Chapter 7- Watchful Eyes
Dark was steadily making his way to Sweet Apple Acres for another day of work. Everything seemed relatively the same as each morning before, except for the unusually large number of ponies with lamps that were moving about. Walking through town, Dark had counted fifteen lamps and forty-five ponies so far. These ponies, however, were all decked out from head to hoof in golden armor.
These must be the guards that Aunt Sunshine said she'd be sending over, Dark thought to himself. Though I didn't expect them to get here so quickly. Guess she didn't wanna take any chances.
Feeling a little more comfortable with walking out of town, Dark casually continued onward. He would glance over to the guards that he passed by, giving them a respectful nod once they made eye contact. The guards, however, weren't so kind as they gripped their weapons tighter while glaring at Dark, half-expecting him to make any sudden movements and attack them. Dark took notice of this from the first few groups he passed by before greeting them with a "hello" or "good morning", hoping that that'll calm them down a little bit. Unfortunately, though, he was proven wrong as he was stopped by a group of guards just outside of Ponyville, all of which were unicorns.
"Halt!" the older guard ordered, each drawing their spears and pointing them at Dark.
He immediately froze in place, not wanting to entice them in any way. "Yes?"
"What are you and what are you doing here?" the older guard demanded.
"My name is Dark Flame, and I'm a kirin. I was just heading over to Sweet Apple Acres to start my work for the day," he explained.
"Likely story," the older guard snorted while the other two began flanking Dark on both sides. "We've received no conformation about a 'kirin' living in Ponyville. So that must mean that you're lying to us, making you a creature from the Everfree Forest that we were sent here to guard from."
Dark sighed in annoyance. Guess she forgot to tell them about me so that they wouldn't consider me a threat, Dark thought to himself before looking back to the lead guard. "Look, if you don't believe me, then you three can escort me to the farm so that Applejack can confirm it for yourselves. In the meantime, I would prefer that I'm not late for work, so if you would let me-"
"Restrain him!" the older guard ordered.
Swiftly the other two guards each wound up to throw an iron bola at Dark, one at his arms, another at his legs and tail, while the lead guard used his magic to root him in place. Dark knew that any sort of retaliation wouldn't help his cause, and that it would be better for him to be late to work with a legitimate explanation rather than being a wanted fugitive. Deciding it would be best to do nothing, he let the bolas wrap around him, binding his arms, legs, and tail, before toppling over due to his lack of balance. The older guard was apparently taking no chances as he walked over and telekinetically folded Dark's bound legs, arms, and tail against his stomach before taking a long chain from his saddlebag and wrapping it around Dark's entire body, leaving only his neck and head exposed. Lastly, he pulled out an inhibitor ring and clamped it around Dark's horn.
Seriously? Why would they be carrying around so many chains like this? Dark wondered. It's completely unnecessary.
With Dark firmly secured, the three guards grabbed the chains with their magic and began dragging him back to Ponyville.
"So," Dark began. "Where exactly are you taking me?"
The older guard smirked before answering, "We're taking you to Princess Twilight. Once there, we'll let her decide on how to best dispose of you."
"Yeaahhh, that might not be a very good idea," he advised. "Twilight isn't usually up for roughly another hour, and she doesn't like being woken up abruptly.
"You will either properly address Her Royal Highness, or not at all!" the older guard snapped.
"But if you'll just-"
"Muzzle him!" he ordered the other guards, who saluted before firmly chaining Dark's muzzle shut. "Better."
Well, this isn't how I was expecting my morning to start off, Dark mentally sighed to himself while being dragged back to Twilight's Castle. I'd almost prefer those timberwolves at this point, at least with them I can fight back without getting into too much trouble.
Though she had a habit of staying up late researching and reading, Twilight had become more willing to rise with the sun. However, what she didn't like was to be woken up before the sun's rays even broke the horizon. This was one such morning. Hearing the banging on the castle doors, Twilight reluctantly got out of her bed and made her way to see who would come to wake her so early.
"This had better be important for whoever it is to interrupt that dream I was having," she muttered to herself.
Reaching the doors, Twilight took a moment to calm her annoyance before opening them. Her annoyance, however, returned with a vengeance as she saw three guards saluting at her, and Dark laying on the ground behind them covered in dirt and chains. They made eye contact with each other, Twilight gawking at Dark while he just raised an eyebrow in return.
"Princess Twilight," the older guard called. "We found this... thing, walking down the road leading from Ponyville to Sweet Apple Acres." He didn't notice that Twilight was now glaring at him as he continued on. "We immediately apprehended him and brought him directly to you so that you may decide on how to... deal with him."
