"YOU LIED TO ME!" she screamed, chaotic energy crackling around her.
"I did no such thing." he scoffed, remaining calm.
"Why did you send Trixie to kill Twilight? You said you wouldn't hurt them!"
"Yes, I did. My dear, think for a moment. We are talking about Trixie. She could barely make her tricks work if not for the little bit of chaotic power I loaned her. How on Terra was she going to possibly cause any harm to your dear friend?" he asked with a smirk. The girl paused for a moment, shaking her head.
"That doesn't excuse all the other things you've done. You sent the Sky Mason to ruin the town, you hurt Spike! And you got your own student captured!" she argued. He sighed, holding up a finger.
"First, The Sky Mason was a test and The Element of Loyalty passed it with flying colors." he held back a chuckle at the pun.
"Second, Spike, the Dragon boy. I needed a way to peer into the town when you aren't there. Now, after his little...incident, I can tap into the chaos within him and take quick peeks at everything he sees. You and I are well aware that I could've finished him. But I promised I wouldn't." he smiled, watching as she began to calm down.
"And lastly, as for Trixie. She isn't captured, she is undercover. Why, even now she has been reporting to me that Princess Luna has taken an interest in her and is training her to be The Dark Apprentice. A title that has not been held in over three thousand years. And when her training is done, she will be ready to help us once more. So you see, my dear Fluttershy, I have kept my promise the entire time." Discord finished, watching as his daughters fury diminished, tears stinging her eyes.
"I-I'm so sorry! I-I just..."
"Shhh, its okay. You were only concerned about your friends. Its what makes you who you are and one of the many reasons you are so important in our endeavors. I will keep my promise, but I need you to keep yours. They are already suspicious, lets not give them reason to investigate, hm?"
"Y-You're right...Sorry Daddy..."
"Its alright, but we both have places to be, or all will be for naught." he slid into his lab coat, placed a kiss on her forehead and gave a snap of his fingers, vanishing from his lair and appearing inside of his lab.
"Well, back to the old grind."
"Pinkie! What are you doing here?!" Rainbow demanded, her ears still ringing.
"I'm celebrating you and Twilight finally kissing. Its been almost fourteen chapters! What took you so long?!" Pinkie Pie demanded. Rainbow sighed, decidedly not asking what her friend meant by 'chapters'. Some things just weren't worth the headache.
"Oh I'm so happy for you Dashie! I thought you two would NEVER kiss! And then all the Twidash shippers would be so sad..." She sighed, patting Rainbows shoulder.
"Well, I gotta go get the party ready! Have fun!" she giggled, simply walking out of the library and leaving Rainbow even more confused. Twilight came back down, her clothes soaked and her hair matted against her face.
"Well, I might need a new bath tub. But she seems to be having fun with the bubbles." Twilight sighed. Rainbow simply stared in silence, until Twilight pulled the water out of her clothes and hair with her magic, dropping it into the kitchen sink.
"Show off." Rainbow mumbled to herself. Twilight raised an eyebrow, her friend mimicking the movement.
"So, uh...what now?" Rainbow asked, turning her head to hide her growing blush. Twilight cleared her throat.
"Well, I'm not sure. I've never been in a relationship before...should we go on a date? Or is it too early?" Twilight began to pace about the room, a worried look plastered across her face. Rainbow couldn't help but smile as she watched her friend mumble and try to figure it out. With a roll of her eyes she grabbed Twilight by her shoulders.
"How about, tomorrow, I take you out for milkshakes? My treat." Rainbow grinned. Twilight stammered for a moment, before settling on a nod.
"I-I'd like that."
Sweetie Belle sighed to herself, staring into her vanity mirror. The young Magian tugged on her lip, revealing one of her fangs and letting out another sigh. She couldn't help but worry, seeing tinges of red in her reflections eyes.
Why couldn't she just be normal? Why couldn't she just be happy? A knock at her door snapped her out of her thoughts, a quick glance over her shoulder revealed her sister Rarity.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." the older sister said softly as she entered the room.
