on the day of the gala.
With Scarlet and Heartstrings already off their separate ways, Whisper and Meadow began their trip home just as Flusk was about to depart. She immediately ceased her movement when she heard the tapping of claws on the stone path approaching.
Zozer, out of breath, called her name. “Flusk!”
She rotated around and waited for the draconequus to catch up before questioning her.
“Zozer, what are you doing here? Aren’t you going home?”
“I couldn’t,” She answered between gasps. “Drizzle…I need to tell you something.”
The mention of Drizzle made Flusk pause momentarily. “What about Whisper and Meadow, they’re leaving without you!”
“They know…Just give me a second.”
She let Zozer rest and catch her breath, it seemed she had run quite a distance hurriedly. What she had needed to tell Flusk appeared to be greatly important to her if she was willing to abandon her marefriend and metamour for it. Hopefully, it had to do with what was bothering her earlier.
“Alright, I’m good now,” She took a stride in the direction Flusk was headed. “I’ll walk with you home.”
Lamps perched on the side of the village houses sparkled with newly lit flames, lighting the path that Zozer and Flusk traveled upon. It was them, the fading daylight and the brief luminescence they passed on their way.
Despite expressing her urgency earlier to tell Flusk, Zozer remained quiet as she followed the road onward. It reminded the unicorn of her travels to the marketplace and back with Drizzle at her side. He wasn’t always in the best mood and refrained from talking so she would just listen to the sound of the rocks underneath their hooves and the whistling wind. She wished he could be at her side now, even if she wasn’t entirely welcome in his presence.
Zozer spoke a few minutes into their silent walk. “I asked before but you never gave me a fair answer, are you okay?”
“I guess so,” Flusk mumbled.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
Flusk didn’t argue against it, meaning she was fine with Zozer thinking that.
“I’m still speechless about the mountain situation,” Zozer nervously laughed. “I never knew you were willing to do something so risky.”
Flusk hummed disappointedly, lowering her head in shame. She didn’t know she was so willing to do it either. All she felt was an urge, a calling to uncover the secrets of Mooncaster. The curse that had been laid upon Drizzle had been calling to her instead, what would have happened if she was in his place? The secret entity that broke the barrier spell had responded to her, perhaps it was originally meant for her.
“I know it’s a little late for this but it’d be nice if you told me what was going on in your life, apart from what I already know. I would have liked to know that Drizzle was in the hospital or that you three made that crazy trip. You don’t have to tell me everything but the important things matter.”
“I would have just-...I was so wrapped up in that and stressed about him lying to me. At the time I didn’t think it was that important either…”
“No matter if you think it’s important or not, you can always tell me. I’m not as judgmental as you may think.” She reassured her with a smile. “Besides, knowing that you were seen trespassing by Regalia’s security, it’s a much bigger problem now…”
Not many used Princess Regalia’s name in such an informal manner, perhaps out of respect, or fear. But Zozer used it as a way of knowing her personally. Flusk’s curiosity persisted when she looked downwards, troubled.
“Is that what you wanted to tell me?...”
Zozer sighed. “I hate to say it but you really messed up. Regalia and Aphrodite are normally merciful and shy away from extreme punishments if the crime committed isn’t a big deal. But you also tampered with something they’ve kept under control for hundreds of years, and with how strict the laws are it was pretty important.” She paused from the intensity of her next words. “They may be kind but they’re not above the death sentence either.”
“They kill ponies?!” Flusk nearly tripped over her own hooves in fright.
“Not normally, like I said they try not to go to extreme measures. But it’s a possibility I thought you should know.”
“How do you know that? You’ve never talked about the princesses before, I wouldn’t have expected you to know anything about them.”
Zozer glanced to the side and played with a strand of her hair. “We’ve met before…Once or twice.” She didn’t elaborate on that but Flusk got the sense it was a meeting on bad terms. Instead, she redirected the topic. “Anyway, I won’t say anything to them like we agreed on but you need to be careful. Especially at the gala.”
“If I find Drizzle now then we won’t have anything to worry about. I just have to try my best.”