"Did he tell you what he was doing?" Twilight calmly asked him.
"He said something about working on the Apple farm, Your Highness," he answered.
"And did it ever occur to you to maybe look into it before chaining him up?" she asked with a hint of annoyance her voice.
"No, it didn't. We believed it to be a lie and restrained him instead. Besides, look at him," he said, pointing a hoof at Dark. "A creature like that could only come from either the Everfree Forest, or Tartarus. Regardless of which it came from, it's still a danger to everypony here."
Twilight said nothing as she walked past the guards and laid down in front of Dark so that they were at eye level before gently asking him, "Are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?"
Unable to speak, Dark shook his head.
"Who's idea was it to muzzle him with these chains, and who put this inhibitor ring on him?" Twilight growled.
"That was me," the older guard proudly answered. "It was to silence him from spouting more lies, and because of how he had inappropriately addressed you, Princess."
"How so?" she questioned him.
"He called you by name instead of your proper title, Your Majesty," he answered.
Twilight groaned before lighting her horn, removing the chains on Dark's muzzle and the ring on his horn. Free from his restraints, Dark started moving his jaw around, trying to relieve himself of the soreness left behind from his tight bindings.
"Feeling better, Dark?" she asked him.
"Yeah, thanks a lot for removing them," he thanked.
Twilight smiled. "You're welcome, but how did they get you like this? I thought that you would have been able to defend yourself against just three of them," she playfully teased.
Dark shrugged as best he could. "I figured it would've be better to let them capture me instead of beating them up and drawing the attention of the rest of the guards."
Hearing Dark's answer left the three guards baffled. If what Princess Twilight was asking was correct, then that meant that this creature could have easily bested all three of them at the same time. This little bit of information felt like a major blow to their honor-bound pride, knowing that he deliberately let them win.
Twilight leaned forward and gave Dark a quick nuzzle. "That was a good call, and I'm sorry that they did this to you. Still, it doesn't excuse them for chaining you up, dragging you across Ponyville, and back to my castle doorstep like that. Especially since they could have easily levitated you over here, or put on cuffs so you could still walk." She then got up to her hooves and turned to face the three guards. "And as for you three," she firmly addressed, causing them to wince. "Dark is a close, personal friend of mine, and he's the one who brought Princess Celestia and I the news about the timberwolves encroaching so close to Ponyville. So from henceforth, I want you, and the rest of the guards, to treat him like you would to my friends and I. Understand?!"
"Umm, Twilight?" Dark tried interjecting.
"Shush, Dark, I got this," Twilight silenced.
"Yes, ma'am," he meekly replied, lowering his head to the ground.
'Yes, ma'am?' Where the heck did that come from? Dark wondered to himself.
Twilight was glaring at the guards now, who were standing in shock and silence. "Well?" she pressed.
The three shook themselves out of their thoughts before saluting and answering in unison, "Yes, Your Highness."
"Good." She turned back to Dark, her face and voice softening. "Can you get yourself free, or do you want some help with that?"
"Nah, I got it," Dark answered.
He took in a deep breath before unleashing a torrent of fire from his maw at the chains that were still binding him together. After a few seconds, Dark ceased his fire-breathing, noticing he'd super-heated the metal chains enough to begin pulling them apart. After feeling them snap, he decided to carefully shake the red-hot metal off his body and onto the ground, rather than get up too quickly and accidentally fling them all around him. Now free from his metallic restraints, Dark got up and started stretching himself out, feeling relieved after being tied up and dragged through the dirt.
"Ahh, much better," he groaned with a few relieving pops from his back and joints.
Satisfied with Dark being free, Twilight turned back to the guards. "Now, what to do with you three?" she mused out loud, but was stopped when she felt a gentle claw on her shoulder.
"Come on now, Twilight," Dark chimed. "You can't really be that upset with them. After all, they were just doing their jobs."
"But why didn't they know who you were from the start? Princess Celestia should have informed everypony about you before she had them deployed," Twilight complained.
"Probably just slipped her mind at the time. It would explain what they said earlier about them not receiving any notice of me."
After taking a moment to calm herself, Twilight readdressed the guards. "If that's true then I'll forget about it. However, that still doesn't give you three the right to drag him through the ground like that. So..." She turned back to Dark. "Instead of me thinking of a punishment, I believe that Dark should do it instead. Considering that it was him that this act was against."
