The Inevitable (Morpheus) Part 3
There is an art to timing one’s entrances and exits so as to cause the greatest impact possible. It is a well respected art among changelings, so much so that we even have a word for it in Chitri.
Rarity, whether she knows it or not, has mastered this art so well that—even caught off guard—her entrances and exits leave a masterful impact on their surroundings. It is, in fact, questionable if there is another individual I have met more skilled than her in this area, if only because of the unintended ripples she leaves.
As an example of this, her abrupt entrance and exit into our spa date—being entirely focused on Twilight—led to a remarkably impactful discussion between me and Cadance.
A commotion could be heard through the sauna door. Heated voices were distorted by thick, insulated, walls, and—with a swirl of clashing hot steam and cold, air-conditioned air—Rarity burst into the room.
“J’accuse!” She pointed at Cadance, paused, looked at Twilight and I several times, then pointed to Twilight with a manic gleam in her eyes. “J’accuse!”
“Rarity?” Twilight tilted her head. “I thought you were busy?”
Rarity gave a dainty snort. “Yes, I was, and you know what you tried to sneak past me while I was working earlier!” She took a step forward while Twilight shrank back. She gave a whinny of protest, but Rarity ignored it, repeatedly jabbing a hoof towards Twilight. “You! You! You! You! You! You!” She scoffed. “You had the gall to tell me you were dating him—" she jabbed a hoof at me, and I looked to make sure the door had closed "—and think I wouldn’t notice!”
“You didn’t notice! Eep!” Twilight squeaked as a blue glow enveloped her ear and pulled.
“You are coming with me, and you are going to tell me everything.” Rarity purred the last word with such ferocity one might call it a hiss. She dragged Twilight, protesting, from the room. The door closed with an ominous thunk, trapping me alone with Cadance.
Cadance inhaled deeply, and for the first time, I caught a hint of sour milk and cyanide. “So how are you feeling?”
I groaned as I stretched once more, letting the steam curl through my fetlock cavities. I closed my eyes and pushed my senses to the limit for any hidden reserves of mistrust.
“That depends. One does not simply forget Mother.”
Cadance smiled. “Oh, I got over Chrysalis a while ago—" there was a spike in the taste of sour milk in the air "—mostly.” She shuddered. “I’m not sure I’ll ever really get over it.”
I snorted. “I can relate. Ve suppose I’m alright then, as long as you’re honest with Twilight about that.”
Cadance waved a hoof towards the door. “She already knows. It was the first thing she asked when I told her I knew. I’m fine with moving forward.” She sighed. “Shining, though…”
Ve shook our head. “Yes, ve gathered what his response would be earlier.”
Cadance nodded, and silence lapsed between us. It lasted for several wonderful minutes until the Princess of Love broke it. “You know, when I asked how you were doing earlier, you didn’t really answer my question.”
“Ve know,” I droned, letting my voice thrum through my disguise. “You were probing to see if your manipulations had borne fruit, but the fact you had to ask implies I do not, in fact, have a crush on Twilight.”
Cadance tittered. “Or maybe I’m just being polite?”
I stared at her, and the tittering changed to full out laughter. Her mirth wasn’t forced, yet I could still taste the unease she so skillfully blocked out.
Finally, Cadance gained control of her giggles. Instead, she stared solemnly towards the ceiling. “To tell the truth, I just don’t know…. Hay… I didn’t know Lyra was a changeling until today when Twilight told me, so I guess it’s just something about you and your…” she hesitated “...Hive?”
She smiled softly. “You’re different from the rest, though. Not much, but it’s there. It’s like the difference between a glass being half-empty and half-full. Chrysalis and her army felt empty, but you… you feel full of potential.”
Ve inhaled and exhaled mightily, steam swirling in our breath’s wake. Our thoughts whirled with it. “That’s… that might be because of yesterday. Ve learned that our Hive is wounded— No, more than that, broken. Until yesterday, ve didn’t think it was possible for us to fall in love. The Hive believes we have evolved beyond the need. They’ll keep believing it until ve tell them—show them—the truth, but I—"
“Oh… Oh, my… You don’t know how to tell them….” Cadance whispered. “You don’t even know how to feel about it yourself….”
