The Blessing and the Curse

by Equestria Buck Yeah

Chapter 21

Once back at their room, sitting on the comfortable chairs and sofas in the study area, Matt dominated the conversation, spending most of the next hour telling Rachel everything, a lot of which involved Discord and why the menace brought him to Equestria to begin with. Nearly every other sentence he spoke resulted in another question though they couldn't blame her for being curious and not understanding everything at face value.

"It's all just so much to take in. Just sounds...crazy," Rachel said.

"I know." Matt sat with his arm around her shoulder and cradled her tightly. "But, y'know...here we are, right? And once we straighten this all out, everything will be fine again. Kind of wonder how things are going to go down back home once everyone else sees what was on the news earlier today?"

"You'll come back too, right?"

The room went awkwardly silent. It was something Matt was afraid she'd ask, and it wasn't something he wanted to answer – not truthfully, at least.

Twilight spoke up before he could get a word in. "Celestia and I tried for a while to find a spell that would send him back to where he came from. We...never had any luck." Matt shot her a firm glare when Rachel's eyes fell. The unicorn got the hint and clammed up.

"Hon, look, we don't know what that thing is outside hanging over our heads. Once we figure it out, it's very possible they can put something together and...well, back I go. We'll find out tomorrow morning."

"And what if they can't?"

Nopony had an answer; neither did Matt. He shrugged gently and whispered, "Let's try not to worry about that right now."

"Try not to worry..." Rachel muttered. "Ah worried for months after ya disappeared. Your family too."

"How've they been anyway?"

She shook her head. "Ah don't know. Ah haven't spoken to them in, like, over a year. What was Ah supposed to say to 'em after we had moved on, y'know? What would Ah say to 'em now?"

Curling his lips, he replied, "If I actually do manage to get back this time, I'll figure something out. If not–" He sighed deeply as he imagined how his folks would react to such bizarre-sounding news without a personal appearance. Hopefully they wouldn't see him on a television news report like he did earlier. "–then don't say anything. Let's face it, up until yesterday, you and everyone else thought I was dead. Just...let them continue thinking that."

Even though it was the only logical choice to make, Rachel leaned her head on his broad shoulder, her eyes watering a little. Matt didn't want to see her upset, and he figured she'd be ecstatic to see him again. She probably was, but remembering the ache of his disappearance must have reopened a wound that had been festering in her subconscious for a long time. A quick change of subject was needed.

"Curious, uh...did you see anybody else after you had moved on?" he asked, smiling softly for her.

Her silent laugh eased the tension a little for her. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and told her simple tale. "About...eh, five or six months after ya left. Your friend Jake was a shoulder to cry on for a while. We ended up seeing each other for only a month or two, but it just didn't work out 'n we understood that. Still talked from time to time. You remember Carol? She eventually introduced me to a...girlfriend's brother or something, Ah don't even remember. He was an asshole. Went on one date, told him not to bother me again. Then, about four or so months ago, this guy, Aaron, from work asked me out. He was alright, but after a while, he got all clingy 'n jealous 'n shit. Guess he thought Ah was getting too friendly with some of the customers or something. He eventually quit 'n Ah hadn't heard from him since."

"Matt told us you were a waitress. This was at a restaurant, I assume?" Fluttershy asked.

Rachel jumped nervously despite Matt's comforting presence. She wasn't quite used to the idea of talking ponies just yet, but she was getting there. Maybe things would be better in the morning.

"Y-Yeah. S-Sports bar."

"What did this 'Aaron' do there?"

The country girl sneered, not at the pegasus but at the answer to the question. "A waiter."

Matt guffawed loudly. "Wait, this guy had the same job you did?"

"Mhm."

"He does know that sexy girls like you tend to act all super nice to customers to get better tips, right?" he asked, reaching under her shirt and tickling her belly.

"S-S-Stop!" she giggled, playfully slapping at him. "Ya never forgot that, huh?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "I suddenly remembered."

As the two briefly bantered, Applejack felt an eye – and then an ear – twitch.

Rachel eventually caught her breath, giving her last thoughts about Aaron. "Yeah, Ah realized he was kind of an idiot after that."

"Sounds like a winner."

"What about you? Ah don't suppose you...?"