The guards stiffened as Dark thought to himself, wondering on how he was going to punish them. Dark then gave a shrug after coming up with his answer.
"If they could come with me to Sweet Apple Acres and explain to Applejack why I'm late, then I'm good. After that, they can return to what they were doing before this whole fiasco started," he answered.
"That's it?" the older guard asked.
"Yep, pretty much. I'd rather avoid having my hide tanned just because of a misunderstanding."
The guards turned to Twilight, seeking conformation about his decision.
"Well, you heard him. Off you go," she told them. "Oh, I almost forgot. Dark, can you remember to tell Applejack that we'll be having a meeting at the castle today after lunch?"
"Sure, I'll tell her."
"Great. You have a fun day at work," Twilight waved off.
"Thanks, Twilight. You have a fun day too, and I'll see you when I get home," Dark returned.
After seeing Dark and the guards off, Twilight went back inside her castle and straight back to her bed to get the rest of her sleep before her actual day began.
Their walk back through town was rather confusing to the other guards they passed by. First time they saw Dark, they readied their weapons to attack, the second time they watched in amusement as Dark was dragged across the road, and now they're watching him being escorted by the same three who dragged him to Twilight's Castle, heading back towards the direction he was originally headed. Before they got back to where Dark and the guards had first met, the sun had already risen. Though they were quiet during the walk back, one of the guards finally decided to speak up.
"So, you're really not mad at us?" she asked.
Even with his improved eyesight, Dark couldn't tell the difference between their genders with all of that armor on.
"I'll admit, I was a bit annoyed, but not mad. Like I said, you guys were just doing your job, so there's no reason for me to be mad. Besides, I didn't get hurt in the end," Dark answered.
"Excuse me, sir?" the third guard asked. He sounded a bit younger then he appeared, probably a few years younger than Dark.
"Please, just Dark. I don't really care for formalities, and it'll keep things less awkward between the four of us."
"Alright, Dark. May I ask you something?"
"Sure, go right ahead."
"What you said about how you let us capture you... was that true?"
"If I wanted to, yes, I could have taken you three out," Dark answered. "But like I said, that would have been stupid on my part if I did. Besides, the hassle of having to deal with the rest of the guards stationed here would've been unnecessary."
The younger guard gulped. "Alright. But I may I ask another question? It's kinda personal though."
Dark nodded. "As long as it's not about how I got my scar, then yes, ask away."
The younger guard took a moment to choose his words carefully before asking, "So... what's your relationship with Princess Twilight exactly?"
While the older guard looked at him incredulously and the female one with a curious look, Dark didn't think too much of it.
"We're friends," he replied before thinking about his answer. "Actually, to be honest, she's the first real friend that I've ever had."
"Are you sure about that?" the female guard asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because I'm not quite buying it."
Dark looked to her questionably. "What makes you say that?"
She smirked at Dark. "Well, she did nuzzle you after all."
"It was just a friend gesture," he tried countering, though his blushing certainly wasn't helping his case.
"That, and mare's intuition," she added.
Dark groaned. If ever there was to be an answer to which there was no counter for, it would've be that. Turning his attention back in front of him, Dark could see the orchard just ahead. They were silent for a while before the younger guard's curiosity got the better of him.
"So, did you ask her out yet?" he asked, causing Dark to stumble.
Regaining his footing, he continued his way to the farm, now crossing its threshold before he answered them.
"No I haven't. We've only known each other for a little less than a week."
"Really?" the female guard asked in surprise. "Because it seems like you two have known each other for a lot longer than that."
"I won't lie, it does feel like it," he admitted. "When I'm around her, I feel relaxed and comfortable, like any of my worries or problems can be forgotten." Dark paused. "You three aren't gonna tell anypony about any of this right?
"And be the one to face Prince Shining Armor if he found out we knew?" the older guard questioned. "I'd rather face a dragon."
"Meh, been there, done that... a lot," Dark dismissed.
This caused the guards to go silent again, now understanding a little bit of why Dark believed that he could overpower them all at once.
"Sooo," the female guard smugly began, breaking the awkward silence. "Are you gonna ask her out?"
Dark was hesitant to answer. He really didn't want to answer that question, not quite sure how he really felt about Twilight himself. Thankfully he didn't have to answer as he heard the sound of hooves galloping loudly towards them.
"Dark!" they heard somepony shout.
Looking over to his left, Dark saw Applejack running at them.
Thank Celestia for the distraction, he mentally praised. However, his happy expression quickly vanished as he saw how upset Applejack looked. Or not.
