Quest Line
God, what the fuck was that? He needed to start plotting for revenge against Zecora. Make her rhyme something with angst. For now though, he wanted to sit down, still feeling the after effects of that fall. Skystrike opened the door to his house, it creaking slightly. He planned to rest in his recliner before taking a bath. Planned.
Skystrike turned around. “So… why is everyone following me?” He saw literally everyone he knew behind him.
“Oh…” Fluttershy began. “I was just making sure you were ok…” She hid behind her mane.
“Same here, darling. You did take quite the tumble.” Rarity agreed.
“I’m here to-!” Pinkie started before Skystrike put a hoof over her mouth.
“Pinkie… The enthusiasm is appreciated, but please keep it down.” Skystrike removed his hoof.
“I’m here because I said I’d bake Zecora a ‘Congrats on winning’ cake.”
Zecora nodded.
“I wanna raid your fridge.” Rainbow was at least honest.
“I haven’t came by since the parasprites.” Applejack tipped her hat up. “Was wonderin’ how the new place is.”
“I’m bored.” Spike said. He was honest too.
“I live here.” Stardust chuckled.
“I’m just staying with the princesses.” Twilight stated.
Skystrike looked at the two princesses, waiting for a response. “We’ve both come for separate reasons… Would you allow us to speak inside?” Celestia asked, though it came off as more of a demand.
“...Look, I’m going to try and not come off as mean, despite the head ache and the bullshit I just said to you thanks to some Zebra… But could it wait until another day?” Skystrike asked.
Celestia shook her head. “I apologize, but it cannot. It is of the utmost importance. We’ve just received word about a… situation.”
Skystrike let her words hang in the air for a bit. “...Fine. Come in.” He left open the door for them as he walked inside, past the living room, and into the kitchen. They all followed behind him.
“We must admit, this home of yours has grown very much in size since our last visit.” Luna noticed. “What, pray tell, brought upon this home makeover?”
“...Parasprites.” Skystrike answered flatly.
“...That does remind me I saw those pesky creatures here during my last visit…” Celestia hummed.
Skystrike took two of the aprons down and threw one to Pinkie. “The ingredients you need are in the labeled drawers. Everyone else, please set the table.” He tied his apron around himself.
“Oh, you’re cooking?” Applejack asked. “Would ya like a hoof?”
“The offer is appreciated, but a kitchen with more than two ponies in it isn’t ideal for me.” Skystrike began getting a couple of jars filled with seasonings from the top shelves. “Besides, a good half of you don’t know how to cook.”
“...What do you mean by that?” Twilight asked as she sat down the plates.
“I mean that you have an assistant for a reason, Twilight. You’re welcome to prove me wrong.” Skystrike offered. She stood in place. “Anyone have allergies?” Skystrike asked. They shook their heads no.” “Good. We’re having Chimichurri Portobello Rice and Potato salad. Hope you all can handle spicy.” He pulled out a sack of potatoes and dumped them in a large pot before filling it with water and putting it on the lit stove.
“Well now I’m curious. Who else do you think can’t cook?” Twilight asked.
“You, Stardust, then the princesses…” Skystrike said as he pulled out a bowl from under his kitchen island. He wiped it clean, and threw in the parsley, cilantro and garlic, mixing it well then adding olive oil and vinegar before mixing again.
“How do you figure? I don’t remember telling you I could, and we’ve only eaten together or outside.” Rarity used her magic to straighten a table cloth.
“Simple.” Skystrike stopped mixing, the mixture now being finished. He lit another eye on the stove and put down a skillet with onions, letting them brown. He then added vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper to the pan for the potato salad. “Twilight has Spike, and I doubt she’s changed that much since we were kids. Probably reads while Spike cooks. Stardust seems the type to roam the cafeteria, and I always cook here, so she hasn't had a reason to cook. Rarity, you take care of your sister, same reason with Applejack. Rainbow Dash probably realized it’s cheaper to learn to cook than eat out all the time. It’s Pinkie’s job to cook, and Fluttershy probably finds it calming.”
Luna was amused at the topic of conversation. “And ourselves?”