He shook his head. "I'm one of a kind around here, so... Well, I was, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, Ah do." With a smirk, Rachel kissed his stubbly cheek and curled her arms around his head. "And, yeah, ya are."

Stifling a growl, Applejack hopped off her couch and turned around toward the kitchen. It was a wonder she didn't grind her teeth into dust. Despite an equal amount of misery and rage bubbling up, she managed to keep a straight face.

"Where are you going, dear?" Rarity asked. The others turned to see the cowpony walking off as casually as she could.

"Just...need a drink, that's all."

A pained smile went across her face, but only the dressmaker knew what was hiding behind it. In a way, it was fortunate the rest weren't aware of what was bothering her. In an effort to cheer her up – in the very same room of the source of her heartache, no less – they'd probably just get on her nerves and upset her further. Plus, it'd suddenly put Matt in an awkward position, and despite how hurt she was, Applejack wouldn't want to do that to him. Best to just get out of there and blow off some steam...somehow.

"Oh. Err, alright."

The orange mare cantered out and made her way to the dining room next door as Matt continued the conversation. She slid around the corner and peeked behind her, not wanting to be spotted. As long as they thought she was actually going off to the kitchen, she should be okay for a moment before they started to wonder what happened to her. Matt's little story, which from what she overheard was about that damned song that reminded him of that hussy, would probably distract them enough.

A long, silent sob escaped her and she hoped to Celestia they didn't hear her. With her eyes watering, she marched ahead and through another open door to the right that led into the lobby room. The soft carpet hid her hoofsteps well enough and, with one last look around, she took hold of the doorknob and turned it as quietly as possible. The hinges didn't even squeak as she stepped out into the hallway and shut the door without a sound.

She looked up and down the corridor and found no one up and about. They had only been down this particular way once, but it wouldn't be hard to navigate the area anyway. Hanging a left, she marched down the hall and hung a right, eventually finding the elevator. Her hoof refused to cooperate with the button and some of her fury crept up to the surface as a result. After several frustrated jabs, she managed to call the elevator. She could almost feel her eyes becoming increasingly bloodshot as she stood there waiting and waiting.

Finally, the bell chimed and the doors opened. She stepped inside and immediately spotted the next button on her hit list as she was sealed in.

Fourth floor. Hopefully the guy was there.

-----

Room 404. This was the place.

Applejack quickly wiped her eyes clean and clear and knocked on the door. Frank answered with his shirt barely buttoned and obviously tucked in only a second ago.

"Oh! Uh, hello. Something I can do for you?"

"I hope so. Down by the lobby, there was a restaurant, right?"

"There was, but if you're looking for something to eat, there isn't anything left in there."

"No, no, it's not that." The farmer smirked and hung her head. "Was wondering if there was maybe something to drink down there. Something strong."

He blinked at the revelation. "You have alcohol where you come from?"

"My farm brews some every year. Hard apple cider."

"I see. Well, I believe we do have a few things still stored away. Your suite has a bar though. Do you not have anything there?" Frank asked.

"I can't be up there right now."

"Is there something wrong with the room?"

"Oh, no, the room's...well, amazing. It's just...I-I really don't want to get into it, if that's okay," Applejack sighed.

Frank paused, trying to decipher what she could be talking about. When nothing came to him, he shrugged and said, "Yeah, that's fine. Let me go put my shoes on and we'll see if we can get you something."

"Thanks."

-----

Applejack followed Frank into Peacock Alley, across from the sign-in desks in the hotel lobby. Located conveniently at its entrance was the bar, and by the looks of things, they'd need to immediately place an order for half of their drink selection once they were returned to Earth.

The mare climbed a nearby stool and rested her hat beside her as Frank made his way behind the counter.

"I've never done any bartending, so if you want any mixed drinks, I don't know how to put them together, I'm afraid," he mentioned.

"S'okay. I can handle 'em straight."

"Alright." Frank hummed to himself as he looked over what was left, trying to make a best guess as to what the obviously upset mare may want. "Any preferences as to the type? Vodka, whiskey, tequila?"

"Whiskey's fine."