"Where they hay have ya been?!" Applejack shouted. "You're over half-an-hour late!"
Dark held his claws out defensively. "Applejack, wait! I can explain!"
She thankfully heard his plea and skidded to a stop mere inches from him, kicking up a cloud of dust while maintaining her glare.
"Speak," she ordered.
"Excuse me, Miss Applejack," the older guard spoke, gaining her attention. "But I believe that this would be our fault."
Raising an eyebrow, Applejack sat against one of her trees while the guards began explaining to her what happened. After getting the full details on why Dark was so late for work, Applejack got back to her hooves and turned around.
"Alright then, Ah suppose it can't be helped if that's the case." She turned to Dark. "Well, come on now. We've lost enough daylight as it is."
"Thanks for that guys," Dark thanked. The guards then saluted to Dark and apologized to him before returning to their post. After catching up to Applejack, he remembered that message Twilight gave to him. "By the way, Applejack, Twilight wanted me to tell you that there's a meeting at her castle after lunch."
"Alright," she answered. "Dependin' on how long it takes, Ah might not be back till sundown."
"Fair enough that you get a few hours off, seeing as how late I am."
"Well, there ain't much ya could've done about it, unless you were thinkin' about fightin' them off."
"Nah, that would've been a bad idea. That, and I didn't wanna have to deal with fighting a bunch of guards."
"Good. Now hop ta it," she told him with a playful punch to the shoulder.
"Yes, boss," he answered with a mocking salute.
It's been a half hour since lunchtime. Everyone was sitting at their thrones, ready to begin their meeting. All except for Applejack.
"What's taking her so long?" Rainbow whined. "She should've been here fifteen minutes ago."
"Well it does take longer for one to make their way clear across Ponyville like she has to," Rarity chimed.
"Yeah," Spike agreed. "Beside, they only have till a few weeks after Nightmare Night before their harvest ends for the year."
"And how would you know that, Spike?" Twilight questioned.
"Because the Crusaders told me when they inviting me to their clubhouse."
"Maybe she ran into trouble with the guards around town like Darky did?" Pinkie guessed.
"How did you know about what happened to Dark?" Twilight asked her.
"Seriously?" she deadpanned. "How can you not sleep with how loud they were dragging those chains down the road like they did. Not to mention their grunting when they were pulling, and the sound of Darky trying to talk to them while muzzled."
"Oh no!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Is he alright?"
"He's fine, Fluttershy," Twilight assured. "Dark said that he wasn't hurt and he looked like it, minus the dirt covering his coat. That, and I also gave those guards a talking to as well."
"You weren't too hard on them I hope?"
Twilight sighed. "No, I wasn't. It was actually Dark who convinced me to go easy on them."
"Well he definitely seems to be quite forgiving from the sound of things," Rarity observed.
"Perhaps a little too forgivin' if y'all ask me," a voice at the doors commented.
Everyone in the room turned to see Applejack walking from the doors towards her throne and greeted her along the way. Once she took her seat, Twilight levitated a scroll sent by Princess Celestia, and a list of talking points.
"I have a few things to go over today," Twilight began. "As you all have noticed, the princess has sent some of her guards to watch over Ponyville after Darks encounter with the timberwolves."
"Do we really need to have them here?" Rainbow complained. "I almost flew into some of the pegasus guards that were flying around already."
"She doesn't want to take any chances with this," Twilight answered.
"That, and timberwolves don't normally come this close ta town," Applejack added. "It's rare enough ta see them outside the Everfree Forest, but havin' them this close is puttin' me on edge. Ah've already told Apple Bloom that Ah want her back home before sundown, just ta be safe."
"Sweetie Belle told me about Apple Bloom's curfew and has agreed to be home before dark as well," Rarity chimed.
"I'll also ask for some of the guards to be stationed at your place, Fluttershy, since you live so close to the forest," Twilight told her.
Fluttershy sighed in relief. "Thank you, Twilight. I've been worried that some of those timberwolves would come over and try hurting my animal friends."
"Your welcome. I'll get on that after we're done here. Now, onto our next order of business," Twilight began before being interrupted.
"How long are we gonna be here?" Spike interrupted.
"It shouldn't be too long. Why?"
"Just wanted to know if anypony wanted a snack or something," he said, which they all agreed to. "Alright, I'll be back in a bit then."
After he left the room, Twilight continued from where she left off. "Anyway, next is the Running of the Leaves next week."
"Sweet!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I've been meaning to get back into it after what happened with me and AJ."
