//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: So Coincidental // Story: Revenge is Magic // by Moon-Chan //------------------------------// Fleur de Lis blinked open her royal purple eyes. She was lying on her side on a soft dirt road. She briefly scanned her surroundings, then sighed with relief. Fancypants was standing, brushing himself off. He also seemed to be secure. Ponyville. Fleur attempted to move up into a sitting position. When a sharp pain jolted through her back, legs, and stomach, she groaned. Her fiance heard the soft noise and trotted over to her. "Fleur, my dear? What happened?" He was trying to sound calm, but the graceful unicorn mare could hear panic break through his voice. "I just teleported us here," Fleur de Lis replied, wincing. Great Celestia, it even hurt to speak. "I don't know what happened after that..." She put her head back onto the ground. She hated being weak and helpless like this. Fleur was only a doe in a tiger's habitat. News from Canterlot spread fast to the other parts of Equestria, so the couple feared if they were to be recognized, they both would be sent back to Canterlot and punished severely by Princess Celestia, the most regal ruler in all the land. "Do not fret, my love. I will find help," Fancypants replied. He did not try to hide the concern that was flooding over him. "But... who in all of Equestria... would help two murderous runaways?.." the other answered in question. Fleur's fiance quickly solved that problem. He motioned towards a sand-colored pony with a two-toned pink mane. The pony appeared to be female, and she also was staring, paralyzed in what the couple theorized to be fear, in their direction. Fleur de Lis looked up at the mare with pleading eyes-it took all the energy she had left just to lift her head, her elegant pink-and-white mane brushing the ground. Unfortunately, as she was very weak from casting the sudden spell, she was only able to keep her head up for a few short moments before setting it back down again. She was completely helpless, and wouldn't be able to defend herself if anything-or anyone-decided to attack. Fancypants lowered his head to his marefriend's own. "Please just relax, my love," he whispered, his lips brushing Fleur's ear softly. She didn't have to reply for her fiance to know she was grateful. Instead, she closed her royal purple eyes, slowly drifting off into the depths of sleep as Fancypants gently caressed her hair. His calming, sky-blue eyes stayed on the sand-colored mare, who stood a few yards away. Finally, she walked over to the two other ponies, yet with a great amount of caution. "Do not fear us," the gentlecolt told the mare. "We are searching only for a pony who may take us into their wonderful home with welcome and kindness. We need only a pony who may understand the conditions we are now living under. But most importantly, my marefriend needs rest." The rose-maned mare nodded, seeming much less tense than before. "I can help with that. I'd be happy to. Besides, I might actually know what you're going through. Please, follow me." Oh, great. I guess I'll have to take them to the abandoned duplex at the edge of town, the mare thought to herself, remembering what had happened earlier. Pushing the image from her head, the mare began trotting northward, just east of the well-known Everfree Forest. "I'm Roseluck, by the way. Most call me Rose; I go by both," the sandy-colored pony said, introducing herself. She turned partly around, still keeping her brisk pace, to see Fancypants had lifted Fleur up onto his back with his magic and was using it to keep her steady. The elegant unicorn was surrounded by a soft golden brown aura, and her fiance's horn was surrounded by the same magic put into a similar, multi-colored spectrum of light. "I am Fancypants, and this is my fiance, Fleur de Lis. We travel here from Canterlot due to some..." The stallion hesitates, then finishes, "...misconceptions." Rose raised her eyebrows. "Misconceptions, eh? What kind of misconceptions are you guys dealing with, exactly?" Fancypants sighed. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep it all a secret between him and Fleur for much longer. Luckily, Roseluck stopped in front of an old, broken down building just at that moment. It looked like it had been set aflame, then been the major scene for a drunken brawl between at least twenty, full-grown stallions. Roseluck pushed open the door with a hoof and led the other two inside. With every step they took, no matter where they stepped, the floor creaked loudly and the wood flooring felt like it could fall out from underneath their hooves at any moment. Fleur was surprised that she was uninjured by the time they reached another door, this one made of metal and wide open. Again, the pink-maned mare led them inside. This time, though, she sat down on dull, moth-eaten, carpeted flooring and motioned for the couple to sit down as well, which they did. "So, tell me," Rose said, "what exactly happened with you guys up in Canterlot?" "Fleur and I were involved in an incident at the royal Canterlot gardens," Fancypants began. "Two mares started flirting with me. One of them followed us home and seduced me while Fleur was upstairs and I was asleep. The result was the mare was injured by Fleur and my poor fiance was about to be arrested for attempted murder." "Oh, so you two are the unicorn runaways." Rose was answered with blank stares. "What?" "It was all over the newspapers yesterday. You know, The Canterlot Times. Except this issue was sent out all over Equestria, from Manehatten to Cloudsdale." Roseluck picked up a very recent newspaper with her mouth and flung it towards the couple. It landed right at their hooves. Fancypants took one glance at it and knew it wasn't good. Fleur voiced his worries. "This does not look good for us." "You got that right. But don't worry, you guys aren't the only ones with a problem like this." Immediately after she stated it, Roseluck regretted it and threw a hoof to her mouth. Whoops. The high-class couple stared at her. "Did you almost murder somepony, too?" Fleur asked, obvious sarcasm flooding her words. "I didn't almost murder somepony. I did murder, and I murdered not one, but two ponies." No hesitation. Oh well. Nothing to lose, right? Silence. Then, "Who'd you murder?" from Fancypants. "I murdered my two dear sisters. They used me and treated me like a servant filly. I was sick of it, so I poisoned their martinis." Another few minutes of awkward silence settled around the three ponies. Fleur de Lis broke it again. "So... we're all wanted criminals, then?" "Wanted criminals with bounties on our heads," Rose corrected her. "The police just found the bodies of my sisters a few hours ago but have no evidence it was me, but now everypony in town's keeping their eyes open for any suspicious activity." "That's lovely, thanks," Fleur stated bitterly. "Now there's nowhere we can go without being caught and most likely executed by Princess Celestia herself." Rose hesitated a moment before answering. She had a thoughtful expression plastered on her face. "So... you would go anywhere safe to avoid a humiliating, public execution right in Canterlot?" "Yes," both of the ponies answered. "There is one place I can take you... that hasn't been sent these newspapers, of course," Roseluck quickly added. "What one place?" Fancypants asked almost immediately. Silence. "What one place in all of Equestria is still safe, Roseluck?" More silence. Then, "The Everfree Forest."