Skystrike drained the boiled potatoes and set them aside to cool. “Easy, last time I heard of you two cooking was to boost morale during the war against Sombra.” He put another skillet on the stove, dropping in some mushrooms and bell peppers, salting and peppering them before pouring in his earlier mixture and letting it slow cook. “...then again, that would just make you two rusty.”
Stardust blinked. “...Are we really that easy to read?”
“Not really. I just notice a lot of the little things that most ponies don't.” Skystrike explained. “Example, when Applejack feels like she has nothing to add to the conversation, she twirls her hoof.” They all looked to see Applejack currently doing so, who also chuckled nervously. Skystrike scooped the now finished rice out of the pot and put it in the same bowl as the chimichurri mixture. “That’s done… It makes me realize if I’ve messed up.”
“Do me next!” Pinkie jumped. “Also I finished the cake!”
“Your bottom lip twitches when you want to get angry at somepony but don't want to ruin the mood.”
“Quite observant.” Celestia sat down as Skystrike began serving the food.
Luna looked at hers and her sisters. “...Why are our servings so big?”
Skystrike blinked. “Because you, Celestia, and I are much bigger than the average pony, and thus need to eat more.”
“Are you calling us fat?” Celestia joked.
Skystrike blinked again. “...You had four stallions pull you on a royal chariot.” Luna coughed as there were stifled laughter between everyone but an unamused Celestia. “If I wanted to call you fat, I’d have said so. I’ve always been straight forward with my intentions.”
Luna coughed again. “It all goes to your rear anyway.”
Skystrike coughed this time as Celestia shot her a look. “ANYWAY, I’m hungry.” Skystrike threw his apron back on the hanger before beginning to eat. He really needed something on his stomach.
“Mm…” Luna’s eyes went wide. “We must say, we did not expect thou to be so good at cooking. This is a pleasant surprise.”
“Thanks. Sister Paprika taught me.” Skystrike said as he took a bite.
“I didn’t know you had a sister?” Rarity looked up from her plate.
“Well, not biological. Sister Paprika was just her title. She was the caretaker for me and my siblings at the orphanage.”
“Wait, you’re an orphan?” Rainbow Dash stopped mid bite.
Skystrike looked at her and took off his helmet. “...You serious?”
“Well, to be honest, Sky… I didn’t know until you just said so…” Pinkie admitted.
“That’s different.” Skystrike said. “You, and like half of the ponies here were literal nobodies until I moved to this village. Rainbow Dash was my foster family.”
“I dunno, I thought you were a distant cousin or something!” Rainbow shrugged.
Skystrike rubbed the ridge between his eyes. “...Moving on, I am an orphan. Was taken in when I was around nine or ten. Decided to pull my weight and helped with cooking. Kids are picky.”
“Where was it at?” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t really hear you talk about your old home.”
“Church of the Two Sisters. Good place, not so good funding at the time, so we had to make do with cheap food.” He said as he reminisced. “Not to mention some of the Noble kids messing with me and the little ones because of our social standing.”
“Wait, how old are you?” Rarity looked at him.
“I think 24, but I could be 23. Never knew my actual age.” Then he thought more.
“You know, I did live in Canterlot around that time. A shame we didn’t meet earlier…” She stuck a fork into her food.
“We did.” Skystrike said as her eyes went wide. “Though it was brief. You and your parents were at some park the same time I was there with my little sister. You were playing princess with Dawnstone.”
“...You have a freakishly good memory. But from what Twilight said in that old castle, I assume you met her up there too?”
Skystrike nodded, but Twilight answered. “Celestia put him in my class in magic elementary!”
Celestia smiled. “I was hoping you two could be friends. Admittedly, it was just easier to keep track of you both when you shared a teacher. But it looks like you two being friends worked out in the end.”
Twilight looked to Skystrike. “Can I… get another serving?”
“Go for it.” Skystrike nodded. “It wasn’t the best being the only pegasus in a school of unicorns, but it’s no big deal. Was able to save the notes for the unicorns in my life who could use it.”
“So has everypony met Skystrike but me in the past?” Pinkie put her hooves on the table.
“I haven't.” Applejack put up her hoof. Then she thought… “No wait, we went to the same summer camp one time… And that also reminds me that he can sing.”
“He can what?” The rest went. While most were surprised, some had faces of mild amusement.
Celestia smirked. “He used to want to do opera.”