"No, not really." Sweetie Belle mumbled, turning back to the mirror.
"Rarity...I'm scared..." she admitted. Rarity offered her a smile, setting a small cup of tea next to her.
"This is my emergency blend. Naturally grown herbs with a touch of ancient magic. When you feel at your worst, just take a sip."
"A-and this will fix everything?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"The hunger, the flashes. The loss of control. Its only a temporary fix and not something you can always count on. But, I don't think you'll be needing it Belle. You seem to have found your own form of control." Rarity knelt beside her sister, placing a hand on her cheek.
"That friend of yours. You care deeply for her, don't you?" Rarity asked. The sudden rise of color in her sisters face was all the answer she needed.
"Love is a strange and powerful thing Sweetie Belle. Embrace the feelings in your heart, and everything will be just fine. I promise." She kissed Sweetie Belle's forehead as she stood, making her way downstairs. Sweetie Belle turned towards the forgotton cup of tea, staring into the brown liquid.
As she stared, an image of her friend Scootaloo appeared within, smiling up at her and letting out that laugh she loved so much. She set the tea back down, looking up at her mirror and seeing only herself in it. As long as she had Scootaloo, she would be fine.
"Whoa...what the heck happened to me?" Scootaloo wondered, looking at herself in Twilights mirror. Her normally puny wings had grown and almost reached half of her arms length. She gave them an experimental flap, gasping as she was flung backwards off the stool she stood upon, barely catching herself on the sinks edge.
"Phew, man. I bet I could hit mach speeds with these babies." She chuckled, looking over her shoulder. It was a bit strange being able to see her wings instead of just feel them. Was this what Rainbow and Twilight had been talking about? Were her wings a part of her sickness? If she drank another potion would her wings get even bigger?
"Hey! You still up there kid?!" Rainbow called out.
"Y-Yea! Just drying off!" Scootaloo called back.
"Well hurry up! We're watchin' scary movies tonight!"
"The training is tough Master, but nothing Trixie cannot handle. Trixie has gained their full trust and in time will return to finish what was started with Twilight Sparkle." Trixie spoke into a small orb.
"Well done Trixie, be sure to keep up appearances and do not let your guard down. Luna is as much a trickster as I and if you give her an opening she will know everything."
"I understand master." Trixie said softly, the orb vanishing. Luna smiled, resting a hand on her students shoulder.
"We trust that he suspects nothing?" she asked softly.
"Of course Mistress. Trixie is quite the actress. Not even The god of chaos can see through her act." the Magian beamed. Sure, she could remain loyal to Discord, but under him she was but a puppet.
She had known what she was to him, but with him being the only thing keeping her off the streets, there hadn't been much of a choice. The power he gave her, the safety she felt, it had eventually blinded her.
But with Luna it was different. Sure, she was pushed harder each day, but at the end of every lesson there was a genuine smile and on some occasions a reward for her efforts.
"Do not be so hasty to judge. Discord is the master of tricks. If anyone could see through you, he could. Do not let your guard down my Apprentice." Luna said softly. Trixie nodded, letting out a slow breath.
One of her first lessons had been in shielding her thoughts, with her new teacher digging into her mind at random intervals to reinforce the importance of the lesson. It was rather amazing how differently time passed within the Dream world. Within a period of two hours she had learned two weeks worth of magic lessons.
Her focus was broken by a hand running up her side, Luna's breath hot against her neck. That was when she struck, but Trixie was ready, slamming a wall between her Mistress and her Mind. Luna managed to contain her excitement, simply clearing her throat.
"Well done my Apprentice. You have grasped the material much faster than I expected. Soon we can move on to Combat Spells and Manipulation." Luna praised.
"For now, retire to your quarters and maintain your connection with Discord. He cannot be allowed to suspect we are on to his little game and for that...we fear we must feed him information on the Elements. It is the only way to ensure our ploy works." Luna sighed.
