//------------------------------// // Chapter 62: Let The Sun Shine In // Story: Green // by Steel Resolve //------------------------------// Luna cleared her throat nervously. All the more, she felt the lack of weight on her head and hooves, serving to make her feel quite literally stripped bare in front of Fancy Pants. “So, you have a full schedule, do you? I suppose my little mishap might have put you behind—” “Oh, not at all,” Fancy replied. “Actually, I make it a point not to schedule meetings before one in the afternoon, because the ponies I deal with are rather layabout oafs who can barely manage to get out of bed to tend to their hangovers prior to then.” He glanced at a clock on the wall. “We have several hours before I need to worry about any of them. But enough about that. You were going to explain that rather interesting line of thought!” “Well... that is... I was concerned—” “Concerned that I might be feeling a little put out by my wife’s promiscuity, if I understood correctly. That I might be growing weary of it? Is that about the jist?” Luna looked down at the table, face flushed. She coughed uncomfortably, and reached for a napkin. “So...” “So.” Luna opened her mouth again, and could not force words past her throat, as her heart seemed to have lodged its way firmly inside. She took a deep drink of scalding coffee, and tried again. “I... I worry about... you, and Fleur, and what I am doing to you both.” Fancy didn’t respond for a moment, and when he did, it was with a loud, hearty laugh. “Princess, so long as you don’t have us foalnapped again, I believe we’ll be just fine.” Luna winced, her ears drooping low into her mane. The laughter stopped instantly. “Oh! I didn’t mean anything by that. That’s actually a bit of a fond memory for us. Those chaps you sent are fine folks, reasonable rates, and they helped me beef up my security!” She said nothing, only wishing Fleur were there all the more. She wanted a hug, and some kind words. Maybe a kiss. Fancy was peering at her with concern when she glanced back at him. “Luna,” he said softly. “I... perhaps I’m bungling this badly. I tend to resort to humor when I don’t quite know what to say, bit of a weakness on my part, not sure how else to respond.” “We... I’m not certain how to speak of this either, Fancy. How exactly does one say that they feel as if they steal the attentions of another’s spouse unduly?” “I think that’s actually a rather good way of putting it, honestly,” Fancy replied. He popped a strawberry into his mouth from a nearby tray of fruit. “So, that’s what you think is happening?” “Is it not?” Luna said, looking him straight in the eye. “Last night, I stepped past a line I had drawn for myself. A necessary line, I had thought. It kept emotions from becoming entangled, let me keep a perspective. But I was invited past it, and I went, despite my fears. And today, I awoke and saw those fears realized. I am intruding, and whether I was invited or not, I wrong you by doing so.” Fancy didn’t say anything for a long while. When he spoke, he did so in barely a whisper, as if he was afraid of being overheard. “Luna... Princess... There was a time that I might have been jealous of the attention she paid you.” He cast a guilty glance down the hallway, his ears wilting. “I didn’t understand, at first. I could see rather quickly that she was smitten with you. Began to wonder if maybe she’d grown tired of me, and wanted to move onwards and upwards.” Luna opened her mouth to reply, and he held up a hoof, shaking his head. “I don’t feel that way any longer, Luna. It took some time, but I’ve come to recognize what’s going on a little more clearly. It’s rather fascinating, to be honest.” “I don’t... I don’t understand.” Luna replied. Her emotions were aswirl with guilt and confusion mixed with a hefty amount of dread. “Why do you no longer feel that way?” “Because... I quickly found her feelings for me hadn’t changed in the slightest. I’m simply no longer the only pony to elicit those feelings from her.” He calmly took a sip of coffee, looking at her meaningfully. “She’s fallen quite hard for you.” He said nothing more, and Luna didn’t blame him. What else needed to be said? “I... I am sorry, Fancy.” That actually shook his stoic expression into one of surprise. “Sorry? Whatever for?” “I feared as much, but told myself I mistook passion for deeper feelings. I never, ever intended—” “Princess, I need you to listen very carefully,” Fancy said suddenly, “I didn’t tell you this to express any displeasure in the fact that she loves you. I did so only so that you might understand what’s going on. I love her, she loves me, but she also loves you. And I couldn’t be more pleased by that.” Luna eyes bulged in response to his statement. “But... I...” she paused, took a deep breath, then asked the most important thing: “Why?” “I’m pleased because it makes me happy to see her happy. That’s why.” Fancy shrugged, a little smile