Trouble in Paradise
Despite having slept in her old, elegant and pillowy bed, Luxure barely slept. As if her usual thoughts on her situation weren’t enough, there was the ever-present guilt over what she’d done to Fluttershy and everypony else in the time she’d been returned which made her rest anything but peaceful. If she was honest with herself, she felt like she slept better in the Cakes’ garbage can.
But it was morning now, she knew what was coming.
Groaning, she rolled out of bed and tried the door. Still magically locked just like last night; she didn’t know why she expected that to change. She repeated the same process she did the night before to get around it. Turning to liquid, sliding under, and coming back out the other side in her usual shape. With that out of the way, she started to make her way back down the halls of the castle, trying to completely gather her thoughts together.
‘Okay…cons of returning to Ponyville with the Elements. You’ve already caused one of them to poison themselves and there’s nothing that says this won’t be the last time something like this happens. At least one of them surely hates your guts as it is too. Pros on the other hoof…’ Luxure repeatedly gave her forehead some light slaps in frustration. How could she think positively in a time like this?
Just when she thought she might be getting it together though, she heard a voice coming from downstairs that she swore caused her blood to turn to ice.
“-And we thought the first place to look would be here,”
Luxure pressed herself against the wall just outside the stairway, totally out of sight. There was no mistaking it. That was Princess Twilight’s voice. She didn’t dare to look down but she could assume the rest of the Elements were present with her since she used the word “we”. She’d hoped against hope that they wouldn’t find her so quickly. But then again, she did go to the one place in Equestria she’s associated with more than anywhere else. In hindsight if she wanted to stay hidden this may have been a bad idea. Was it just bad idea on her part, or did she subconsciously wish to actually be found? Regardless, this was beyond stressful.
Deciding not to show herself just yet, Luxure resolved instead to keep quiet and listen. The first thing she heard was Cadance letting out a stressed breath of air.
“Well you were right to, she’s here and she’s safe,” Cadance replied, sounding almost hesitant to.
“Oh thank Celestia fer that,” she heard Applejack say.
“However,” Cadance continued. “The two of us had a heart to heart when she arrived last night. She wasn’t sure she wanted to return with you if you were to show up,” This blunt statement was followed up by a collective gasp of surprise from most of the elements.
“But…why ever not? We’re only trying to help!” Rarity exclaimed.
“Simply put Rarity, she is afraid. After what happened with Fluttershy, she believes her presence is toxic to you, and does not wish to endanger you anymore,” Cadance said, shaking her head. “Listen, I would like to ask that you please give her some space and let her decide for herself if she wishes to go back to Ponyville on her own,”
The Elements all hummed in agreement with Luxure noticing the sole exception being the silent Rainbow Dash. That was certainly not a good sign where Rainbow’s mood was concerned, but she wouldn’t let herself turn the corner to see her face.
“I-If nothing else, can you at least pass a message for me and let her know I’m not angry? I really don’t think she should be blaming herself when I’m the one that overdid the drinking,” She heard Fluttershy plead with a tinge of sadness to her voice.
Just when Luxure thought Cadance would surely respond with a yes though, that was when she heard Rainbow Dash butt in, having a very noticeable aggressive tone in her voice. “I’m sorry…what? Fluttershy, how? How are you not angry?”
Fluttershy, obviously having not expected this from her friend who’d been quiet for so long, stuttered a little nervously. “W-Well um…you know I’m responsible for my own actions like anypony else is so-“
“Don’t give me any of that. I probably know you better than anyone else here. If not that much, I at least know you well enough to know there is no way you would drink that much without being pressured! Fluttershy, she almost killed you!” Rainbow yelled, sounding increasingly more frustrated.
The silence that permeated the castle became all the more tense the longer nopony spoke, and it was driving Luxure mad with anxiety. ‘Well there it is, straight from the horse’s mouth. No way around it,’ Luxure thought grimly to herself.
Rainbow’s frustrated growl pulled Luxure back into her eavesdropping. “Just …why?! Why are we still sticking our necks out for her?! She yells and berates everypony that’s just trying to help, gets drunk all the time, bosses us around, now this?!”
Luxure heard the clip-clopping of a few hooves over the floor and to Rainbow’s position followed by Twilight speaking. “Rainbow I know you’re really upset. What happened was definitely not okay. But it would be very irresponsible of us to not try and help,”
“Would it?” Rainbow said, sounding even more irritated. “Because with the way things are going down right now, it just looks like she’s just trying to drag us down with her,”
“Rainbow! How could you say that?! She would never!” The last one that Luxure expected to get this loud and confrontational was Fluttershy, but there she was. Fluttershy yelling at one of her best friends on her own behalf.