"Trixie understands Mistress." The Magian said softly. Luna flashed a smile, watching as her student left her quarters.
"Forgive us for asking Mistress...but does the loud one catch your eye?" a voice rumbled from the shadows.
"We are rather fond of her loudness, but she is a simple child in need of a guiding hand." Luna answered.
"I'm convinced otherwise Mistress. I've seen that look in your eyes before." a woman spoke from beside the giant.
"T'was it not the same look upon thine face when you gazed upon your beloved, Midnight?" Luna taunted. Midnight rolled her slitted eyes as she stepped forth from the shadows.
"You wound me Mistress. What about Scar and his little flower?" Midnight diverted attention to her partner, a giant of a man shifting out of the shadows, a pair of powerful bat-like wings stretching from his back.
"Is it wrong for us to seek happiness?" Scar rumbled.
"Tis not wrong at all, we were hoping to hear that things had worked out for thee."
"Mistress, we are as ageless and duty-bound as you. We have not the time for such indulgences." Midnight said softly.
"You are right...such things are better left to our subjects...Keep an eye on the girl for me. I must away to my duties." Luna sighed as her two most loyal guards vanished into the shadows.
"After all these years...after all we did to you...you two still care for us...thank you."
With a sigh, his helmet was placed upon his home desk, armor following suit along the way to his personal shower. A pair of eyes watched him in passing, belonging to a concerned Princess.
"Shiny? Is everything all right?" Cadence asked softly, snapping the weary knight from his stupor. He rubbed his eyes and gave another sigh.
"Everything's fine Cadence. Just some new recruits and a few new assignments. There was also some incident in one of the labs, but no one seems to have been hurt."
"An incident? Why would something like that fall under your jurisdiction?" Cadence wondered.
"Well, that lab holds the remains of Nightmare Moon. But they are still sealed up pretty tight. Spell Nexus says it was just some kinda potion gone wrong and Dr Accord backed up the story. Still..."
"You don't believe them? But they've been working for Celestia for years!" Cadence argued.
"Its not that I don't believe them...I just have this feeling...When Princess Celestia was attacked...I just knew somehow. And when I went to save her she was battling Nightmare." He sighed once more, gripping the doorknob to the restroom.
"She ordered you away for your safety and the safety of everyone in Celamont Shining. What happened there wasn't your fault."
"I could've taken Nightmare. But...thats not what has me on edge." he rested his head against the door, relaxing slightly as Cadence slipped her arms around him, laying her head against his back.
Despite being a Celestian, she was about a head shorter than him, and was always having to look up at him. She didn't mind it really, it was nice and she found it romantic at times.
"I had that same feeling in that lab. Like something was terribly wrong. And I'm going to find out what, if its the last thing I do." Shining finished. Cadence rolled her eyes, standing up on the tips of her toes and planting a kiss against his neck.
"At least take some time to relax before throwing yourself into something like this." She whispered before slipping away. He gave her a half-hearted smile before entering the restroom to relax with a shower. The tension slowly faded from his muscled frame as the hot water rained down, washing away the days sweat.
He could faintly hear Cadence past the roar of rushing water, shifting about his apartment. His thoughts however returned to Nightmare Moon, and her fragmented armor.
What were the good Doctors hiding from him? And why, after so many years of service to Celestia, would they be hiding anything? So lost in thought was he that he failed to notice Cadence sneaking into the shower.
Spell Nexus paced back and forth slowly, several of his companions dressed in robes, faces hidden behind the hoods, and awaiting his orders. His army was small, weak, feeble. His Mistress could not return to this, no...he needed more soldiers. His Mistress would need more children to her cause.
"As you are aware, six young woman have unlocked the power of the Elements and wiped away our Queen. But in that form she was weak, held back by that whimpering Princess Luna."
"What are we to do about it then? She is gone, all we have left is her armor!" one hooded woman argued.