growing on his lips. “You’re uncertain if you feel the same, I can see that. To be perfectly frank, it wouldn’t matter either way. She cares for you, you are her little princess, and you will remain so no matter if you feel as deeply in turn.” “What... what do I do?” Luna asked after a moment. “Do?” Fancy replied, lifting one eyebrow in an arc. “Do as you have been doing. She enjoys when you visit. Continue to do that when you can. Perhaps inviting us over for tea or breakfast might be pleasant, if you wish. Beyond that?” He shrugged again. “Let her adore you.” “But is that fair to you?” Luna pressed, looking very troubled and feeling even more so. He laughed a little. “Fleur is... a good pony, but perhaps you’ve noticed... she’s not a very happy one. She seeks out fleeting moments of joy, but they never last for her. Before meeting you, she’d found one pony in her life that was important, ‘one little spot of color in a sea of gray’, she once told me. Now she has two. That’s not only fair, it’s cause for celebration.” Luna’s eyes narrowed. “That is nice to hear. I am glad to bring her happiness as well, but while that’s all well and good for Fleur... What about you, Fancy? Do you have somepony else who you love as dearly as Fleur?” He did not answer for a time, reaching into a pouch in his pocket to pull out a pipe, and filling it with tobacco. “I’ve never in my life met anypony I love as dearly as I love her. She is everything to me.” “Then why are you so willing to share her with me?” Luna demanded hotly. He winced, and she took the hint and lowered her voice. “I would not. I would keep her at my side always.” “Yet you seek out the affections of those other two mares, instead of whisking off the one you favor more.” Fancy said pointedly. He lit the pipe, taking a long pull and exhaling after a moment. “I love her, as I said, but... I won’t deny her the things that make her happy. You make her happy.” “And what about what makes Fancy happy? Don’t you deserve such as well?” He laughed, his eyes crinkling as he inhaled once more. “I have all I need, Princess. As you pointed out, I have a loving wife who fully intends to chase off younger mares as we grow old. I have a comfortable home, the respect and admiration of my peers.” He leaned slightly closer, dropping his voice even lower as he did so. “And every now and again I lure some impressionable young mare or stallion home and together with my wife we thoroughly corrupt them in the most wonderful way possible. Trust me, I am quite content.” Luna blushed, not used to hearing Fancy speak with such openness. “Furthermore, if we’re being totally honest with one another, I find your company just as enjoyable as Fleur does, Luna. In case it has slipped your mind, you are a truly stunning creature with a body most other mares would kill for.” “Fancy—” Luna heard herself squeak, the blood positively burning on her face. Her seat began to feel most uncomfortable. “And that’s saying nothing of your nigh-inexhaustible amounts of energy. When I have the two of you to contend with, gym appointments become largely pointless.” He leaned closer still and put a hoof on hers, smiling widely in a way that told Luna he was well aware of her discomfort. She glared at him, just a little. He leaned back, waving his hoof in mock surrender, but leaving his other hoof on hers. “Yes, well, my point stands. You’re lovely to be around. Added to all of that, you have an outlook on politics that is,” he chuckled softly, “most refreshing. Even if I could, I would not ask for more than that which you already share with us every time you visit.” “I’d... I’d be willing to give more.” she replied, her face, while beginning to cool, still feeling quite hot as she said it. “I expected... something more when she invited me to sleep in your bed for the night. Waking up in a lover’s embrace is something I have not felt in centuries. Yet when I woke, I found only half of what I expected.” He quickly removed his hoof from hers, looking down at the table, apparently finding the napkins very interesting. “I... I didn’t wish to be presumptive—” “Be more presumptive in the future, please.” Luna replied earnestly. “We’ve been intimate in the past, have we not? This is not so very different.” “Well, yes,” he replied, finally tearing his eyes from the napkins to look at her once more. “But I am not Fleur—” “Well, thank goodness for that! I don’t think I could survive two of her!” “I meant only that I do not rush in where I have not been invited.” Fancy replied, frowning seriously. “Then consider yourself invited, Sir Pants,” Princess Luna intoned with all the gravity she could muster while feeling completely naked at a breakfast table. “Her Royal Majesty formally requests snuggling from Her two dear friends. Wilt thou deny Her?” Fancy looked at her for a long moment, then stood and bowed deeply. “Your wish is my command, Highness,” he replied. She nodded haughtily. “We