On the one hoof she felt somewhat flattered she’d even bother but on the other…
“For Celestia’s sake Fluttershy, look at what’s happened! Isn’t manipulation something she was known for?! Is it REALLY crazy of me to think she’s doing it on purpose?!” Rainbow shouted back.
“You haven’t gotten to understand her like I have! She is in so much pain and hasn’t had anypony to comfort her for so long! Don’t you care?!” Fluttershy angrily shot back.
“Oh well excuse me for not feeling all that bad for a mare who nearly got one of my best friends ever killed! How soulless of me!” Rainbow Dash retorted, the tension in the room rising with her and Fluttershy’s volume
“Nnnn p-please stop fighting,” Luxure could hear Pinkie’s request falling on deaf ears while said mare was trying so hard to suppress choked sobs.
“No no no no no no no,” Luxure quietly mumbled to herself so she would not be heard. Her fears were being realized. She did this. Her actions were what was causing them to fight. Most villains would probably consider this a major win, she was tearing the heroes apart. But she wasn’t like most. This was nothing short of a disaster. By nearly tearing down what the elements worked so hard to achieve with each other, she was subjecting them to her fate.
When the goddess felt the odd sensation of water in her eyes, she could finally take it no more.
“AAAAAAUGH!” Luxure wailed so loud it reverberated off the crystal walls, catching the immediate attention of everypony in the room. This included both Fluttershy and Rainbow who were so caught off guard they stopped their argument on the spot.
When Luxure came into view of everyone else, a universal sense of dread washed over them. The mare’s entire, crystal body was enveloped in a magical aura that was the same eerie shade of green as her glowing eyes. At first glance she looked absolutely furious with them, but the tears rolling down her cheeks told a different story.
Daring anyone to say a word, Luxure stomped down the stairs, every step making a very visible crack beneath her hooves. “STOP. FIGHTING,” she bellowed, her voice clearly distorted from the magic she was giving off. “I am not, in any sense, worth fighting over like this! I demand that you cease this asinine infighting at once!”
Fluttershy couldn’t even find her words at that. “A-Ah…but…”
“Please calm down, you’re emotionally unstable!” Twilight tried appeasing the furious goddess before them.
“Your rage is affecting your magic, please breathe!” Cadance desperately cried out.
“I just…RRRGH!” Luxure stomped in frustration again, this time, causing a semi-powerful tremor in the castle. It was hard enough to knock just about everypony inside off balance, though the castle remained intact. “I can’t understand! Why?! After what I have put you through, most of you still insist keeping me around?! Do you all wish to be hurt so badly?!”
Twilight was the first one to make it back to her hooves, albeit with a little struggling. “It’s this pessimism we’re trying to fix! Our goal is to spread the magic of friendship anywhere we can. No matter the risk involved, it would be irresponsible of us to leave you like this! Would you truly rather be left alone in this state?”
Trying and failing to hold back her tears, Luxure failed to find her words, visibly deflating. Her rage was subsiding, but she hid her face from them by simply staring at the ground. “Y-You ponies are very compassionate. I don’t get it. How do you know what happened was really an accident? How do you know I wasn’t lying? How do you know this all isn’t just an act and I really am trying to tear you apart from the inside?”
Rarity winces a little at the possibility. “You’ve um…thought quite a lot about all of this haven’t you?”
“When your only real friend is yourself, you find yourself talking to them quite a lot. Though lately that relationship has gotten uh…unhealthy,” Luxure said somberly.
“Well, the truth is we really don’t know any of that,” Pinkie said, her demeanor looking much more serious than usual. “But that shouldn’t stop us from at least giving you a chance. And hey, if all that stuff you were saying really was true…well we’ll just have to keep trying to change your mind!~” she added, trying to look a little bit more cheerful.
“This ain’t our first rodeo in tryin’ ta help other ponies sugarcube. We’ll find a way. We always do,” Applejack tipped her hat a little.
Luxure anxiously looked over the group of mares who were all trying on some level to give her a comforting smile. All that is, except for Rainbow Dash; she just looked off to the side, unable to meet her eyes. “Call it a hunch, but I feel not all of you are in agreement on this,”
The rest of the elements exchanged some worried glances before their eyes fell on the quiet Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow? Do you have anything to say?” Rarity asked.
Still remaining quiet for several seconds, Rainbow finally worked up the courage to speak again. “I-I’m sorry. I can’t do this right now,” she mumbled before spreading her wings and bolting out the door as fast as she could.
“Rainbow wait!” Twilight reached her out her hoof as she desperately yelled for her friend to come back.