"Yes, we do have her armor and within it, a thousand years of her pure energy. We need only a vessal and powerful magic for our Queen to be born anew, a body of her own with nothing to hold her back."
"Where are we to find such magic?" a man questioned. "We are strong, but I doubt we possess the power you seek."
"You are correct my friend. We lack the magical power necassary to revive our Queen, for now. But, there is someone who does have the power we need. The Element of Magic, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight sneezed, a chill running up her spine.
"You okay Twi'?" Rainbow asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. I think someone is talking about me though..."
"Eh thats just some superstition." Rainbow scoffed quietly, so as not to interrupt the movie, which was keeping Scootaloo occupied.
"Not everything is superstition. Many Magians possess a sixth sense about these things Rainbow." Twilight stated.
"What, like Pinkies Pinkie Sense?" Rainbow asked. Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"Pinkie Sense?"
"Oh right, uh...Huh, I dunno how to explain it actually. Well, okay. This one time I was doing this crazy wicked trick and I didn't have enough power to come out of a dive. Pinkie, five minutes ahead of time, had placed a huge bale of hay in the exact spot I was going to crash because her knees were wobbly." Rainbow explained.
"What do wobbly knees have to do with you crashing?" Twilight asked. Rainbow sighed, trying to think of a better way to explain it.
"Pinks gets these weird sensations that tell her something is gonna happen. Like your sixth sense thingamajig."
"Its not a thingamajig Rainbow. Its an innate sense that comes from being in-tuned with mana. Pinkie Pie is a Gaian. There is no way she could have an ability like that."
"Twi', are you really gonna argue about Pinkie? How many times has she popped out of nowhere since you got here?" Rainbow asked.
"She snuck up on me. There is a proper explanation for everything Rainbow Dash. And I am going to prove it."
"Prove what?" Pinkie asked, the pair stumbling off the couch.
"OOOO Popcorn!" Pinkie giggled, grabbing a handful and plopping down next to Scootaloo.
"This is the best part!" she snorted, both her and Scootaloo screaming in surprise, absorbed in the movie.
"Snuck up on ya huh?" Rainbow grinned, earning a light jab to her arm, the two friends untangling themselves from one another. Twilight cleared her throat.
"Pinkie Pie, would you mind clearing something up for me?"
"Aww, but I don't wanna do any cleaning!" Pinkie whined.
"Thats not...nevermind." Twilight sighed, "Rainbow seems convinced that you have an innate ability to predict the future."
"Huh? Oh, you mean my Pinkie sense?"
"Pinkie, there is no such thing."
"Of course there is silly! How else did I know that Rainbow has a surprise for you?" Pinkie asked. Twilight raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her shoulder at Rainbow who whistled innocently.
"Even if Rainbow is planning some sort of surprise...She probably told you about it or even asked for your help. So that proves nothing." Twilight grinned as she crossed her arms.
"Hmmm, I guess that makes sense. But if Dashie had TOLD me what the surprise was then I'd be throwing a party!" Pinkie argued. Twilight sighed.
"Alright then. Prove you can predict the future." Twilight demanded.
"It doesn't work that way silly. Its not really the future either. Its more like...random events! Like how Scootaloo is gonna pass out in three seconds even though she's trying really hard to stay awake an impress Dashie." Pinkie pointed to the young girl who let out a yawn and collapsed into the blanket she was huddled in.
"Anyone could've predicted that..." Twilight mumbled.
"Okay then...how about...hmmmmmm..." Pinkie stuck out her tongue and squinted an eye.
"Nope, I got nothing! Night!" she giggled, waving goodbye and making her way out of the library yet again. Rainbow chuckled softly as she picked up Scootaloo.
"OOF! Kids kinda heavy." she mumbled. Twilight sighed, pulling open the door to the downstairs guest room, Rainbow carrying Scootaloo to what would be her bed. She carefully tucked her in, slipping a plush turtle in the crook of the sleeping girls arm before placing a kiss against her forehead.
"Sweet dreams kid..." she said softly, tiptoeing out of the room.