thank thee. Now, perhaps we should inform the good Dame that morning is upon us.” She stood, gesturing towards his bedroom, and held out a forearm for him to link with his own. “Shall we?” “Let’s,” he said with a slow smile, taking the proffered place by her side and walking arm in arm with her. Pinkie Pie woke up blind. She wasn’t sure why she was blind, but opening her eyes didn’t bring sight to her. Her other senses were working just fine. Touch told her that the snuggleable form of the Princess remained next to her, while smell had gone out and caught a waft of lavender shampoo, telling her that Twilight was still in bed as well. Sound had woken her up with the morning sounds of birdsong and ponies bustling about outside, and taste told her that she really really needed to brush her teeth. But sight was nowhere to be seen, and without him she felt like brushing her teeth was going to be harder than usual. It wasn’t the first time she’d gone blind. Sight had left her before, after all. She wondered which of the bottles had done it this time. Twilight had so many in the lab, and they were all such pretty colors... Most of the time they didn’t taste very good, though. She supposed she’d need to wake Twilight up and have her lead her to the hospital again. As much as she liked Doctor Stable, she really wasn’t looking forward to another one of his ‘medical mystery’ speeches. But if she wanted sight back, she couldn’t do it lying in bed and feeling sorry for herself. The strange thing was that she didn’t remember doing any taste tests recently. But that was another problem with the bottles, sometimes they messed with her head a little, making her forget things she’d just done. One of the bottles had made her see even more colors. She wondered if that was maybe just sight working overtime for when he was gone. It was probably another of those ‘mysteries’, like that one time she’d had trouble walking for a few hours. She thought maybe that one might have been Twilight’s fault, though. She bit her lip in the darkness (or maybe it was bright daylight, it was really hard to say when sight was playing hide and go seek with her). She didn’t really wanna wake Twilight up if she was still sleeping. It was actually the first time in days that Twi-twi was getting proper rest instead of passing out on top of a book. She heard more and more sounds coming out of the window, making her ears twitch. Hey! Maybe... maybe I could ask a friend to lead me to the doctor! That would work! Then I don’t have to bug Twi-twi or Celly! She mulled that thought over, finding it sound and reasonable. Of course, there were the stairs to consider. Without sight, those might really hurt. Her ear twitched again as a bird let out a sudden trill of song, and it gave her an idea. I could just call out from the window! Then somepony can come upstairs and lead me down! She smiled so brightly she could almost see it even without sight to show it to her. All she’d have to do is get up carefully, navigate her way to the window, and find a friend. That should prove easy, since everypony in town was a friend. Slowly and carefully, she got up, rolled off the bed, and found her way by touch to the window. She could hear the bustle outside a little better now, and thought she maybe heard Lyra and Bon Bon chatting as they walked by the library. She stuck her head out, waving excitedly as she called out: “Hey, Lyra! Hey, Bon Bon!” They looked up in surprise, waving back to her. “Hey, Pinkie!” Lyra called back. “Did you wake up late, too?” Pinkie giggled a little. “I dunno, it was dark a second ago and—” Her eyes widened as she realized something very important. She could see them! Lyra was wearing a funny scarf and Bon Bon had a nice flower in her hair! “Oh, wow! I can see! And... huh... it is kinda late! That’s weird!” Bon Bon and Lyra exchanged a look, then smiled back up at her in a way that ponies tended to do when she’d said something they didn’t understand. “Are you okay, Pinkie?” Lyra asked hesitantly. “Oh yeah! Doing better now! I mean, I couldn’t see when I woke up, but now I can so everything’s okie-dokie!” Pinkie blinked several times in demonstration. “Yeppers! I close my eyes and open them again and there’s everything clear as day! Which is good because it is day, and if it was clear as night that’s not nearly as easy to see, unless you have a flashlight.” “Okay... well, Bonnie and I have to go open her shop. Let us know how that sight thing works out...” “It’s working great, thanks!” she waved goodbye, ducking her head back inside to share the exciting news that she didn’t have to go to the hospital after all with Twilight— And then she was blind again. “Uh oh.” She stuck her head back out the window, hoping Lyra was still nearby. “Hey! Lyra!” she called out, waving furiously. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Lyra right down the road, then did a double-take when she realized she had just spotted Lyra right down the road. “What is it, Pinkie?” Lyra called back. Pinkie shook her head, wondering why sight was playing peek-a-boo with her. “Um... nevermind.” She waited for a moment, watching Lyra shake her head and walk down the road with Bon Bon. It was really nice to see. It was really really nice to see. She took a good long look around, just appreciating what sight was showing her, then she cautiously ducked her head back inside the window. This time, she noticed that as soon as her head got inside, it was dark again. “Huh.” She popped her head back outside. It was bright and sunny. “That’s so neat!” she exclaimed, clapping her hooves together. “Pinkie... come back to bed.” Twilight called out groggily from inside. Pinkie’s ears flopped downwards, her smile losing a little of its energy as she glanced guiltily back at the bedroom. “Sorry, Twi-twi.” she whispered back. “It’s still dark, why are you up?” “Uh... about that. Maybe you should come to the window?” Pinkie’s eyes widened as she actually saw what the window looked like from outside. It was like her body was emerging from a wall of pure blackness. It wasn’t that it was just dark in the room, it was like all the light was gone. Thinking back, she remembered one other time she’d seen something like this. Or rather, another time she hadn’t seen something like this. Oh yeah! Luna did something just like this! She just sucked up all the light and it was dark! Magic made a lot more sense than tasting bottles and not remembering it. It was easier to fix, too, since it didn’t require a visit to the doctor or getting her stomach pumped! She pondered the darkness while she heard Twilight swearing quietly inside. “Pinkie, I think I might be blind.” “You’re not!” Pinkie called back. “I already got this. Just come to the window. It’s okay.” “No it’s not. I know I’m casting a light spell, but I still can’t see anything—” “No, I...” Pinkie paused, reconsidering. Twilight’s problem might not be the same as Pinkie’s, and it would be super sad if she couldn’t actually see. “Well, come to the window, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to see over here.” “How does that make any sense?” Twilight demanded, grumbling as she cautiously walked to the window, and swearing again when she bumped her shin against a stool. “Okay, I’m at the window, I think, what—” She emerged from the wall of darkness, her eyes wide and staring, only to suddenly shut them tight as she saw the world in its full sunlit glory. She kept them closed for a long time, uttering more words Pinkie didn’t normally hear her say. “Pinkie?” Twilight said. “Yahuh?” “I think I might actually be blind now.” “Nah! It’s just really, really bright out here!” Pinkie said with a little giggle. “Just open your eyes a little bit at a time.” Twilight took a deep breath, daring to open one eye just a little bit. She shielded it from the sun as much as she could, and it slowly widened in surprise. “How late did we sleep?” “I dunno. But it’s all dark inside, and out here it’s not.” Pinkie leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially. “Did you do that? It looks like magic.” Twilight’s eyes crinkled at the edges, and Pinkie got quiet, letting her think for a moment. She briefly wondered if maybe she could scramble down the outside of Golden Oaks to go get Twilight some coffee, but decided to stay just in case Twi-twi needed her for anything. Twilight opened her other eye, looking all around until she found what she was looking for. “The clock tower says it’s just past eight in the morning. Why is the sun saying it’s noon?” Pinkie shrugged, offering no opinion on the sun that had jumped the gun. Twilight ducked her head back inside, and the next thing Pinkie heard was a shout, another naughty word, and a crash. “Um... watch out? It’s dark in there?” Pinkie offered sheepishly. “What’s going on?” Twilight demanded from inside. “I dunno! It’s like there’s a line at the window, and the light doesn’t want to come inside!” Pinkie called back. “It’s neat-looking from out here, but then, you can only see it from out here because in there you can’t see anything.” There was a long pause, during which Pinkie could almost hear the gears turning in Twi-twi’s noggin. “And you think this is magic?” “Well, I don’t have that pretty horn on my head, so I can’t say for sure. But it looks like magic from out here. I mean, there’s dark, and there’s dark. Inside there, that’s dark.” Twilight swore again, and from the sound of things, she had kicked the poor stool out of her way. “Okay, if it’s magic, I should be able to use the failsafe spell to dispel it. Give me a second.” After the aforementioned second, Pinkie heard the distinct sound of Twilight’s horn ‘charging up’, then there was a sudden flash, after which sunlight flooded back into the room. For a moment, Pinkie and Twilight just looked at one another, each wearing a little grin of success. Then a spot