She sucked in a breath as I nodded. “Oh, my… I’ve really made a mess of things haven’t I? Everything I’ve said about you and Twilight being together only made things worse, didn’t it?”
I shook my head. “It was something Shining told me to do. Before that, ve were just worrying about the logistics.” I shuddered. “Now I’m all confused. Ve know I can feel love, and yet ve do not know the when or the where or the whom. I do not understand it, and so ve hesitate to tell the others. What if ve’re wrong? What if I’m wrong?”
Closing my eyes, I lowered myself until I was laying flat on the bench. I heard a shuffling sound and the distinct click of hooves on tile. The taste of sour milk and cyanide got stronger, but there was also a dryness to the princess’ feelings—almost, but not quite a wine. Ve couldn’t describe it, but ve knew what had been added to the mix. Pity.
Cadance was next to me now. I could hear her breathing beside me. She sat there—next to me: far too close for comfort—and wrapped a wing around me. I’m pretty sure we both flinched as it made contact.
“Wanna know what I think?” Her voice thundered in my ears despite being nothing more than a whisper. When I didn’t respond, she continued. “I think that maybe you should try and meet somepony first. Figure out what love is, and show every other changeling yourself.”
Ve opened our mouth to object and got a face full of feathers.
“No,” Cadance murmured, “I don’t mean Twilight. Well… I might, but only if that’s what you want. You can take things slow, and learn together. Goodness, knowing Twilight, it might take years.”
I hid my head in my hooves. “But there’s a risk to not telling them...”
I got another face full of feathers, and Cadance sighed. “Then tell your subjects the risk and let them decide for themselves. Whatever the risk is, you clearly aren’t confident enough to decide for them right now. Just focus on yourself.”
Hot, sweaty, and trapped in an uncomfortable wing hug, ve mulled her words over. After a minute or so, Cadance lifted her wing off of me, and the steady clip-clop of hooves on tile signaled a return to her seat.
Perhaps it was time to focus on myself a little more. Even this trip to the spa was more of a means to find time to meditate on our problems than truly relax. The relaxation was merely a side benefit.
Ve spent so much time worrying over the Hive that it was no wonder I was as stressed as I was. Ve didn’t want to shirk our duties or anything, but it wasn’t healthy to keep doing this. Ve couldn’t just throw filters at all of my problems, and some me time would really cut the stress.
I stretched, letting the steam soak into my muscles once more. Hundreds of the little plates on my body popped, sending a crackling rumble through the room. Cadance squeaked at the noise, and I couldn’t blame her. As wonderful as the sensation was, it didn’t sound that way. I was fortunate it happened in private, as it would have been a clear giveaway of my disguise. Pony bones didn’t crack like that.
“Focus on myself...” I thrummed. “When was the last time ve let myself do that?”
“Was it when you took the throne?” There was a rustle of wings, and I opened my eyes to see Cadance settling into a more comfortable position. “When I was given charge of the Crystal Empire, I was so wrapped up in my duties that Shining had to throw a coup to get me to take a break.”
I chuckled. “Maybe. I think it’s just the state of things. Even before Mother abdicated, ve worried non-stop.”
Cadance hummed in understanding. “I was like that at first, and Twilight still is. Maybe that fake relationship with her will actually do some good for you both then. It’ll give the two of you an excuse to relax. Go to the movies. Take her to dinner. Go on a picnic. There’s plenty of things you can do as friends for fun that can look like a date.”
She stretched, flaring her wings briefly to shake the sweat from them. “Just promise me that if either of you do decide you want something more you’ll be there for Twilight because she will panic.”
I closed my eyes again, recalling everything that had happened since meeting Twilight. “That… That seems like the least I can do.”
The door opened, and Twilight sheepishly stuck her head inside. Upon seeing the two of us relaxed in the quiet hissing of steam, she scurried in and poked me with her horn. “Your turn. I told her we’re taking things slow, so stick to that.”