"We never did finish that Iron Pony competition, did we?" Applejack questioned.
"Nope, you two are still tied," Pinkie answered, looking over a clipboard that she pulled out of her mane. "Ooh! Can Spike and I be the commentators again?"
"Go right ahead. Also, I talked to the mayor about whether or not if I can participate since I'm an alicorn now. Turns out I still can as long as I continue to abide by the rules like everypony else," Twilight told them.
"Awesome. This year, victory will be mine!" Rainbow proclaimed.
"Oh yeah?" Applejack challenged. "Well, we'll just see about that."
"Just remember that this is Princess Celestia's favorite time of year, and that she'll be watching. So make sure that you two don't go overboard again like you did the last time you two did this," Twilight reminded them.
"Don't worry, Twilight," Rainbow reassured. "We'll be sure to not have a repeat. Right, Applejack?"
"Eeyup," Applejack answered.
"Good." Twilight looked back to her list of things to go over. "Next is the main reason why I called us all together."
"Seriously?" Spike questioned, carrying in a platter of crackers and cheese for everyone to much on. "Why would you hold off on the most important part till now?"
"Because it's about Stonewall Village," Twilight solemnly answered, causing the room to go silent.
"Twi? What exactly did they find there?" Applejack cautiously asked.
"Celestia didn't say in her letter. All she wrote is that King Inferno will be coming to Canterlot Castle one week before Nightmare Night to go over his actions, and she wants all of us to be there too, including Dark."
"Does Dark know about this?" Rarity asked.
Twilight let out a sad sigh. "Yes, he knows."
"And?" she pressed. "What happened? It's clearly obvious that you're upset about this."
Twilight's gaze lowered at remembering last night. "He broke down."
"But why?" Fluttershy softly asked. "Whenever we saw him, he would seem so happy."
"It's because Dark's been keeping his emotions hidden from everypony. He's mad at what King Inferno has done to his village over the last two hundred years, and is both sad and frustrated that there's nothing he can do when they finally do meet."
"What do you mean exactly when you say that he 'broke down'?" Rarity wondered.
"That he couldn't hold his emotions back anymore and began crying where he stood... or rather, where he sat," Twilight answered.
"Is he going be alright, though?" Fluttershy worryingly asked.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. We just need to give him time, and be there if he needs us."
"Alright, but Ah have ta ask, though, did he get it all out of his system, or just a little bit of it?" Applejack questioned.
Twilight shook her head. "I have a feeling that there's a lot more pain than what he's shown. After he gets back from work today, I'll see if I can't coax him into telling me what else is bothering him."
"That shouldn't be too hard, considering how he was putty in your hooves yesterday," Spike commented while looking at a picture he held in each of his claws.
The moment those words left Spike's mouth, the mood instantly shifted from somber to interest over what he meant. Everypony's attention was fully directed at Twilight. Smirks now appearing on Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity, while Fluttershy covered her mouth with a hoof, and Pinkie Pie began smiling widely.
"Sooo, Twilight," Rarity slyly smirked. "What exactly happened between you two last night?"
"N-Nothing!" she embarrassingly answered. "He was sad and I thought it would be appropriate for me to comfort him."
"Sure you did," Rainbow said while wiggling her eyebrows. "I'll bet he felt a lot better after you comforted him."
"Yes he did feel better, but it's not like what you think!" Twilight protested.
"I don't know, Twilight," Spike commented. "From where I was standing, it looked and sounded like you were flirting with him for a moment there."
"Wow, Twilight, I didn't know you could be so devious," Pinkie grinned.
"No kidding, Pinkie," Rainbow added. "To think that our little bookworm would have such a way with the stallions. I'd honestly thought that would've been more of Rarity's shtick."
"Excuse me?!" Rarity objected.
"How long are you going to keep this up?" Twilight begrudgingly asked.
"That's what she said~" Spike sing-songed, causing the room to erupt with laughter. Even Rarity and Fluttershy could be heard laughing.
Twilight didn't find it as amusing and facetabled with a groan. She then turned her head to face Spike, glaring at him as he tried to keep himself from falling out of his seat from laughing so hard.
"This is all your fault you know," Twilight clarified to Spike.
"I'll just tell you the same thing I told Dark; think of this as payback for that picture you guys took of me and the Crusaders. Speaking of which, there's something beneath each of your pillows that I thought you might wanna take a look at," Spike told them.