of darkness appeared in the center of the room and slowly spread outwards as it seemed all the light was being sucked inside of it. “What is going on?” Twilight repeated, grunting as she carefully got to her hooves in the darkness. Pinkie’s brow furrowed as she watched the darkness grow back to its previous shape. Something in the room didn’t like light, that much even she could see, since she was outside of its sphere of influence. Only it wasn’t a sphere, more of a room-shape of influence. “I dunno, but try that again, it worked!” Pinkie called back. “No it didn’t!” Twilight replied, but Pinkie could hear her magic making that twinkling noise in the darkness. There was another bright flash, and then there was light. This time, Pinkie watched very carefully to see where the darkness was coming from. Or rather, where the light was going to, since darkness only showed up where light wasn’t. To her surprise, it seemed to be going into the bed. Does light get tired? She pondered that for the half second it took her to leap from the windowsill to the bed. Upon getting close enough, she saw the source of their darkness. Celly’s horn was eating all the light, like Pinkie with a fresh tray of cupcakes! Not knowing what else to do, she tried covering Celly’s horn by hugging it close to her chest. That seemed to work, as the darkness confined itself to the curve of her body and the enclosure that her hooves provided, but Celly’s horn was very long, and the tip still stuck out at the end. She hesitated, but seeing the light being drawn in via the tip, she did what she had to do. Twilight got up, looking a little groggy even now. She glanced at Pinkie, tilting her head to one side. “Pinkie, what are you doing?” “Tying to shop teh dahk.” Pinkie mumbled around Celestia’s horntip. Celestia woke to the sound of arguing, a crick in her neck, and a heavy weight on her head. Another day she might have written the weight off as having passed out in her regalia (the crown did in fact weigh heavy some days) but a pink tail whipping across her nose quickly disabused her of that notion. “Pinkie!” Twilight hissed. “You just can’t do that to another pony without asking first!” “Buh ef I leggo teh dahk will cobback!” Pinkie responded, her voice muffled, sounding as if she was talking with her mouth full. Celestia glanced up and saw something she wasn’t prepared to see just after waking up. Not that she was bothered by it, of course. In a society where everypony walked around nude it was unavoidable you’d catch sight of such things on occasion. Just usually not so close. You didn’t usually wake up to find a pony sitting on your head. At least, not if you were Celestia, you didn’t. As she woke, other sensations made themselves known to her. It was very bright in here, which was odd, since she recalled doing something about that a few hours ago. Also, there was a warmth wrapped around her horn, and at the tip, a sensation of wetness— Hmmm, a little forward of her. You’d think she’d take you out to dinner first. Or at the very least lunch, given the apparent time. Celestia’s face flushed for a brief moment before she reasserted as much calm as she could possibly muster in the situation she found herself in. “Pinkie, would you mind getting down from there?” Pinkie promptly removed the tip of Celestia’s horn from her mouth, looked down at her from her impromptu perch, smiled, and said: “Morning, Celly! Sorry about the horn, I had to cover it so it wouldn’t suck up all the light. Could you stop making it dark now? It’s a little hard to get around.” Oh, well that’s far less sexy. I’ll be in your subconscious if you need me. Pinkie carefully climbed down from her head, settling down next to Celestia on the bed. “That was neat! I mean, except for the whole thinking-I-was-blind thing. Not as much fun.” Celestia sat up, allowing the light in the room to act without her influence and trying very hard to forget the last few moments. This was not helped by Twilight’s reaction, which was apparently going to be shocked silence for the near future. Which do you think she’s feeling more? Embarrassment, or jealousy? Celestia winced as she heard Astra’s laughter echo through her mind. “Hey! Your hair looks better!” Pinkie exclaimed, lifting one of Celestia’s forelocks in her hoof. Her eyes followed the lifted hoof, and observed the bare beginnings of her former coloration making themselves known amongst the pink of her mane. Pinkie examined it closely, looking at it from multiple angles and nodding sagely when she was satisfied. “Hmmm, still not wavy, though. We need to make you happier.” The examination seemed to shake Twilight from her funk, and she came closer as well. “That’s... that’s more recovery than you’ve shown in the last few days!” Celestia yawned, stretching out her forelegs in preparation of getting up. “It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep will do, Twilight.” “Well yes, of course, but