With that, he glanced across the few rows of bottles, searching for an adequate target. He came across one in particular – about a quarter empty – that just may do the trick. He turned and eyed the stetson sitting on the counter. Just from how she sounded, she may appreciate what he chose, but how would he know? "How about this?" he asked as he presented Applejack with a bottle of Southern Comfort and a glass to go with it.

"It's fine," she muttered as he poured her some. She looked over the selection across from her. "I'm going to need some more – and you can leave the bottles."

Frank wasn't sure how to respond to that. Yes, she and her party had provided him with some food, but handing out booze like it was going out of style was... Actually, considering the situation, it was a wonder the tenants hadn't stripped the hotel completely dry by now. Maybe he should take some back up to his room himself.

"Uh, sure. More of that one in particular or whatever or...?"

"Whatever."

"Okay. I know I saw something here... Ah, here we go." A bottle of classic Jack Daniels was placed beside its brother. It wasn't that much more empty than the SoCo. "Think that'd do it?"

Applejack looked over the pair of flagons. "Yeah, I think so," she answered.

"Do you need...some...?" Frank cocked his head as he watched the mare grip the tumbler and throw the golden liquid down her throat. "How are you holding that?"

"Just am," she hissed, wincing as her throat burned.

"But you don't have fingers and–" He stopped his inevitably nonsensical rambling before it got going, realizing he was having a conversation with a small, orange horse. Nonsensical things had been the norm since appearing wherever it was that they were. "You know what? Never mind."

Applejack didn't reply. There was only one thing she was interested in doing at the moment and describing how her hooves worked wasn't it.

Frank wanted to ask 'why the long face?' but thought better of it. He could see she was upset and such an inane joke would probably just anger her. Still, it wasn't the first time he had seen someone depressed and hovering over an empty glass. "You're sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"I'm sure. Thanks for this."

"Not a problem. Do you need me for anything else?"

She shook her head. "I just need to be alone for a little while."

"You'll be alright here by yourself? I mean, I don't know how others will react if–"

She quickly cut him off with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "Y-Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine."

Nodding cautiously, Frank spun around and selected a half-empty bottle of scotch for himself and went to leave, but not before telling her, "Good luck with...whatever it is."

Her ear spun as he headed through the lobby and back to the elevators. As Frank disappeared inside, she looked up at her reflection in the mirror wall across from her. Celestia, was she stupid. If only she could reach over and slap her stupid face for being so...so...stupid!

Eventually, Applejack went to pour herself another glass but decided against it, sliding the mug away and guzzling straight from the bottle. It wasn't as good as her family's famous cider, but it'd do the job. Flavor wasn't exactly a main concern of hers at the moment, anyhow.

-----

For nearly twenty minutes, Matt's equine friends had gotten lost in sharing some stories with Rachel, telling her about their likes, their hobbies, their adventures together – things to pass the time and help her feel more relaxed around them. So far, it seemed to be working. Their missing friend had come up occasionally in conversation, but nopony had yet to comment that she hadn't be present for a while.

Perhaps they thought she was cooking up something in the kitchen. Maybe she had gotten distracted by some odd human stuff. Still, it was peculiar that she hadn't returned from getting her drink – or even made a sound from inside, for that matter.

"Hey, A.J., what the hell are you doing in there?" Matt yelled out. No response came. "A.J.?"

The girls shared a curious look. All except Rachel got to their feet and took a peek in the dining room. No sign of her. Maybe the kitchen? They ventured further ahead, spreading out and calling for the cowgirl. With each passing minute, they found themselves getting closer and closer to full blown panic mode.

Rainbow Dash zipped back through the study area and down the hall to scope the bedrooms with Fluttershy a few paces behind her. Pinkie Pie was checking under and behind every nook and cranny imaginable. Rarity and Twilight ran throughout the suite on hoof, sometimes hitting the same rooms two or three times.

"Guys, I can't find her," Matt hollered as he rampaged throughout the entire place.

Eventually, they came back together in the study room.

"Any luck?!"

"She's not in any of the bedrooms!"

"Not in the den!"

"Or the bathrooms!"

"The hay is she?!"

Amidst the commotion, Rarity ceased her bickering, trying to figure out what in the world could have happened to Applejack. She bit her lip as she recalled what the cowpony said before vanishing – she needed a drink. The suite had a bar, but they didn't find her in its vicinity – or anywhere else! If she was going to go anywhere to drown the sorrows Rarity knew she likely had, that...