“Let her go for right now Twilight, not a chance she’d stay away from you all forever,” Luxure said, approaching Twilight and pulling her foreleg back down. “Think about what she’s feeling. She just witnessed her friends take the side of somepony who put another friend of hers in grave danger,”
“But it was all an accident!” Fluttershy shouted again.
“It doesn’t matter. What happened should not have ever been an issue. If I were in her horseshoes I would probably be furious myself,” Luxure retorted again.
“Still...I feel I should be the one to talk to her,” Fluttershy said trying to look stern, though it was hard given the situation.
“All that being said Luxure, have you made up your mind about what you’ll be doing?” Cadance asked, stepping forward.
The lust goddess gave a reluctant nod. “I have. I’ll return to Ponyville with the elements as planned,” she said, though she did not appear quite happy about it.
“That’s good ta hear. This time ‘round though, a few things gotta change,” Applejack looked over to Rarity to continue for her.
“I concur. Though we know you did not intend for Fluttershy to get hurt, it would appear to me that, if this incident was any indication, perhaps she may not be the best choice to combat your kind of…urm, how do I put this…personality,” Rarity said trying her best not to offend the goddess before her even more.
“Hold on. So that means I won’t be living with Fluttershy anymore?” Luxure asked, ears drooping a little, looking slightly disappointed.
“Sadly no. Instead, you’ll be staying in my castle with Spike, Starlight, and myself. Perhaps we will be a better fit,” Twilight said, trying to comfort the goddess a little bit with a reassuring smile.
Fluttershy approached Luxure from behind and gave her a little pat on the back. “Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean we can’t still have fun together! We all still live in the same town after all, we can still meet up!...Just no more bars please,”
“H-Heh what’re you talking about? I’m ecstatic! I don’t gotta live on your couch now, I get to have a real bed!” Luxure said with a large, clearly fake smile to convince everypony this turn of events didn’t affect her at all.
Fluttershy giggled a bit. “I expect to see you at Discord and my next tea party. He usually prefers those remain between us but I’m sure he’d be happy to have you! He did seem to take an interest in you when you two met at the castle,”
“O-Of course,” Luxure said nervously, her eyes darting between all the smiling mares staring at her.
‘This is fine. I’m okay with this…maybe’ she thought in her mini-panic.
Unknown to all present though, they had a silent spectator just outside the castle windows. Donning a crystal Pegasus disguise was none other than the changeling queen herself, watching the entire event unfold before her.
To think that that Luxure was so easily able to win over the ponies’ sympathy with her fake promises of having no ill intention. Even when her crimes against the Crystal Empire were heavily documented from all those years ago. She didn’t even have to put on a disguise to do so like Chrysalis had to. Though she had to admit her acting was impressive, the entire thought of this made her skin crawl.
From the bottom of Chrysalis’ blackened heart, though she would never admit it, she was afraid.
“So, that scout had a reason to be hysterical. Luxure truly has returned. She may very well be worse than before as well,” Chrysalis growled, grinding her teeth a little. “Gloat to yourself all you feel like you monster. Your crocodile tears may have the ponies fooled, but I will not be so easily tricked. Still though…it would appear there is trouble in paradise where that blue one is concerned,”
And so things have changed.
Yeah sorry this one took as long as it did. On top of the usual problem of "intensity makes it difficult for me to continue writing" I've also started actually working. Being an adult can kinda suck like that sometimes ya know?
I won't exactly make promises on when chapters will be out, but I will say that intensity thing shouldn't be too much of a problem for right now since, aside from that issue with Rainbow Dash being very conflicted and Chrysalis observing the situation, things will be calming down a little for a while. Anyway let me know what you think!
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Oh...this should be fun. I like where this is going with Chrysalis. Here's hoping she tries to take on Luxure herself only for it to go all wrong.
Tricky formation. You want "Discord's and my".
9463105
I actually sorta already struggled with the formation of that sentence, thanks for that lol
Have to wonder what her connection to Luxure is.
I'm am curious
9463470
Chrysalis' connection to Luxure was sorta covered in an earlier chapter actually.
9463676
Looks like I need to do a reread then.
9463846
For reference, it was in the beginning of the chapter named "Poison"
Glad to get another chapter!
''An empire toppled by it's enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead... forever.''
I wonder who will get that reference.
This rolling stone might turn into an avalanche very soon...
Pokes
More?
9849586
Next chapter is close to completion actually. Work's taken up lots of my time
9849592
Oh yay!!!!!
Well thus is my stop. It was a excellent story so I will be leaving a like. The character is unique and enjoy the the crassness. Hope everyone else enjoy the story onward