what was that spell you cast to draw in the light? It’s not quite like the standard light diffusion spell, which is really more illusion based than actual removal of light—” Twilight flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry, you know that, of course you know that. But... well, what I mean is... I don’t know what that was.” “Ah. Well, that’s not so much a spell as me exercising my talent, Twilight.” There was a long pause as Twilight looked at her incredulously. “You can just... make light do what you want?” “Sunlight, yes, also candlelight and firelight. I used to make flames dance for Luna, it was quite the show.” Twilight stared at her, dumbstruck. “I couldn’t even light up my horn,” she said, sounding both confused and annoyed. “Ah. Well, basic light spells are essentially just recreations of sunlight.” Celestia stifled another yawn. “I’m sorry, I had meant to be up before you both, but it seems I slept later than I intended.” “No, I don’t mean...” Twilight frowned, shaking her head. “It’s fine. I’m going to go get some things for the kitchen. Without Spike around I seem to have run out of some basics.” “I could go with you to help!” Pinkie offered. “No, that’s okay. You should keep the Prin—” she snapped her mouth shut, flashing Celestia a guilty look. “Keep Celestia company till I get back.” “Okay!” Pinkie smiled, getting up off of the bed and hugging Twilight to the point where she squeaked. “Have fun!” she said, giving Twilight a quick peck on the cheek. Twilight blushed a brilliant red, but with only a moment’s hesitation she returned the kiss, albeit on Pinkie’s lips instead. Celestia’s heart warmed to see it. Her own discomfort aside, if her little stunt with the kissing exchange had made them in the least more comfortable with intimacy, it had all been worth it. Pinkie’s ears shot up, and she looked Twilight straight in the eyes, and toppled her onto the floor, showering her with kisses. “Pinkie!” Twilight gasped out. Celestia dutifully looked away, determined not to intrude on another intimate moment— Oh! That is interesting! Did Pinkie just nip at Twilight’s neck? Goodness, she’s enthusiastic, isn’t she? I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of licking somepony’s nose while making out but then I suppose it might be fun— Celesta made a point of turning around instead, since she clearly did not have the willpower to give them basic privacy. Spoilsport. After a few moments of blush-inducing noises, Pinkie helped Twilight up, and Celestia saw her give Twilight one final kiss as she dared to turn around again. Twilight just stood there for a moment, looking horribly sheepish. Pinkie on the other hoof was looking at Twilight expectantly, eventually saying: “Didn’t you forget somepony?” There was no immediate response other than a look of confusion, then Pinkie pointed in Celestia’s direction. If she’d looked embarrassed before, now Twilight looked ready to faint. “That’s all right, Twilight. If you don’t feel comfortable—” Twilight moved quicker than Celestia had ever seen her move, and before she even had a chance to register what had happened, Twilight’s lips were pressed to hers, her purple hooves wrapped around Celestia’s neck, her eyes tightly closed, and her cheeks on fire. Before Celestia had a chance to respond with more than a surprised blink, however, she had scrambled out the door without so much as a word. Rarity was doing her level best not to skip. It was unseemly for a lady of her social stature to be seen doing so in public. And so, even if she was going shopping in one of her favorite cities in all the world, with her loving marefriend by her side, she did not skip. Even if she wanted to. Badly. Instead she walked at a slow, measured pace, resisting the urge to randomly kiss or nuzzle Fluttershy, as public displays of affection were likewise ill-advised. Being a lady was terribly inconvenient at times. “Have you decided where you’d like to go first?” Fluttershy asked after a few moments of silence had fallen between them. Rarity blinked, stopping in her tracks at the enormity of the question. They were walking to Regent Row, a mind-bogglingly large shopping district. It was so large in fact, that taking a carriage was pointless, as they were not allowed within the area because of how it would impede foot traffic. Two of the most exclusive purveyors of fabrics and threads existed at opposite ends of the district, her favorite perfumier was at another extreme, and there were accessories to consider as well. In short, deciding where to start was not a simple undertaking. Wait, accessories... Why am I getting this nagging feeling that I’ve forgotten something about— Her eyes widened as a smile grew on her lips. She opened her saddlebag, pawing through it until she found what she was looking for. The little glass butterfly hairpin she’d made for Fluttershy shone dimly in the sunlight, its surface mottled with traces