Wait. Wasn't there a bar near the lobby downstairs? They did rummage around through a restaurant when Matt was getting his room key.

No, she couldn't have. She didn't...did she? Well, maybe. It was starting to make a lot of sense.

"Girls, girls!" Rarity yelled over them. "I think I know where she is."

"Then let's go get her!" Rainbow shouted.

"No!" the fashionista said, halting the hyper pegasus with a well-placed hoof. "This is something I have to do alone. I know you don't understand why, but you just have to trust me on this."

"No no no, you stay here!" Matt demanded. "If someone's come across her and done something, seeing more of you–"

"Matthew James Doherty!"

It had been many, many years since his entire name was screamed at him by anyone. It still managed to shut him up instantly – as well as everyone else in the room. He had no idea why Rarity was going off on him with such hostility, but considering she felt the need to do so, he really didn't want to continue pushing her buttons. The righteous fury in her eyes was evidence enough that she wasn't to be trifled with at the moment, even causing the much more magically-inclined Twilight to back off.

The lady cleared her throat and subsided her anger since ladies do not flip out, even on their closest friends. "Matt, I insist you stay here. I can assure you that Applejack is not so stupid as to leave the premises, considering what's going on outside, and you know damn well she can handle herself in a scuffle as can I. Now, like I said, I suspect I know where she is, I have to go alone, and that's final."

"But you–"

"Matt," she repeated fiercely, "you know what I'm capable of. You know what I did to that police officer earlier today, and if I must, I will do the same to you. Now sit down – all of you! I appreciate your concern, but you know I'll be alright."

The anger crept back into her voice, and one by one, the girls took a terrified seat. They had never seen Rarity so incensed before. Finally, Matt carefully sat back down next to Rachel, who was equally as stunned as everyone else. Hopefully, all the pleasantness and good cheer they shared with her wasn't already tossed out the window with such an outburst.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be back with Applejack as soon as I can."

Satisfied that she was finally being listened to, Rarity stomped her way out of the room, through the entrance area and out the door, nearly slamming it behind her.

"What was that all about?" Rainbow asked for everyone.

"I think maybe it would be best to just leave her alone until tomorrow morning," Fluttershy whimpered.

"Yeah, I kinda like living," Matt added.

-----

A quick visit to Frank's door was all Rarity needed to confirm her suspicions. If anyone else in the building would have had an inkling where Applejack went, it would have been him. The mare disembarked from the elevator and made a beeline for Peacock Alley. She sighed to herself when a familiar orange friend came into view. She then smirked when she noticed Applejack wobbling ever so slightly in her chair.

Rarity carefully crept up to the bar and came to a stop next to the drunken farmer. Her green eyes hung heavy, one more so than the other.

The upper class unicorn's heart fell. So much for all the talks they had. But she needed a friend right now.

"Is this seat taken?"

Applejack mumbled incoherently back at her. She'll take that as a 'no, by all means'.

Once she was comfortable on the bar stool, Rarity spotted the empty bottle sitting next to her trademark stetson and then the one in her hoof. If Applejack had already downed a full bottle in the short time since she'd been gone, it would certainly explain why she looked as if she was about to fall over. An awkward, silent moment went by before anything was said – other than a noticeable glug of alcohol.

"Sweetie–"

"Don't wanna hear it."

"W-We didn't see you anywhere in the suite, so I came looking."

"You saw me. Now go away," the cowgirl blubbered.

"I'm truly sorry, Applejack. I wish there was something I could do."

The earth pony snorted. "Pick her up an'...th-th-th-throw her out the window," she said, taking another swig.

Rarity managed to crack a little smile at what she hoped was just a joke. "You know I'm not going to do that."

"F-F-Figures he'd go running back to his...h-his little...her. Had to show up all...all here and stupid like me."

"You are not stupid," the fashionista firmly stated. One thing she wasn't going to stand for was self-depreciation. "Look, Applejack–"

"Oh dammit, just stop it, Rarity!" she suddenly hollered, causing her ivory friend to jump in surprise as she swung her bottle around rather recklessly. "Will you think about it already?! We're both blonde, sh-she's sounds all country! Just give me brown eyes and put me on two legs and I'd be a s-s-spittin' image of her!"

