//------------------------------// // Chapter 35 // Story: Angel of Gold // by Magna85 //------------------------------// "Good-bye! Come back soon!" I sighed as I heard Equal Trust behind us. "Riiiight. Good-bye!" Twilight said as she waved. "Bye! Bye-bye! See you guys later! I'll make some more wither-cake!" Pinkie shouted. A quick glance backwards revealed that, whatever the wither-cake was, it seemingly caused conflicting emotions. Then again, I never understood what Pinkie does with her cooking. Especially those delicious golden cupcakes. "Come, come, my dears, we must not delay!" Discord said in a posh British accent. He apparently had found a monocle and a top-hat as well. "So, what was it like in the town?" Tim asked. "It was nice. A little overbearing, but it was a comfortable stay either way," Twilight answered. "Quite. Several of the members of the town offered to buy some of my outfits the second they got a chance to go to Ponyville, but you are right Twilight, they did seem a little bit too interested in us." Rarity and Twilight were smart in their reasoning. But then again, what to do? They were national heroes, so best make a good first impression. General small talk commenced, and the terrain transitioned into a lush forest. The bright green trees stood tall and proud, rising into the sky. "Excuse me, Celedon?" Star's voice came from my left. We had been walking for a while and the less disciplined party members were greatly thankful for the shade that the trees provided. I hadn't even noticed that she had sidled up next to me. "Yeah? What do you need, Star?" I asked curiously. "I heard that you were...married. And, I, um...I would like your advice on something." She was much more nervous than when I had previously seen her. Apparently matters of the heart did not come without trouble to the stoic swordswoman. "Alright. Lay it on me." "I am...engaged. I joined the military in order to stall it, but his family is getting impatient. I mean, he's nice and all, but I, um, don't want to get married yet." And yet her traditional bluntness comes through, for the good of my male programmed mind. "Huh. Is there a specific reason besides that? Like, you want him to do something first, or...what?" I hoped she would reveal how this came to be, and she did not disappoint. "I, well, my family, we never had much money. We lived comfortably, but big expenses were out of the question. So, when my mother got sick with a very bad disease, measures had to be taken. Unfortunately, everyone but myself was a boy, and they all were off doing something else. Only my twin brother was at home during this. I mean, my brothers would send money, but the bills were just too much for us. They had their own families to look after as well. We did what we could but my father and I had a long talk one night." I could see her eyes glaze over slightly from the memory. Then she shook her head and returned to the present. "I agreed to the proposal, where I would marry into a noble family through an arranged marriage. My father set it all up, meeting and stuff. I thought I was ready. We, I, he...He really is nice. His family is also not too bad compared to most other nobles, but they do have their own patience. We were at a restaurant, my fiance and I, and he actually did the right thing and proposed to me...but I ran. I ran away. I, I wasn't ready for it. I thought I was, but I wasn't. I ran to the military, who didn't care who I was or who I was engaged with. I spent two years in the forces, applied for C Squad, and stayed there for a long time. Still not as long as Snow, but...um, nevermind. How do I get out of the engagement? I just, don't...feel ready for it." Her words turned into whispers by the time she had finished, and she looked scared, tired, and anxious. Time to tell her something that might shock her, but would benefit both him and Star. "Just tell him how you feel. Straight up. Tell him that he's a nice guy, but you aren't sure that marriage is where you want to go right now. If he's as nice as you say, then don't be afraid of him. You won't scare him away, either. Sure, he will feel a little bad due to your rejection, but by saying that marriage is not on the table and you still like him, it leaves the option open to him. He will become even more invested than he already is." She seemed as surprised as I had expected, but then I had a thought about her mother's medical bills. "As for the bills....Once we get back to Canterlot, I'll get Twilight to extract some of the gold from my body. Enough to cover the costs. I will make sure your family will be fine. I promise." Star's eyes widened and I could almost see some tears coming to her eyes. But, her face flattened into her normal expression, even though a single tear did run down her face in joy. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me," she said as she wrapped her arms around my neck. I leaned down to accept the embrace. Then I walked into a tree. Thankfully, Star was not injured, though I did make a slight crater when I fell onto the ground. Star stared at me in surprise, before laughing lightly. She tried to help me up, as well as Tim who had come over on seeing my butt hitting the ground. Suffice to say, I didn't budge. Elsewhere... "Gold Tongue! Heard you got nabbed by the Royal Guard! How'd you get out?" the bartender asked a man with red and blue hair. He looked a little haggard as he walked into the seedy den of thieves. "A little bit of persuasion, some smoke, the tail of a timber wolf, and a scrying orb. Other than that, you don't want to know." The bartender laughed heartily. "That's the spirit! For your daring escape, why not have a drink? It's on the house. You look like you need it!" A few seconds later, Gold Tongue saw a tankard sliding down his way. After stopping it and taking a gulp, he sat up straighter and regained his natural charisma. "Now, why don't you regale the fine patrons of this establishment with your exploits? I'm sure you might be looking for some...new members," the bartender subtly stated. After narrowing his eyes at the man, Gold Tongue turned around and stood up. Whispers abounded in the tavern as the tall man began speaking. "Who of you lot is looking for a payout that will break every single heist ever performed?" The inhabitants quieted down and just stared, then a big man off to Gold Tongue's right rumbled out, "How much we talking about?" Gold Tongue's disarming smile sliced a line onto his face. "More than five million." Outside, several upstanding citizens jumped as a great commotion could be heard inside the tavern.