of soot from the fire, adding to the illusion of what it was made to represent. She’d made it on a whim, but looking at it now, she worried it was perhaps unworthy of her beloved. “Rarity?” Fluttershy asked again, trying to see what was so interesting in Rarity’s saddlebag. “Um...” Rarity hurriedly closed the bag, leaving the little hairpin where it was. Surely she could find something else. Something better. This was Regent Row, after all! “I think so, yes. This way...” she said, leading them towards the glasswares district. They made their way through the streets of Canterlot, Rarity wishing she’d hired a carriage after all, even if the driver would have had to drop them off as they reached Regent Row. While she’d certainly enjoyed lunch at Bit’s Bistro, it was located in a part of town she was unfamiliar with. Everything looked a bit... dingier here. Not quite as bad as certain parts of Manehatten, of course, but it was clear they were not in what could be considered the ‘good’ part of town. Still, this was Canterlot, so even an area such as this would only be considered ‘less good’ as opposed to bad. The buildings were for the most part well-kempt, though she did notice a few here and there that had been boarded up, apparently being abandoned by their owners. “Darling, stay close to me if you would,” she whispered. “Um...” Fluttershy looked at her curiously, “Okay, but why?” “It’s... it’s nothing, really. Just nerves. But I’d like to make our way quickly, if we can. Just not too quickly, we don’t wish to make a fuss.” This was Canterlot. And it was just her nerves. She was certain everypony that lived in this part of town was absolutely lovely, and were simply hard workers who couldn’t afford to live in the more posh neighborhoods. Of course, some of them might also be ruffians who made their lairs in those same boarded-up buildings. That one over there, for example. The one with the ugly trim and leaky roof. And they would swarm out and accost them like the savages they were and— She took a deep, cleansing breath. Such things only happened in trashy novels that she certainly never read. Or at least did not keep in her home. Not on open display, in any event. And they happened at the darkest and most evil hours, not in the bright light of day. Also, they tended to be in alleyways, not openly on busy streets. She looked around, and found herself not terribly reassured by the fact that there was a distinct lack of foot traffic. She and Fluttershy were the only ones out and about, apparently. But then, the lack of other ponies did make her feel that she could spot trouble coming from very far away. She supposed that it contributed to her growing sense of unease, at the very least. Ponies were by nature herd creatures, and being caught out in the open without other ponies nearby tended to make one feel vulnerable. “Rarity?” “Yes, sweetness?” “You seem to be breathing very fast. Did you want to sit down?” “That’s quite all right, darling.” Apparently the deep breaths weren’t helping, and had instead turned into many smaller breaths without her noticing. She consciously tried to slow her breathing down, focusing on the path ahead, and trying not to notice all of the treacherous alleys they were passing. Her novels had been very clear on one point: if they were to be accosted, it wouldn’t be in broad daylight. Which was why the group of stallions standing around did not bother her in the slightest. Clearly they were just layabouts, or down on their luck, and couldn’t possibly— The lead stallion (or at least, Rarity assumed he was the leader, because he was the largest of them and in the center of the group) motioned to his compatriots, who fanned out next to him. He spoke up, startling Rarity with both his words and his completely reasonable tone of voice, despite what he was actually saying. “Ladies, we mean you no harm. We just need you to part with your bags, please. Lay them down and you can go on about your business for the day.” Rarity’s eyes widened, and she turned to Fluttershy to ask if she had heard the same thing. “Please don’t make this difficult,” he said in the same calm, rational tone. She turned back to him, still somewhat in shock and uncertain how she was meant to respond. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” “He’s saying we’re gonna need your bags, miss,” a stallion on the left said, leveling a cold stare in their direction. “Just be a good lass and do as you’re asked, and nopony will get hurt.” Rarity stared at them, her mouth slightly open in disbelief. After a few moments, however, she knew how she felt about the situation. She was furious. “No, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we will be! What could you possibly be thinking? This is Canterlot, we’re in bright daylight, and in the middle of a street for goodness sake! You’re meant to do this sort of thing where nopony can see you!” “Lady, we didn’t come here for a lecture on how to rob ponies—” “Well, clearly, you need one! There could be any number of witnesses—” “Rarity,” Fluttershy interjected. “I don’t know if we should argue with them—” “But this is all wrong!” Rarity insisted. “Things like this don’t just happen this way in Canterlot. Maybe in Manehatten—” “Hey! What’s wrong wit’ Manehatten?!” One of the ponies on the right barked, looking ready to lunge at her if the pony to his side hadn’t held him back with a hoof. Rarity rolled her eyes as she glanced at him. “It’s a perfectly lovely city, and I adore it. I just mean that it’s a bit rougher around the edges in some parts.” “Enough!” the leader of the five bellowed, making all parties pay attention to him once more. He stalked up to Rarity, coming nose to nose with her. “Drop the bags.” She stared him down, refusing to give ground to somepony so clearly incompetent. “Rarity, please! I’m sure they have a good reason—” She turned to Fluttershy for only a moment, ready to tell her that she wasn’t going to give them anything. But the second she turned away from him, she felt a sharp pain on the side of her head, and everything went dark. She couldn’t say how long she was out, and when she came to, it was very confusing at first. She heard high-pitched screams of rage, and low-pitched cries of panic, and many, many sounds of flesh hitting flesh. She opened her eyes to find four ponies on the ground, groaning in pain if they were making any noise at all. The fifth, their apparent leader, was screaming as Fluttershy bent his leg at an unnatural angle in some sort of hold, presumably one she’d practiced with Harry. It looked painful. She viewed this all dispassionately, not quite certain what was going on beyond the fact that her head hurt. “Please, lady, I’ll give you whatever you want, just let me go!” the stallion screamed, letting out another wail as something cracked. “Didn’t your mommy ever teach you that you shouldn’t—” There was another scream and a thud of hoof on flesh. “—hit—” The next scream was somehow more high-pitched than Fluttershy’s own voice. “—girls?!” Rarity heard one final choked-sounding scream, followed by silence. “Fluttershy...” she called out weakly, struggling to get back to her hooves. She heard a surprised-sounding feminine squeak, followed by a scrambling of hooves, then felt Fluttershy’s gentle touch as she was helped back into a sitting position. “Don’t try to move too quickly!” Fluttershy insisted, holding her up against her own chest for both comfort and stabilization purposes. “What... happened?” Rarity asked into Fluttershy’s mane, still trying to clear her head. “Well... the biggest one hit you, and you fell.” Rarity nodded into Fluttershy’s mane, having pieced that much together. “What happened... to them?” There was a longer pause, during which Fluttershy clutched Rarity even tighter. “I... I got mad. I tried to hit him back, then the other ones got in the way, so I hit them. Then I hit him a bunch of times—” She shuddered against Rarity, letting out a sob. Rarity automatically put her arms around Fluttershy, still feeling numb to the whole situation. “Are they—” she bit off the end of the sentence before she said the words ‘all right’, as they clearly weren’t. Likewise, she held off on the word ‘alive’, as the ones that were, were moaning softly and begging for forgiveness, and the silent ones were hopefully just unconscious. She pulled Fluttershy away from herself, taking a good look at her. Her mane was mussed, and she had a few bruises on her forearms, and there were some splotches on her hooves of something that Rarity pretended was just tomato sauce. There seemed to be a lot of it on the ground as well, actually. The leader of the group coughed, spitting up what looked like a tooth. There was no pretending otherwise, it was a tooth. Fluttershy’s head swiftly turned in his direction, her body tensing like a coiled spring. “Darling, it’s fine. He’s not going anywhere.” Rarity said quickly, laying a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. She raised her voice slightly to address the fallen ruffians. “In fact, none of you should attempt to move, please. If you’ll let me, I’ll get you to the constabulary, where they will see you get medical attention after you are reported.” A few curses were uttered, but none of them protested at the idea. One of them curled into a miserable ball as he came to, his tail firmly between his legs. Another coughed up something Rarity pretended was just more tomato sauce. Satisfied, Rarity stood, lighting her horn and lifting them all one by one in her magic. She expected it might prove difficult, but found it wasn’t beyond her. In fact, it was strangely easy. She supposed all the exercise she’d been getting of late was beginning to pay off. “Well, let’s get these fine gentlemen to the authorities. I suspect they’ll have some time to rethink their life choices on the way. Come along, darling.”