In her rage, she launched the Jack Daniels at her sickening reflection and shattered everything into pieces. The ear-piercing shrieks of glass and mirror snapped Applejack back to reality, and upon realizing just what she did, the heartbroken mare slumped her forehead onto the edge of the bar. The spinning floor looked a mile below her.

Rarity uncovered her head and frowned at the destruction. She bit her tongue before deciding it was pertinent to point out superficialities like the fur and the tail and such where Rachel did not; that kind of thing wasn't important in the long run and it wasn't anything Applejack needed or would want to hear. Trying to convince her that the similarities were merely a coincidence or that Matt didn't even realize it probably wasn't going to work either. If anything she'd likely just bite Rarity's head off again.

That didn't mean it she wasn't allowed to sympathetically rest a hoof across her shoulders though.

"Let's go back to the room, okay? Lay you down and get you some rest. Tomorrow morning, we're investigating the disturbance overhead. We need you to be there and be ready alongside us in case anything happens, and Matt needs you ready too."

"Yeah, right. What does he care?" Applejack growled.

"You know he does, and whether you'll admit it or not, you wouldn't be doing this if you still didn't too," the designer countered. "Besides, do you think he'd want to see you like this?"

Rarity was right on all counts and she knew it. Little by little, her anger faded away as they sat there quietly, patiently, as a memory or two of more fun times with Matt decided to say hello as her head spun. The lump in her throat and the water in her eyes chose that time to return, too.

Slowly, the cowgirl sat up in her chair, still very woozy, and fumbled for her stetson. It suddenly took on a soft blue color and floated onto her head. Using the bar for leverage, she clumsily climbed off the bar stool. Unfortunately, her hooves forgot how to hit the floor in stride and she took a tumble, slamming her back against the short wall and knocking the wind out of her as well as the hat off her head.

"Oh goodness! Are you alright?!" Rarity gasped as she leapt off her own chair and to her friend's side.

She was, but she didn't bother to answer with anything other than a blank stare. She must have looked ridiculous; she couldn't even stand up straight! Applejack changed her mind in that instance. Rarity was wrong about one thing – she was stupid.

The devastated mare's facade finally crumbled as she began to quietly weep. Rarity's eyes began to tear up as well. She sat down beside her closest friend, wrapped her forelimbs around the poor girl and rested their heads together. Applejack buried her face in the unicorn's chest, and for once, she didn't care if her pristine white coat got a little dirty.

-----

Matt, Rachel and the others sat around the TV in the first room, trying to find something distracting to watch. Unfortunately, no matter what they flipped to, it wasn't doing any good. They tapped their feet, fidgeted in their seats, or kept glancing the door. First Applejack and now Rarity were God knows where.

Several times, they considered heading out to search, but after how ballistic Rarity went, they were a bit nervous about potentially bumping into her and setting her off all over again.

It was getting close to an hour that Applejack was last seen when the front door started to rattle. The party jumped off their chairs and bounded for the door. Matt yanked it open to find Rarity standing there with Applejack draping a leg around her and seemingly in a fog. Slowly, they hobbled inside together, never separating from each other.

"Girls! Are you okay?"

"What happened to you?!"

"Jesus Christ, A.J.! Where the hell were you?! We were worried sick that–" Matt paused when he noticed how the mare staggered back and forth, barely able to hold herself up. Even her head seemed to sway like a sheet in the wind. "Is...is she drunk?"

It wasn't the first time he had seen her in such a state – in fact, more than once they had gotten buzzed when they'd go see a game or visit a bar in Ponyville – but this hardly felt like an appropriate situation for it.

"Err, yes, I believe she's a bit tipsy," Rarity confirmed.

"Don't we have a bar here?" Rainbow asked. "Why leave?"

Ah yes, a question she was expecting.

"You know, I asked her that very thing and she basically told me that the, uh, selection here didn't interest her, so she decided to see if the bar at the restaurant downstairs had a better one. She wanted to celebrate the fact that we're going to be fixing this whole mess up tomorrow morning and everything will be good as new!"

"By herself?" Twilight asked.