“And what are you going to do when you find him? He’s affected by a magical artifact none of us know the extent of. He didn’t seem any different when I fought him, except for being a coward,” She snorted in frustration.“but the effects of the artifact could be taking longer. If you find him when it does you have no defense against it and no knowledge of how to stop it. It’s not a reliable plan.”
“Well I can’t involve the princesses and nopony else has a better plan so that's all I can do for now.”
Zozer was unable to spout another argument against that as they climbed the steps to Flusk’s door. With a simple flit of her magic, she leaned down and lit a flame on the wick of her lantern, allowing light to pour over the entrance.
“Will you be okay here tonight?” Zozer asked in a soft tone, noticing Flusk eyeing the door of her home hesitantly.
“I’ll be fine,” She answered quickly. “I lived here before without him and he might decide to come back later. He doesn’t exactly have anywhere else to stay.”
Zozer nodded, respecting her decision. “If anything happens, let me know immediately and I’ll be here.” She took a step down the stairs. “See you at the station, Saturday before nightfall?”
“Of course, I’ll be there!”
The draconequus gave her an enthusiastic wave and walked away as Flusk let herself inside. Flusk already turned her back to the village homes but Zozer had slowed her pace so she could observe her friend safely retire to bed before making the journey back to her own.
Flusk narrowly avoided Drizzle’s half-filled lukewarm coffee on the dining table and rushed to her bedroom, trying to relieve her thoughts of him before she slumbered.
Her drafts remained sprawled out on her work desk, her favorite quill propped in a glass jar at the side. She had hardly touched her assignment since that fateful day, pages of unfinished concepts that she was supposed to have done weeks ago with an extension provided by her understanding publisher had simply fallen to the wayside. She would have stressed about it had she not been so tired, so weak and so betrayed by the one she had lent a home to, her heart to.
She collapsed into the covers of her bed, allowing her body to go limp and relax. Flusk normally feared the pitch blackness of her room without a secondary light but she was far too exhausted to switch on a lamp before her eyelids drooped and shut.
Maybe he’ll come home tonight…
To her dismay, he never came home that night. Neither did he the other nights. She spent her mornings searching the marketplace of River Breeze for any sign of him and her evenings trekking the pathways with a lantern in her hoof. She left her comfort zone to ask other ponies if they had seen a blue unicorn with a brown mane skulking around and was met with confusion and shaking heads.
She went back home every day, defeated and debilitated with loneliness, glancing at that cup of coffee he drank two nights ago. Why hadn’t he come home and finished it? Why did he hurt her and leave her behind in shambles? She felt guilty for him laying a hoof on her and she couldn’t understand why. Why was she so intolerable to him, so unloveable?
“When will you get it that I don’t love you?”
The fierceness and cruelty in his voice made her tears sting as she whimpered a small cry and keeled over the dining table. Her sobs were quiet but painful, feeling as if she were hiding a flurry of feelings inside. It made her feel pathetic to be wallowing over a love she knew would be unrequited from the start but she couldn’t help but fall so hard. Knowing how much he hated her and how much she loved him through the suffering made it far worse.
It was a miracle she was able to choke down a hooful of cereal and half-eaten lettuce sandwiches through her nauseousness, being too lovelorn to have an appetite. Her sleep schedule hadn’t improved either since she spent most of the sleeping hours waiting for him to come home and often cried herself to sleep. It was foolish to believe he’d return, she knew it, but she still clung onto fleeting hope he’d walk through the door without being complied to. Because he cared about her…
Unfortunately, it was far too late for that for tonight had finally come, the Stone Hedge Gala.
She slipped into tall white boots, zipping up each hoof before wrapping herself in a silky navy blue gown, speckled in stars that mimicked the night sky. She straightened her mane and levitated a white feather behind her ear, adding a piece of herself to the ensemble.
Despite the interruption, she and her friends experienced while dress shopping, she was able to purchase a gown in time for the formal party. But she didn’t feel as pretty in it as she would have four days ago. In the mirror, all she could see was a tired mare trying to mask it with an overpriced trim. This gala would be nothing more than faking smiles and attempting to be less awkward in an atmosphere where everypony else has a plus one but her.
She reached for her gold ticket, shoving it inside a crevice in her skirt as her eyes fell upon an identical one lying untouched. Without his ticket, Drizzle wouldn’t be able to enter the castle with everypony else which gave Flusk bittersweet relief, saddened by his lack of appearance at all.