Curious as to what the little dragon had for them, they each reached under their respective cushions until they touched what felt like two pieces of paper. Pulling them out, they saw that they were pictures of Twilight and Dark. One with Dark wrapped in Twilight's forelegs and wings, while the other was of Twilight being wrapped in Dark's massive wings. Though some were still laughing, Rarity and Fluttershy found it cute. Twilight, however, was stunned and confusion as to how, and when, Spike managed to take this.
"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed. "When the hay did take these pictures?!"
"I took them during you guy's little snugglefest," he smugly answered.
"You are so going to pay for this," Twilight threatened.
"Totally worth it," Spike answered nonchalantly while leaning back in his throne, arms folded behind his head.
"Is this what you meant when you said that you comforted him, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"Yes, this is what I meant," she eagerly clarified.
"But this second picture looks like he was comforting you though," Fluttershy observed.
Twilight smiled. "Yeah, he did. I was starting to get a little emotional after seeing him break down like that, then he took notice of me and brought me in instead." She paused as she began reminiscing of that moment. "He was really warm and comfortable when he held me. Not to mention how gentle he was."
A few 'awws' could be heard at the table from Twilight's description, but it was cut short by Rainbow.
"I can barely see you in this picture," Rainbow chimed. "Other than the top of your heads, with Dark's wings wrapped around you guys like that, it looks like he's wearing a big... what's the name of that thing that you wear out in the rain again? It's something kinda like a raincoat."
"You mean a poncho?" Rarity guessed.
"Yeah, that's it. A really big poncho."
"Anyway," Twilight continued once things seemed to have settled down. "This is the last part that I wanted to go over with you girls." She waited for all of them to look back to her before she continued. "I was hoping that you girls could keep an extra eye on Dark, just incase. Namely Applejack and Rainbow."
"Sure thin', sugarcube," Applejack answered.
"No problem, Twilight," Rainbow accepted.
"Thank you, girls. Well, I believe we've covered everything on the list," Twilight announced. "By the way, Rainbow, how has Dark's flight practice been going? He told me that you taught him to hover yesterday."
Rainbow proudly grinned. "Yep. He's doing better than I thought he would for a first-time flyer. If he does well enough tomorrow, then I might move up his training next week."
"Well that's good to hear. I'll be looking forward to the good news then."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Twi," Rainbow told her. "Tomorrow I plan on pushing him to his absolute limits. By the time I'm done with him, his wings will be so sore and tired that he won't even be able to get a wingbo-"
"Okay! Too much information!" Twilight interjected.
Applejack looked to them curiously. "Can Dark even get one of those? You know, considerin' he's a kirin and all."
Everypony blushed at that question while Pinkie and Spike snickered. Granted they were all curious about it as well now, but were reluctant to try answering.
"I think it's best if we didn't know," Fluttershy suggested, a round of silent nods complying with her.
And with that, everypony said goodbye to each other and began making their way out of the throne room. However, none of them had noticed the shadowy outline just outside the window, silently slipping away.
This was easily the hardest day of work for Dark thus far. Between him being late for work and Applejack having to leave, Dark had to work twice as hard as he had been just to keep up. Thankfully, he and Big Mac managed to finish up just before the sun began setting. After putting the cart away for the night and shutting the barn doors, the two heard trotting from behind them.
"Did ya guys just finish up?" Applejack asked them.
"Eeyup," Big Mac simply answered.
"Sorry again about that, Applejack" Dark apologized.
"Not your fault, sugarcube," Applejack said. "Right, Big Mac?"
"Eeyup. Nothin' ya coulda done about it," Big Mac answered.
"Alright," Dark conceded. He looked to the horizon before turning back to Applejack. "Is there anything you want me to do before I head off?"
Applejack shook her head. "Eenope. You've done enough for today. Besides, you're gonna need a good nights sleep for tomorrow."
"Why? Besides Rainbow's training, what's going on tomorrow?"
"Well, from that she's told us at the meetin', Rainbow plans on workin' ya till ya drop. Probably more literally than figuratively, so ya better get some extra rest before then."
"Okay, thanks for the warning," Dark thanked before waving goodbye and heading back home.
The sun was still setting by the time Dark made it back to Ponyville. Though that morning had been a little hectic for Dark, this afternoons walk was quite the opposite. As he walked down the road, the guards would greet him with silent approving nods as he passed, rather than the death-glares they were giving him earlier. It wasn't until he passed Sugarcube Corner that he was stopped.
"Hey, Darky," Pinkie called to him.
Turning around, Dark smiled as Pinkie bounced over to him. "Hello, Pinkie."