"That does seem a little weird, and coming from me, that's saying something!" Pinkie Pie added.

Hm, that's something Rarity wasn't prepared for. She'd have to improvise.

"Weeeell, she said that you were all enjoying talking with Rachel, but she felt she didn't really have too much to add to the conversation and didn't want to disturb you all, so she headed out."

They looked over the high society mare skeptically as she kept on her wide grin. Her story seemed to be sticking. As long as they didn't ask any other hard questions, they should be able to dodge a bullet.

"I still don't get what's wrong with the bar we have. I mean, how would she know what's good or not? This is...human booze," Matt pointed out.

"She looked over the labels and made a judgment call. Don't forget, she does make Apple Family Cider every year. If anypony here knows what goes into making good, quality alcohol, it's her," she said confidently.

Her reasonable argument sunk in and eventually, he twisted his lips and shrugged at them. "I...guess. Still, she could've told us! Jesus!"

"Ah sarr..." A.J. mumbled.

Matt had heard enough drunkenese over his life to understand her apology. At least she was alright. As much as he wanted to chew her out some more, he didn't have the heart to stay mad at her. Frustrated, yes, but not mad. He looked into her hazy, bloodshot eyes and blinked.

"Are...you okay? You kinda look like hell."

She replied with an affirmative hum and a crooked nod.

"If it's alright with all of you, I'd like to put her to bed," Rarity pleaded. "I think she needs the rest."

"Yeah, go ahead. Hope she doesn't have a hangover in the morning," Matt commented.

"Eh, even if she does, I know a spell that can fix that in a jiffy!"

"Wait," Rachel said, "you can cure a hangover like that?" She snapped her fingers.

"Heh, yeah, I've...cast it once or twice," Twilight squeaked as her cheeks reddened.

"...That's one hell of a talent."

"Yes, well... Anyway, good night, girls, Matt, Rachel. We'll see you in the morning," Rarity said, receiving similar well wishes as they departed inside.

Matt watched with concern as Applejack was escorted out of sight. Once she was gone, he sighed and returned to his seat as did the rest to finish watching the show. Rachel announced that once the program was over, she'd head off to take a shower. It was starting to get a little late and she had had a busy day.

Meanwhile, Rarity and Applejack crept along down the hall until they arrived at their room. While she could have simply levitated the orange mare, doing so may have resulted in accidentally stirring the contents of her stomach around, resulting in a rather unpleasant situation. Thus, they took it one step a time.

Once they reached the bed though, the cowpony simply didn't have the energy to lift herself up onto the mattress. Going against her initial reservations, the unicorn made a compromise and gently lifted her the couple extra feet into the air and down onto the cool, waiting sheets.

"Dear, why don't you sleep on my side?" the dressmaker offered. "It's closer to the bathroom...just in case."

It was a hard battle, but Applejack eventually managed to slide across and found a lazy, comfortable position, curled up in a ball. She was instantly out like a light, a faint hint of drool already leaking onto the pillow.

With a sigh, Rarity slid under the covers and willed her saddlebag over to her. Out came her romance novel to help her fall asleep too.

After about half a chapter, there was a gentle knock on the door frame. She looked up to see Matt standing there. With Rachel in the bathroom now, he figured he'd check in on his country friend again.

"Oh, good evening, darling."

He checked over his shoulder. No one was around. "Hey. How's she doing?"

"Fast asleep," she replied with a warm smile.

"Cool. So, what's really up?"

"What ever do you mean?"

"Look, Rares, I'd like to think I know you fairly well and while a story like the one you told us might work on them, it's not going to work on me. I'm not an idiot. So, what's really going on?"

Oh Celestia, was she ever in a spot and he knew it! She took a few extra seconds to unhurriedly mark and close her book and set it on the nightstand. Any way she could stall to come up with an answer that didn't give Applejack away and betray her trust would be welcome.

Her mouth hung open as she formed the right words. "I'm really not at liberty to say."

He rolled his eyes. "Rarity..."

She quickly hushed him with a raised hoof. "It's not something that I can really discuss. That's up to her. If she wants to talk about it, she will. You know how she can be. For the time being, it really is best not to worry about it."

Well, that de-escalated quickly. But, what was he going to do? If neither of them wanted to talk, just like Rarity said, they weren't going to.