"That was really sweet Rainbow." Twilight whispered, leaving the door slightly ajar to keep some light shining in. She wasn't sure if Scootaloo was afraid of the dark, but she didn't want to risk waking her.
"It just felt like the right thing to do." Rainbow shrugged. She sighed, letting out a yawn as she stretched.
"I uh...better be gettin' home. Got a lot to do and the weather is suppose to be getting kinda intense over the next couple of days. I'll catch ya later Twi..." Rainbow stammered nervously, walking past her friend.
Twilight chewed her lip as she watched her go. Was it right to just let her walk out the door? Rainbow had confessed and confided in her, speaking of her cold lonely bed...Twilight closed her eyes, slamming the locks on the front door closed just as Rainbow reached for it.
"Huh? What the..." Rainbow spun around, seeing a light glow around Twilight, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as she recognized the presence of magic.
"R-Rainbow...would you like to stay the night?" Twilight blurted out, clenching her fists, eyes still tightly shut. Rainbow leaned against the door, waiting until the Magian dared to crack open her eye to let a smirk touch her lips.
"N-Not like that! I just mean...well...um, y-you said you didn't like sleeping alone so I thought, maybe you would like to stay with me tonight. A-And that way you could be here in the morning when Scootaloo wakes up!" Twilight explained herself. Rainbow simply maintained her smirk, watching as the Magian became more and more flustered. It was rather cute how she stumbled over herself, it reminded her of Fluttershy...
Maybe thats why I like her...ugh, what are you doin' Dash? Rainbow thought to herself, sighing as she stood upright.
"...and I'm totally okay with you deciding you don't want to stay the night. I mean, we only did just sort of start going out, maybe things are moving too fast..." Twilight continued rambling, even as Rainbow stood in front of her.
"Twi, chill." Rainbow smiled, Twilight slamming her mouth shut.
"I'd love to stay."
Spike groaned, putting a hand against his head, the table fell silent as his comrades noticed his discomfort.
"You alright boss?" Vinyl asked softly.
"Its just a headache." Spike assured her.
"To be fair, you don't get headaches sir. Last time you had a headache we had to wrestle a pair of Wyndigo with our bare hands." Spitfire grumbled over her coffee. The group was currently keeping an eye on Trixie Lulamoon who was at a diner across from theirs.
Spike had hoped that he could simply drop Trixie off and hightail it back to Eravil, but there was something he was still missing, something Luna had sensed but had remained silent about.
On top of that, Celestia had Shining Armor keeping tabs on Trixie. The man who was the official highest ranking member of Celestia's guard, outside of the four knights who sat at the little table.
All were in casual wear, doing their best to blend in. Their fourth member had a few issues managing to get to Celamont without arousing suspicion, but things had worked out in her favor when the students were given a Week break from School. Cheerilee sighed to herself, staring into her own cup of coffee.
"She's right Spike. I'd rather not repeat that little experience." the schoolteacher agreed
"Weren't you the one riding on top of one of them like it was a bull?" Vinyl asked, raising an eyebrow.
"How else was I going to get control of it?" Cheerilee responded. Spike sighed as the two glared at one another. Sadly the two were not on good terms, what with Vinyl being a Vampire of high standing and Cheerilee being an ex-hunter...sometimes things got rather interesting, even when off the job.
"Alright you two, knock it off. You want the truth, I'm worried." he sighed, the three women gulping.
"The Chaotician was there, in front of me...he could've finished me off, but didn't. Why? He sends a low-class lackey to take on Celestia's prized pupil, knowing she couldn't possibly win. Why? Furthermore...how is he keeping tabs on everything?" Spike grit his teeth as the answers eluded him, the headache only getting worse.
"You need to calm down boss before you blow a gasket or somethin. To be honest, I was wonderin' the same thing...and you're not gonna like what I came up with."
Fluttershy sneezed, eyes wide as she stared in the mirror. Someone was talking about her. And they weren't saying nice things.