Skystrike sighed. “I’ll remember this.” He looked at Celestia, ignoring the giggles from the rest present.
“It’s just… I didn't expect you to know how to sing.” Pinkie said. “You’re the last pony I expected to know how to. But… I could see you doing opera.” Then she leaned forward. “So… what do we gotta do to get you to sing a tune?”
Skystrike rubbed the ridge of his nose again. “Fine, you know what? Naga’s birthday is in a few days. She’ll pass out invitations later today. You set her up a party, and I’ll sing something.”
“Sweet!” Pinkie jumped up before running out of the room and coming back with a cake. “Here’s your cake, Zecora!”
The zebra was about to dig in before she felt a gaze on her. She turned to Celestia, who was badly avoiding her gaze. “...Would you like a slice or two? This cake’s too big for me to chew.”
Celestia cleared her throat. “Ahem… Yes, I would love a slice.” She took her knife and fork, cutting herself half the damn cake.
“Wait…” Fluttershy realized. “Naga knows how to write?”
“You’d think I’d keep a pet that massive and smart around with ponies that see her as dangerous, and not teach her how to communicate?”
“Then why’d she come into town like that?”
“Somepony kicked her before she could.” Skystrike huffed.
“I said I was sorry!” Rainbow groaned.
Then they hear a tapping on the window. “Speak of the devil.” Skystrike opened the window to let Naga in. She slithered in before coiling around him in a hug. “Nice to see you too.” Naga then let go and gave a letter to each of the beings present. Fluttershy opened it, noticing how well her writing was. The grammar could use work, but all things considered, it was great.
“Oh, Naga.” Skystrike got her attention. “How many are you inviting?” Naga made a slow circle motion with the tip of her tail and cooed.. “What do you mean ‘anypony who wants to come’?” She then made a raspy sound by rubbing some of her scales together. “You’ve been in this town for a while. I don’t think anypony will run away from you.” She hissed and pointed at Skystrike. “Me? What do you mean I need more friends!?” She slapped her tail on the ground. “If I wanted more friends, I’d make some.” She hissed at him again. “I can make friends, asshole. Don’t want any more right now, thanks.” Naga turned her head up at him before slithering back out the window. Everyone behind him was giggling. “Don't wanna hear it.” Skystrike stretched a bit. “But now that lunch is done, Celestia, Luna, you two wanted to speak?”
“Oh, yes.” Celestia said as she swallowed the rest of her cake. “Though my sister and I are here for separate reasons.”
“Um…” Twilight motioned to herself and her friends. “Should we leave?”
Celestia looked at Skystrike. It was his call. Skystrike shook his head. “You all should be fine. If it was really important, then the princesses would have made me come to them… Well, either that, or another reason…”
Celestia nodded. “Indeed. We need you to do some things… privately.”
Skystrike hummed. “Coming to me for a mission? That’s a first.” He sat back down at the head of the table. “Guess things have gotten pretty bad if I’m needed.”
She grimaced. “Well, as much as it pains me to admit it, your past missions show your reliability, despite your… methods…” She sighed before getting to the meat of the issue. “A settlement began forming in the North-western part of Equestria on the coast of the North Luna ocean. It’s about three days north of Vanhoover. Yesterday, we received word from one of their representatives that a ‘beast’ for lack of a better term, was spotted in their forests, eyeing their ponies. There have been a confirmed six missing out of the current thirty residents.”
“Well that’s worrying.” Skystrike rubbed his chin. “And you haven't sent your guard? Or some other mercenary? I need more details.”
Celestia shook her head. “No. Aside from Luna, you and everypony are the only others who know so far. If I go to my guard, there is a risk of an information leak. By the time anypony here speaks of it, you’d hopefully have finished your mission. For more information, Vanhoover is in Count Caesar’s territory, but the ponies sent to start the settlement were sent by Upper Crust.”
Then he realized. “Wait, it is one of those isn't it?”
Luna tilted her head. “One of those?”
“I’ve dealt with Nobles before.” Skystrike sighed. “It’s either Caesar offered to help, and Upper Crust feels like his pride is attacked, or Caesar is using this as a chance to prove Upper Crust is incompetent and take over the settlement.” Then he turned to Celestia. “How close am I on the money?”