I tilted my head to the side. “We’re really doing this? You want me to lie to your friends.”
She shook her head vigorously. “It isn’t lying! Assuming going nowhere means a speed of zero, we’re taking things very slowly. It’s basic math!”
I sighed. “A changeling answer if I ever heard one.” One last chance. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
She huffed, puffing her cheeks out. “Yes! I’m tired of letting Rarity swoon about my lack of a love life. At least now we can both be happy. Isn’t that worth a teeny-tiny lie?”
I rubbed a hoof on the bridge of my muzzle, very aware of Cadance’s stare. “Fine. Ve suppose it’s more of a—" I chittered a word in chitri "—than a lie. You do know we’re going to need to sell this, though, right?”
Twilight blinked as my words settled in. There was a barely audible gulp as the potential implications hit. “Umm… I can take you to dinner, I guess? It can’t be that hard to fake a date. I mean, Shining was so shy about dating Cadance that I didn’t even know they were dating until the wedding.”
I snuck a glance at Cadance who shrugged—too noncommittal a gesture to tell us how true that was. Ve sighed internally and thought of my talk with Cadance.
Don’t worry.
Have fun with it.
These were my goals.
I got up and headed to the door. “Alright then, as long as you’re sure.”
“Wait!”
I looked back at Twilight who smiled sheepishly.
“I almost forgot to warn you. She’s running on fumes, so she’s a little…” She swung her hoof in circles.
I sighed. “Alright, then.”
Stepping outside, I was swiftly swept up by Rarity’s magical grip.
“There you are!” She pulled. “I was just about to come in and grab you myself. You and I need to talk, and our wonderful hosts have split your party of three into two parties of two! Only temporarily, I assure you, but you’re mine and only mine for the mud baths and facials!” She tittered maniacally.
I was led by my ear to the baths—full of thick, soft, earthy muck—and I blinked at Rarity entering hers without any sort of complaint. It would take hours to get that mud out from my plates if I wasn’t careful. Assessing our options, ve started melded together as many pieces of chitin together as ve could to lessen the total surface area. When that was accomplished, I slid my fetlock cavities closed, locking the stabilization rods in place, and then I gingerly stepped into the mud. Settling in, my movements were stiff and jerky, but I wasn’t going to have dirt in all the weirdest places.
A few bursts of tremorsense told me this was, at the least, good earth—rich in all the right minerals. I might not be able to move easily in it, but I’d come out with a glossy sheen, so it wasn’t a total waste. With a schlorp I submerged myself fully, counted to ten, then surfaced to find Rarity staring at me with cucumber-covered eyes.
“Well… that’s one way to get a facial.” Her eyebrow arched up from beneath the cucumber. In response I sank back in and blew some bubbles, eyes barely visible on the surface.
“Bah.” She harrumphed. “You’re just as bad as Rainbow Dash sometimes.” She shifted her position to sink further in the mud, yet avoided going under.
“So…” Her emotions were like orange rolls—sweet with a small curious tang. I nibbled them only to blink at a sudden overload of curiosity. The taste of orange was compacted, folded in on itself, and exponentially stronger on the inside.
As our hosts finished putting her facial on, they turned to me expectantly. I shook my head—the mud bath was fine enough—and they shrugged before walking off, probably to similarly treat Twilight and Cadance.
“So…” Rarity reiterated, horn glowing for a few seconds. As it finished, the background noise of the spa muted. “Now that we have some privacy. You’re going to tell me everything.” The dam holding back her emotions buckled.
I arched a mud-soaked eyebrow. “You know a sound screening spell?”
She waved a hoof dismissively. “Some gossip you don’t want getting out. I would think you’d understand that more than most.”
I nodded.
“Well then, spill!” Her smile had a manic gleam and as many teeth as a shark. There were some splashes of mud as she almost jumped me, the slight tang of orange in the air suddenly a raging torrent of juice.