Flusk double-checked her look, fussing over the bruises on her face the most before accepting her image and departing for the train station.
Being a filly who was born and raised in River Breeze, Flusk had hardly ever taken the train in her time here. She never had a reason to leave the village, except for visiting distant family when she still lived with her parents. It had been years since she rode the rickety, bumpy and overcrowded transport. The horrors of endlessly screaming foals without an end whilst being trapped in a small space with no exit taunted her a fair bit.
She stepped onto the train station platform and found couples of ponies, adorned in fancy and expensive garments crowded together, jubilant for the night ahead. She could hear them chattering about the “illustrious” princesses, (mostly Princess Regalia) and how thrilled they all were to sample Ifera’s finely aged wine. Something about Princess Regalia aging them for a few centuries…She wasn’t quite paying attention to the local drunk talk.
She was relieved to see three familiar figures approaching her direction, all of them embellished with formal gowns as well.
Meadow, who was shyly trotting at the side of her partners, wore the strawberry dress Zozer and Whisper had practically begged her to buy at the boutique, sheepishly smiling at the gathering of ponies. To her right, Zozer confidently strutted in a sparkling purple gown depicting a galaxy-like pattern in the fabric that almost twinned Flusk’s dress. The wounds she had sustained from battling Drizzle had completely vanished and she appeared to be in great spirits about it, sneaking a small hop in her walk. And to the left of Meadow, Whisper fashioned her regular pink bows in her mane and a matching pink gown with a ribbon collar and bow at the back.
Upon noticing her, Zozer bounded over to Flusk, beaming.“Flusk, you’re here already! I love your dress, the stars on it are so pretty! How are you doing?”
“I’m alright, and um…Thank you,” She replied less enthusiastically as Zozer approached her, more curious about her current appearance. “What happened to your bandaids? Did the scars heal already?”
“Oh no, certainly not that fast,” Meadow answered for her. “I covered them up with a concealer, you can hardly see them now.”
“She also did my makeup, see?” Zozer pointed to her eyes, her glittery purple eyeshadow shone as it caught the train station’s lights. “She did such a good job, I love it so much!” She squealed in excitement and bounced on each leg.
“Oh no, is the train about to arrive, am I late?!”A panicked Heartstrings hurried over to them, practically tripping over her own dress to make it in time.
“You’re not late, don’t worry.” Flusk solaced her. “The train isn’t supposed to arrive for another five minutes.”
Heartstrings breathed a sigh of relief and attempted to adjust her light pink shoulder cut dress after her gallop here ruined its placement. Her wings peeked out from small holes stitched into the gown, perfect for pegasi to air out their feathers. “My mom tried to hold me back from going to the gala so I was worried I wasn’t going to make it. I had little time to throw this together, do you think it’s okay?”
“It looks beautiful to me!” Zozer chimed in with a grin.
Shortly after Heartstrings arrived, Scarlet came prowling over to the group. Her attire was certainly unique, being a mix of maid garments and a frilly dress. However, she didn’t share the same energy as her outfit and appeared positively miserable on this joyful night. Perhaps she should have worn completely black instead…
“Let’s hope this depressing party is bearable.” Her first words stunk with her regular personality.
“Scarlet, is that from your basement?” Flusk inquired about her clothes, remembering the piles of schoolgirl skirts she spotted when visiting Scarlet’s house.
“I’m not answering that.”
“I don’t think the gala will be awful. I’m not a big fan of huge parties and tons of ponies either but the castle does have a garden and a few balconies. You can always leave and take a breather outside.” Heartstrings suggested.
“I’d rather not go at all.” Scarlet shot down the idea entirely.
“Well unfortunately I don’t think you have any time left to decide, the train’s here,” Flusk said.
A loud whistle sounded through the air followed by increasing chuffing as a train began to approach the station. The ground rumbled as it traveled across the railway tracks and ponies began to crowd together to board the train. The six friends joined them as the train slowed its pace, rolling into the station and stopping at the platform. Steam billowed out of the engine as the conductor stepped out from the side door and cupped his hooves together.
“All aboard for Stone Hedge Castle!”