“...Nearly spot on.” Celestia sighed. “Upper Crust is a very prideful pony.”
“So…” Skystrike leaned back in his chair. “You want me to go undercover as a third party and privately solve the problem in the hopes of stopping infighting?”
“Yes.” Celestia nodded.
Skystrike looked at his helmet. “Echo, get me all the information on the local fauna in the area north of Vanhoover, as well as any roaming animals that could count as ‘beasts’.”
Celestia, Luna, and everyone else present jumped at the holographic blue eyes that flashed on within the helmet. The voice was cold, calculated, and robotic. “Affirmative. Information on the requested area is limited, thus I can only give calculated assumptions. Allow me time.”
They looked at the helmet, then to him. Stardust decided to ask the obvious question. “Could it… always do that?”
“Yep.” Skystrike nodded.
Zecora looked at it as well. “There is no way that such is true. You’ve had that helmet since I’ve met you.”
Skystrike nodded again. “Well, Echo decided to talk only when he feels it’s needed. Besides, he’s more than just an encyclopedia. Helps me look at things logically when emotions are high.”
Celestia poked the helmet. “You speak of it as if it were a pony.”
“I am a sentient construct. Though the term ‘pony’ would not describe me back. I am not ‘alive’ like you of flesh and bone. I simply exist as a culmination of thoughts and recorded experiences.”
“Construct? You were created by Skystrike?”
“Negative. I was created, but not by him. My creators are not important, their legacy long forgotten to the sands of time. My current, and only goal is to assist Skystrike.” Echo monotoned. “Analysis complete. Though limited, the most likely candidates are: Cragadile, Diamond Dog, Frost Troll, and if you are unlucky, a dragon.”
“Shit….” Skystrike said to himself. He sat in thought for a while. “...Celestia, I suppose it’s time to start talking payment.”
“Yes, of course.” Celestia hummed. “I will be giving you a large sum of bits, of course.”
“Yeah, no, I’mma need more than bits for a mission like this.” Skystrike put his hooves together. The way he spoke made everypony on edge. “I’m not unreasonable, so I’ll give you some options. There’s three things from my ask that I want you to fulfill.”
They all looked at him. “...Go on.” Celestia said.”
He began counting on his feathers. “One, access to all parts of the Royal Library. Two, a scheduled meeting with the Court Magician. Three, access to the Royal Archives. Four, two items of my choosing from the Royal treasury. Five, several of each type of elemental stone. And six, a large null stone.” He wrote it down on a piece of paper.
“That-... wha-...” Twilight stammered before putting her hooves on the table. “You said you were reasonable! How was any of that reasonable!? You were given a mission by the princess, and now you’re making demands!? You can't even USE magic! Why do you need all that stuff!?”
“Twilight, first off, lower your voice, please.” He said, though it was more of a demand. “Second, this is how requests work in my line of work. It’s a give and take. I give a price, I take a job. Right now, we’re in the negotiation phase. Third, if you must know, I plan on doing some experiments.” Then he turned to Celestia. “Now… what do you say?”
“To be quite honest, I find your… ‘requests’ as you put them, unreasonable. For the things you’re asking for, I might as well send the guard. She explained.
“Then allow me to explain my reasoning.” Skystrike reached for his water and took a sip. “First, sending a whole quadron will not only risk information leaking, as you said earlier, but will also cause the civilians to be more worried than I assume they already are. As you said, multiple ponies have gone missing. Second, amassing the amount of resources needed for said squad would cause the nobility to get suspicious. It’d be much more efficient to send a pony that can take the minimum needed for this mission.” Skystrike continued to write on the sheet of paper. “Third, you’re on a time limit, which is up when that whole settlement disappears, or until one of the nobles gets fed up and causes some infighting.”
Celestia looked at Skystrike. While reluctant to, she had to agree with him on his points. It’d be easier to send one pony… especially somepony used to fighting on a lack of information. “Then-”
“Oh, I wasn’t done.” Skystrike put an elbow on the table. “There’s one thing you may have failed to realize, and I feel the need to bring it to your attention.”
“...Which is?”