I leaned back defensively. “Woah! Easy! There’s not much to say! We talked a bit, discussed the pros and cons, and figured—with everypony else seeming to think it was a good idea—we’d give it a shot. Don’t know what else you’re expecting. A whirlwind romance?”
Sticking to the not-quite-truth was easy, although ve doubted it’d make Rarity happy like Twilight thought. Rarity wanted romance. Neither me nor Twilight was likely to meet her expectations in that regard.
I arched an eyebrow. “Twilight’s not really a romantic, and ve discovered that changelings could feel love less than 24 hours ago. The kind of romance you want isn’t in the cards.”
Ve needed to sell the confusion gloss things over, so ve lowered our head submissively such that it looked like I was hiding in the mud. “Ve’re not even sure we should be calling it dating.”
There. That should push the idea that we’re both unsure—which I am—that we’re taking it slow—from a certain viewpoint—that any faux pas on our part was entirely from a lack of experience—which neither me nor Twilight had—and that Rarity should not get her hopes up—which is what ve really wanted. Honestly, ve don’t know why ve didn’t notice that last problem sooner. Ve could have used it to talk Twilight out of this crazy idea. It was too late now, though.
Rarity, for her part, continued grinning. It grew and grew, threatening to replace her entire mud mask, and cold, soulless, cucumber-covered eyes sparkled with condensation that seemed to laugh with demonic glee. Her emotions flared with a sugary joy so sickeningly sweet I could never forget it. It was like a web of cotton candy collapsed upon me, drowning me in its tooth-rotting goodness, and I couldn’t help but whimper once or twice in the silence enveloping us.
“Finally…” Rarity purred.
This… was not what ve expected. Ve expected disappointment, sadness, and whining. This was more akin to the Pink Menace’s level of ecstasy.
“Pardon?” I sunk into the mud.
“Isn’t it obvious?” She cackled, and for a moment I was reminded of mother. “Everything has fallen into place. It took far longer than I expected—far, far, longer—yet Twilight has unwittingly trapped herself in a relationship of the most romantic kind. This day has been just perfect.”
“Pardon?” Twilight’s voice made for an excellent squeak and seemed oddly appropriate for me to use here.
“Twilight came up with the idea to ‘date’ you to appease me, didn’t she.” It was a statement of fact. “And you, in your chivalrous ways, agreed to make her happy.” Another statement, but ve didn’t correct her that my big mouth gave Twilight the idea, nor that I was most reluctant to go along with it.
“Bookish, naive, uneducated in the ways of love, you both try to fake it—not noticing you’re made for each other! Days turn into months, months turn into years, and before you know it you’re as good as married.” A cucumber slid off to reveal an even more sparkly eye with a terrifyingly wide pupil. She had leaned closer and closer to me, and I could see the bags under her eye. “And in that moment you both realize you’re in love, you’ll spend years of pent up sexual tension in weeks— Neigh! Months! Months of passion! You, her prince! She, your princess! It will be…”
I decided discretion was the better part of valor and began to slink out of the tub. Staring into the future, she didn’t even notice, and there was a hint of leather in the air that ve found terrifying. Apparently, Twilight was not the only one who had years worth of issues built up from all the matchmaking.
I had made it to the door for the mineral baths when Rarity’s voice echoed through the building. “Checkmate, Twilight Sparkle! Check and mate!”
I had to wonder if Rarity actually planned this, or if she was just on a sleep-deprived emotional high. Either way, that outburst had gotten her the last word, so point for Rarity.
Stats
Page generated in 0.028 seconds
Total duration
1,049 users online
1,804,122 hits today, 1,822,946 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Rarity, whose manipulations can even trap changelings. And Sleep-deprived Rarity is not creepy at all.
(PS : she's terrifying.)
Just as planned!
encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1otdYjdIqQXbAhH8cK-iLZArGfB7uYZxbSkLqXGLdTAB1J91l7g
Oh Rarity was just amazing in this chapter.
Rarity, I hereby dub you lady of the shippers! May your every ship become canon.