In single file, the ponies boarded the train as the station emptied. Zozer was forced to duck her head when entering, seeing as this train wasn’t as inclusive to taller folks such as herself. They reached the seating area finding a lot of it occupied by gala attendees already but luckily found enough seats for everyone at the back.
Whilst clambering into her chair, Flusk briefly noticed a tall individual in the front with long purple horns and a multicolored pink mane disappear behind their seat. She couldn’t help but pause and feel immediate dread at those recognizable features…Was that her boss?
The wind was temporarily knocked out of her when she was suddenly jolted into her seat as the train began to move again. She took a deep breath in an attempt to ease her anxiety and stared out the window to her left, her small little village beginning to fade beyond the planes.
She felt a hoof softly tap on her shoulder and she rotated around to see Whisper exchanging a tiny smile. “Hey Flusk, I forgot to ask at the station, do you have an update on Drizzle? I noticed you were um…A little out of it and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
Her ears fell and she lowered her head in shame. “No…I tried, I really did. He wasn’t anywhere in River Breeze, and neither did he come home by himself. I checked the library, and the marketplace, I even asked other ponies if they saw him…I think he might have left the village entirely. Or maybe he just doesn’t want to see me again…”
Whisper shared a mutual perturbed expression with her marefriend and metamour, including the rest of her friends. Whisper somewhat knew it would end like this but there was no harm in hoping for the best.
“Does this mean we have to chase this motherfucker down?” Scarlet asked irritatedly.
“It might…We can’t let him roam around causing problems.”
“He might not even be at the gala. He never took his ticket with him…” Flusk replied.
“It’s still possible to break into the castle,” Zozer said. “And with a big party like that, the guards will be preoccupied with the guests. It’s the perfect time to sneak in.”
“You say that like you’ve done it before.” Heartstrings eyed her suspiciously.
“...Maybe I have, you wouldn’t know.” Zozer stuck her tongue out playfully.
“I suddenly have more respect for you, Zozer,” Scarlet replied in approval of dubious acts against the princesses.
“Oh…Um, thank you?” Zozer wasn’t exactly sure how to take that. “Anyway, my point is that if we don’t enter with the assumption he’s there then we’ll be a lot less prepared for if he is. It’s best to assume he’s hiding in a corner watching. Being more observant than usual might just be the best way to find him.”
“And if he’s not there?”
“Then at least we knew everyone at the gala was safe and that Regalia and Aphrodite saw nothing.”
“He’s not riding on this train with us, is he?” Meadow stood up on her tippy-hooves, scanning the seats for any sign of him.
“I was watching the doors, I didn’t see him,” Scarlet said. “But that’s not to say he couldn’t just be wearing a disguise. That son of a bitch is insane, I wouldn’t doubt it.”
“I guess all we can do is act normal until one of us spots something strange.” Flusk sighed.
“It’s the only plan I can think of,” Zozer nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll have him on his ass in no time, there’s no way I’ll let him escape again!” She slapped her fists together and grinned mischievously.
“Zozer, no,” Meadow put a hoof on her arm. “What did we talk about you running headfirst into dangerous situations?”
She let her arms drop and sighed. “That I’ll get hurt and I need to stay behind.” She repeated in a monotone voice. “But that’s not fair, I’m much bigger and stronger, I can fight him!”
“No, you can’t, he’s a unicorn who’s studied magic for years. You don’t have a fraction of the power you use to, you need to stay put. Princess Regalia and Princess Aphrodite can deal with him if things get out of hoof.”
“Ughhh, fineee…” Zozer slumped into her seat lazily, her head hanging over the armrest.
The rest of the ride, the friends anxiously awaited their arrival and chatted about mundane things up until the tracks led up a different path. They were surrounded by gardens filled with lilies and well-groomed hedges as the scenery took on a sophisticated look.
Gasps echoed across the train as a towering castle completely crafted of stone loomed before them, a mix of pink and blue flags and tapestries of the two princesses waved off its high structures. A lavender circular stained glass window in the center was bathed in moonlight as the passengers were given a sneak peek ofthe grand hall, noticing a large and decorated ballroom inside.
The train slowed once it reached its destination and the conductor shouted once more. “Arrival at Stone Hedge Castle!”
To be continued...