"How are ya feeling?" she asked.
"Alright," he answered. "Little tired out from work today though."
"Yeah, I suppose you would with Applejack being gone all afternoon and you being dragged through Ponyville like a giant metal burrito."
"... why a burrito?"
"Because you were wrapped up so tightly in those chains that it reminded me of a burrito, silly."
"... oookayy then," Dark slowly agreed.
"Sooo," Pinkie began. "I forgot to ask you something at the party."
"Alright, shoot."
"When's your birthday?" she asked.
Dark fell silent, not wanting to remember that bittersweet day. He let out a sigh before answering, "September 30th. The last day of this month."
Pinkie gasped. "That's Saturday of next week!" she proclaimed as she turned and bounced back to Sugarcube Corner. "Sorry, Darky, but I better get going if I'm going to get everything planned out before it's too late! See ya!"
Before Dark could stop her, Pinkie was already gone. Shaking his head, Dark turned back around towards the castle. It wasn't long after the sun set that he finally made it inside. Tired and feeling extra dirty from this morning, Dark made his way to the bathroom to take a nice, warm shower. After a half hour of rinsing and drying, he started down to the lounge to relax. Upon entering, he saw Twilight laying on one of the couches with a book. Seeing Dark enter the room, Twilight quickly hid the book before giving him a warm smile and motioning him over with a hoof.
"Hey, Dark," she greeted him.
"Hello, Twilight," he returned.
"Could you take a seat for a moment? I was hoping to talk to you about something?" she asked, patting the spot next to her.
Curious as to what she wanted to talk about, Dark made his way over and sat down beside her. Though not too close as he didn't want to make things awkward between them.
"So, how are you feeling?" Twilight asked, trying to break the ice.
"Alright I guess. Definitely better after washing out that dirt from this morning," Dark answered.
Twilight sat up to be near eye level with Dark.
"Dark," she slowly began. "I wanted to talk about what happened yesterday in the hall."
Dark froze from remembering that afternoon, though he didn't think she would be upset with it. To him, it actually looked like she welcomed it.
"I didn't overstep my boundaries and make you uncomfortable, did I?" he asked. "If so, then I'm sorry I did that."
Twilight looked to Dark in surprise. "No, no. You didn't make me feel uncomfortable," she reassured. "You were perfectly fine. What I wanted to talk to you about was how much you are holding back."
"Huh?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"What I meant was that I get the feeling that you didn't let it all out yesterday, that there's still a lot of hurt left inside you," she clarified.
Dark didn't answer her, instead he looked away from Twilight in shame. He had hoped that she wouldn't catch on, but had apparently underestimated her. He remained silent like that for a moment before he felt a hoof gently cup his cheek and guide him back to meet Twilight's gaze.
"Please, Dark," she pleaded softly. "Don't push me away. I would like to know what's troubling you and help you if I can. But I can't if you keep it to yourself."
Looking into her eyes, Dark sighed in defeat. How can I say no when she's giving me that look? he thought to himself before speaking up. "My birthday is coming up next week on Saturday next week."
Twilight beamed at this new information. "That's great news, though. Why wouldn't you happy about it?"
This was the part that Dark hated. He gently laid a claw over the hoof cupping his cheek, closed his eyes, and took a breath to steady himself. Exhaling, Dark opened his eyes and looked back to see Twilight giving him a small nod for him to continue.
"Remember how I said that my brother and cousin went on that mission almost a year ago?"
"Yes, I remember."
"Well... guess what day they decided to leave on?"
It didn't even take a second for Twilight to figure it out. When she did, the air caught in her lungs, making her unable to reply right away. After a moment or two of catching up with herself, she was finally spoke up.
"They left on your birthday?" she answered, to which Dark nodded. "But why? Why would they do that on such an important day for you? I understand that your brother didn't get along with you, but what about your cousin?"
Dark visibly winced hearing that question. "Big Beard and I were close, kinda like actual brothers instead of cousins. Light on the other hoof... well..." Dark sighed trying to find how to best explain it to her. It was so much easier with Aunt Sunshine, so why was it so difficult to tell Twilight?
"I understand," Twilight softly said as she guided her forelegs around Dark's neck and shoulders, pulling him in for a hug. "Thank you for telling me, and I'm sorry for what happened."
"Thanks, me too," Dark replied, returning the friendly gesture.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she slowly asked.
"Is it okay with you if we waited till next week?" he requested. "You know, on the anniversary of their... departure?"
"Of course. Whenever you're ready, I'll be there," she replied.