"Alright, alright. I'm heading to bed. See you in the morning."

"Sleep well, dear."

As he walked off, yelling good night to the others, Rarity glanced at her slumbering friend and sighed sadly. The unicorn slid under the covers and flicked off the light.

It really was a heavenly bed.

-----

As soon as he got to his room, Matt closed the door and peeled his clothes off, tossing them on a nearby chair. The bathroom door was still closed; Rachel was probably doing her nightly routine. Probably never stopped doing it even after so long.

The bed called out for him and he answered heartily. He set a few pillows against the headboard and grabbed the TV remote off the nightstand beside him. May as well watch a bit of tube before turning in, see if there's anything good on.

A few minutes and several channel changes later, the bathroom door creaked open and Rachel stepped out wearing only a pair of towels, one on her hair and the other around her body. A seductive look was all she needed to get Matt's attention. She slinked over to the door to the hall and locked it shut.

In one fluid motion, both towels fell to the floor.

The TV went off. Sleep could wait.

-----

Matt and Rachel wished that the night could have lasted a little longer. Before they knew it, morning was upon them and they had an important task ahead of them: tackling the mystery of the cloud. After about an hour of getting ready, the Elements and their two human friends were set to go – right after Twilight cast a spell that shook off Applejack's nasty hangover. If Rarity hadn't insisted in looking ready for a date, they could have cut their wait time in half. More than a few bites of food would have also made their morning a little better, but what could they do?

While waiting for the fashionista to primp herself, Matt made the call to Frank downstairs. He was fortunately already up for a short time as well and had been expecting to hear from them. He didn't know why he didn't think of it the day before, but Matt informed the hotel employee that they didn't have any need for the maintenance key to get onto the roof, much to Frank's relief. His concerns about having the doorknob simply shot off were tossed away too.

Rarity had only just finished up by the time Frank was ready himself and had made his way to their hotel room. Before departing, however, Matt insisted he bring his shotgun and the rest of his rounds just in case anything went further out of control. Following his example, Rachel grabbed the Beretta 92S that she brought with her, along with a spare magazine, and wedged it in her shorts pocket as best she could.

Being near the top of the tower already made the rest of their ascension nice and quick; maybe fifteen minutes went by and they found themselves in front of the grey door that led outside.

"Alright, we're here. So, now what?" Frank asked.

"Now you watch and be amazed, sir. And again, thanks for all your help. Once we've checked into this and figured out what we're going to do, we'll probably head out. I'll stop by your room and give you back the key."

"Very well."

Matt turned to Rachel and smirked. "Come on in close. I also have to warn you, this is going to feel funny and you'll probably fall over. It happens to me every time."

"Doing what?"

"On you, Twilight. Think you'll be okay?"

"Well, it's only going to be a foot forward, so I should be alright. Here goes!"

Her horn sparked, and in a flash, the eight of them vanished before Frank. He shook his head in disbelief and blinked over and over. A knock came from the other side of the door after a moment.

"We're okay!" Matt hollered.

"Err...great! Good luck!" Despite having no further reason to stick around, Frank's feet were temporarily glued to the floor. "What the hell did I just witness?"

Rachel was still reeling a little from the sudden jump in location, just as confused as their host was. Fluttershy and Pinkie helped her to her feet where she simply stared at her lover.

"Teleportation. Like in videos games and movies and stuff. Pretty handy, but even after so long, it still shakes my brain around. No idea why."

The view of the city was nothing short of breathtaking. Even being on the top of a nearly-fifty story building, there were plenty of other skyscrapers that rivaled it in sheer size. While no one in the group went much farther than the center of the roof, Matt dared not go near the edge. He wasn't terribly fond of being carried so high in the air when he killed the Ursa so long ago, and that nervousness still hadn't left him.

Just off to their right was their target. Curious, Matt took a few steps forward and cocked his head. "Is it just me or does that thing seem...closer?"

"What do you mean? Why would it be closer?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I don't know. But I know I saw it yesterday when we kicked that cop's ass and it seemed really, really...distant."

"Maybe it was just because we were so much farther away than we are now?" Twilight suggested.