Scenes like this are why Rarity is best pony
This right here made me giggle and smile. It was just plain fun to see character development, and also a nice side from morpheus, and a fun bit of rarity in her 'element' and the nuance of such.
Nothing feels forced, or out place, its a fun chapter, and I look forward to the next.
aaaand finally up to date. It took far longer than anticipated to power through this... But I suppose I can be forgiven considering how sick I was over the last few days.
Morhpeus always knew Twilight's friends were dangerous - what's he's learning is that they're dangerous in ways he didn't know you could be dangerous.
(...) melding as many pieces of chitin together as ve could (...)?
The wing shushing continues to be really funny.
Best unicorn is best shipper.
Sudden;y, I fear for Raritys sanity. And coming from me, that says a lot.
In Rarity's case, I think she might be setting her standards just a little too high. I mean, neither Prince Blueblood nor Trenderhoof really worked out for the best, now did they?
7760192
7760316
7760666
7760677
7760714
7761014
7761744
7761765
Wow... And here I worried everyone would find Rarity OOC. I mean, yes she's overdramatic, but this was kinda something else. Wasn't sure sleep-deprived was enough of a reason.
7762151
Probably, she can't exactly help wanting a whirlwind romance for herself, though.
7762506
Of note: it's derived from latin, but not actually latin. I chose Dynastinae because it sounds slightly like dynasty. Dynastina doesn't. I'll keep that in mind though, and mull it over.
7762598
*shrug* Something being cliche is merely the next level of something being classic. It's done a lot for a reason -- like how memes are overtold jokes for a reason. It's only dangerous if it's executed poorly enough to be a -- pardon my french -- cli-shit. The biggest thing I'm worried about is now that I'm actually acknowledging the ship am I going to accidentally accelerate so things happen too fast, because that makes it the later rather than the former. The biggest reason I'm following through on it is to get practice in exactly that. I might fail, but hopefully I'll succeed in keeping things naturally slow.
7762649
That was probably in character for Rarity on a normal day. She's good at usually being the sane one, but man, she has her buttons.
7762649
Honestly, it was all comical enough that I don't really care how "out of character" it is or isn't, just that it made me laugh my ass off.
That's fair enough. I'm not a native speaker, so this kind of effect is honestly just kind of lost on me. I personally think they sound basically identical, I'm not really seeing the same difference in pronounciation that you do. If it was intentional, though, then I guess that's fine.
As to the other thing, well, it's not going to make me stop reading this story either way, honestly, but given the tagging, I wasn't really expecting a romance from this and I'm just not sure how well it'll work. I'm concerned it will derail the other themes of the story and basically take it over, if you focus too much on that subplot. Considering that it focuses on changelings, it has always been a story about love, but it has never been a love story and I honestly don't think that the two of them really have terribly good chemistry. If not for her existing relationship, I actually think that going from the tone and type of their interactions, Rainbow would have been the more natural choice.
7763342
One of the biggest themes is hope, though. Yes it's a story of negotiations and integrations and culture, but the big reason that Changing Times -- the fictional scholar picked Ponyville wasn't because that's where everything started, but because the events in Ponyville unfolded in such a positive way. A budding romance embodies that kind of hope in a way even friendships can't.
I get what you're saying though. That's why I specifically want to do it actually. It's not often I get a chance like this, and it's something I need practice with. I mean, not that I don't put my all into my fan fiction, but at the end of the day I largely do it to practice so I can one day write work that's actually mine.
7763469
I suppose that's fair enough, but it's still a big enough shift in subject matter that I hope it won't take over the story entirely. Honestly, I think the whole "playing it slow" and "nothing much will probably come from it for years yet" thing the characters are stating about it would probably fit the story best, leaving it all kind of low-key, but maybe that's just me.
Rarity: The un-ascended Princess of Shipping.
"Ve needed to sell the confusion gloss things over"
You might've accidently a word.
The way you write changeling biology makes them sound like androids or cyborgs
7952463
I mean considering that they are powerful biomancers with their bodies an stuff...that may not be so far off in a certain sense...
7952463
The final form... is a Reaper