They sat like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company much like yesterday. However, their moment was abruptly cut short.
"Geeze, get a room you two," Spike complained as he walked past the open door.
Remaining as they were, Dark let out a throaty growl. "I swear he's doing this on purpose now."
"At this point, I wouldn't put it past him," Twilight agreed with a scowl before turning to a smirk. "But I know how to get him back."
Without breaking their embrace, Dark leaned back a little bit to look at Twilight. "What do you mean?"
Her mischievous smirk only grew. "One week after the Running of the Leaves, the girls and I have this little day we share together called Prank Wars."
Dark's eyes widened before matching his face with Twilights. "Is this going where I think it is?"
"Ohh, yeah."
Dark let out a chuckle at the thought of what they were going to do to get back at the little dragon.
"I don't envy the poor little guy," he commented.
"Neither do I," Twilight giggled.
Back in the Everfree Forest, the cloaked figure was trotting back to the castle ruins after his reconnaissance mission. To his disgust, a few dozen guards had been sent to guard Ponyville after the three timberwolves failed to carry out their task. Thanks to them, things have become far more difficult.
Things aren't gonna be easy anymore, he thought to himself before he froze in place, a few new plans formulating in his mind. Then again, perhaps they will. A wicked grin began forming. Yes. That'll work just fine, even with the guards and Princess Celestia there.
"Timberwolves, to me!" he shouted into the night sky. Seconds later, howls were heard as several dozen pairs of eyes began glowing out from the forest's edge.
"I want eight of your swiftest and deadliest to step forward," he ordered. Soon enough, eight large timberwolves stepped out of the shadows of the trees and sat in front of the cloaked figure, awaiting their orders. "You will succeed where the last three have failed. Tomorrow afternoon, I want you to track down the target and wait for him to be alone. When he is, you will attack him and kill him." The Timberwolves looked to one another, and then back to their leader in confusion and slight worry. "And don't worry about him. From what I've heard, he'll be too tired to fly and should put up little resistance. Still, though, keep the howling and noise to a minimum. The town is protected with guards that will easily overwhelm you if you take too long or get caught beforehoof. Understand?"
The eight timberwolves nodded with a predatory growl. "Then go get yourselves ready. I don't want any mistakes this time." As the eight ran off, the cloaked figure turned his attention to the rest of the eyes still within the forest. "As for the rest of you! We'll need more numbers to add to our army. Gather as many as timberwolves and manticores as you can, along with the other species I wanted. Also, see what you can do about recruiting the cockatrices. We're gonna need them at this point to help thin out their numbers."
A chorus of howls and growls answered as the number of glowing eyes quickly diminished. Satisfied with how swiftly they acted, the cloaked figure turned and made his way into the castle ruins, slamming the door shut behind him as he gave a low chuckle.
You best hope that this assassination attempt on you works out, he thought before breaking into a sinister grin. Otherwise, I'll just have to target your little fillyfriend instead, during this 'Running of the Leaves'.
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6609140
No problem
Oh buck....
I bet this cloaked individual is dark's Pegasus brother. The one that despised him for being able to cast magic.
Those guards were in the wrong for how they treated him. I can understand them being suspicious, and the binding just to be safe, but dragging him through the street was extremely unprofessional.
7471950 they were assholes all around, he was obviously sentient, and was walking around like a civilized being, hell, he had a fucking conversation with them.
Immediately fired, imo.
otakumeme.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/390125_614795715219122_1211205786_n.jpg
Hahaha! That is funny! I wonder if dragons can get wingboners?
The throne room doesn't have any accessible windows, they're all near the ceiling. They'd have to be flying to see through them and even then I doubt they'd be able to hear anything.
I know this is a little late but I'm pretty sure Dark's brother and cousin are alive at this point, it's mentioned too many times to not be.
And just putting it out there but, I think this mysterious murderous figure is his brother. I know it's a stretch but if he is alive anything could of happened to him while he was away like mind control or something of that nature and he doesbt liked his brother so he could of been influenced by the dragons or other groups. Just a hunch.
gutes Kapitel mein Freund (German) (^_^)
8544876
yes good chapter
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s also my birthday!!
For someone who has fought Dragons he has no fucking spine, Jesus where is the Dragonslayer at? All we've seen is someone who pretty much rolls over with little to no effort.
It would be fine if it was humorous, but nothing about the situation is particularly funny.
9864820
What do you expect women are scarier than dragons
9864820
I definitely have to agree
This had better not be Dark's brother.