He squinted at the formation and then glanced back and forth at some of the buildings a couple blocks away. The reflections on the windows sure seemed to indicate it was fairly close as did the shadow it cast. Plus, unless he was terrible at perspective, it just seemed a lot larger than it should be, even in spite of how far they were when he first noticed it.

"Want me to go fly up there and check it out?" Rainbow suggested.

"Mmmm...no, stay here," Matt said. "We don't have any idea if there's any story behind this thing yet. Twilight, you think you're close enough to scan over this thing, see what's up here?"

"Should be."

"I hope this is quick and easy. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to head back home soon," Fluttershy said as Twilight stepped up and let her magic do its thing. The others nodded in wholehearted agreement.

As the powerful unicorn concentrated, the cloud gradually became surrounded in her signature purple glow. After only a few seconds, though, a sudden vicious jolt of feedback knocked her off her hooves and threw her hard into the group. "Agh!"

"Holy shit, what happened?!"

"Twilight!"

"You okay?!"

The unicorn sat up in pain and tried to catch her breath. "Dear Celestia, I've...I-I've never felt anything...anything so...ngh!"

As one, they looked over at the black entity, even more baffled now at what it could be. Even more questions were raised when it started to approach them, eventually coming to a stop only a few feet away. Matt and Rachel drew their weapons as everybody backed off.

"What in the hell?"

While they stood there speechless, the unusual, poofy phenomenon seemed to compress itself into a different, slender form. The wonder on their faces slowly turned to horror – with Matt nearly turning white as a ghost – as the entity morphed into a long, serpentine figure with a stubby pair of legs, a mismatched set of arms and two irregular protrusions at the top.

"No..."

The ebony eventually faded into his erratic color scheme as his body solidified properly, and he smiled wickedly at the stunned party.

"Girls, Matt! So nice to see you again!"

Comments

[Sea_Swirl]

wow... wait was that discord!? AWESOME! things just got REAL!

[Sniperwolf24]

.....

[Skyler Walker]

Discord? He's still alive and has enough juice to pull THIS off...

Well. Shit.

[lumberjack]

WHAT?

HOW?

NOW I HAVE TO WAIT 2 WEEKS AFTER A CLIFFHANGER???

ARGH!!!

[lumberjack]

Also, now that I've gotten over the cliffhanger. I feel pretty rotten for AJ, and I'm surprised that Matt (or even Rachel, girl's intuition after all) caught on to her problem.

I suspect Discord will do something with Rachel though, and probably talk about AJ's feelings too. Because that's what evil villains do when they monologue, don't they?

[Skyler Walker]

5057697 Yeah, true.

AJ falls for him like a love struck schoolfilly and the missing girlfriend comes back!

Ouch.

[hs0003]

Next chapter:
20 police men took out their weapons and pumped Discord full of lead, he died 12 seconds later and everything returned to normal, 'MURICA!

[Equestria Buck Yeah]

5057697 Actually, he really doesn't know still. All he knows is that Rarity's excuse was kind of lame and that's it. Some things go over his head, others don't. Plus, Rachel doesn't really know them that well yet.

I'd love to start working on the next chapter this weekend and start getting the third act going this weekend, but alas, I have 3 straight all-day busy days on the horizon. Blargh.

[kotor511]

5059003

"Girls, Matt! So nice to see you again!"

Me: "Ladies and Gentlemen! Or guest star Discord has arrived, big applause for the spirit of chaos!"

Me: "Now Mr. Discord, what will you be using this time against the elements of harmony?"

Discord: "Well dear fellow, I was thinking about revealing Applejack's memories and feelings to the human boy, and manipulate them to my advantage, maybe I can somehow twist Applejack to the point that she actually hates him, you know how ferocious this mare can get when she hates something, and yes I was hoping she'd provide some cracked rips, since I would seethe for such a retribution, after what he had done to me. But then again maybe she'd be more willing to actually throw his "girlfriend" from the roof with one of those swift applebucks! Wouldn't that be fun? To see one of the wanna be loves of the boy throw his actual human girlfriend for a sky diving jump?"

Me: Well Mr. Discord, I must say this sounds like an excellent choice! Don't you agree guys?!"

Discord: "ohoho! Stop it you mad bunch! You are making me blush!"