“Well, you said their representative said there were six confirmed missing. Not dead, or any remains found, missing.” Skystrike put a lot of emphasis on that word. “If they were dead, then you the representative would’ve told you, and then you would’ve told me, that they found bodies, a sign of struggle, or at least the metallic smell of blood in that forest. It’s a port town, so I imagine the wind would’ve carried it well. It would’ve at least been a quote unquote ‘good sign’ in my opinion.”
Celestia frowned at him. “And how would my little ponies spilt blood have been a good sign?” She was controlling her anger.
Skystrike waved a hoof back and forth. “Because that would’ve shown some sort of struggle, or their passing. Not good, but it’d be better than the hostage situation that this is implying.” That word, ‘hostage’ rang through the heads of everyone at the table as they looked at him, then to each other with wide eyes. It sent a chill up their spines. “From your reaction, Celestia, I’m willing to bet you didn’t think of that.” Skystrike wrote some more. “Now… Assuming that what I said is true, that means we can narrow down our list of what I’m going up against: Diamond Dogs or Dragons. Plural, as there would be no way a single one of each would need several ponies if they are still alive. Thus, I will be facing multiple.” Skystrike sighed. He drank some more water before setting the glass down. “With that said, let me remind you and inform the heckler here that you are paying me not only for the investigation, but also the perceived, and potential threats that I have to deal with. I have the possibility of dealing with several high level threats, and a hostage situation mixed into that. This is a mission with very, VERY high demands to meet, and no room for error. Now, would you say these requests are still unreasonable?”
Celestia grit her teeth at the situation. “I can see why you asked for such a reward… We agree to your terms, on the condition that you can save everypony you can, and neutralize every threat. If the potential threats are proven true, your payment will be discussed further.”
“Alright.” He nodded. “Today is Sunday, so I’ll have enough time to prepare for an early Friday morning departure.” He handed his paper to Celestia as he began writing for himself on another sheet.
“Sir, will we be coming?” Stardust raised a hoof, referring to herself and Zecora.
Skystrike looked up from his writing. “...What type of dumbass question is that, of course not!” Is what he wanted to say, and what his stare did say. But instead, he rubbed his forehead. “Did… you not hear the whole thing about dragons and high stakes?”
“Come on, Skystrike, we can handle it!” Spike said with too much confidence for Skystrike’s liking.
“You’re nine! You get a fucking tummy ache when you drink a god damn milk shake too fast! The hell are you going to do when you’re looking down the gaping maw of a dragon?”
“But it’s our chance to prove ourselves! Come on!” Spike pleaded.
“Our?” Stardust made a face. “Sorry, kid, but I was making sure I wasn’t getting into any major danger. I was also only referring to me and Zecora. I’m with Skystrike on this one.”
Skystrike looked to Twilight. She looked back with a stare full of daggers. He sighed. “You know what? I’ll give you one chance to prove it to me.” He huffed as he got up and put on his helmet. “Put your gear on, meet me outside.”
“You can’t be serious!” Twilight stomped.
“Trust me, Twilight, I know what I’m doing.” He said as he grabbed his blades. The rest looked between each other and followed him and Spike outside.
Spike gulped as he walked into the arena that Naga made a while ago, Skystrike standing at the opposite end, armor on and blades in hoof. But something was new… On his back, right under his wings was some sort of wheel that housed a wheel of chains. The baby dragon watched as he attached the hilts of his two swords to the ends of the chains. “...When did you-”
“Back when I made you and Stardust your gear.” Skystrike said as he rolled his neck. “No point in backing out now, Mr. Confident. When you’re ready, tell Zecora to give us a countdown.”
Spike tightened his grip on his staff as he looked at Zecora with a nod.
Zecora sighed, knowing where this was going. “Three… two… one… go!”
Spike was barely able to finish taking a step forward before a loud boom was heard. He blinked from the dust in his eyes, only to open them when he felt something grab him and pick him up by the neck. Skystrike’s grip wasn’t tight, but Spike was more frozen in fear than anything. Skystrike stared at him, waiting for the dragon to speak. “...alright…” Spike said defeated.
“I want to hear you say it.” Skystrike put his other hoof on the hilt of his sheathed blade.
“...I’m not ready…”
Skystrike set him down and let out a sigh. “Now, I want you to look at Twilight.” Spike looked at the mare. His eyes went wide as they made eye contact, seeing the worry, and fear in her face. “Now, imagine what face she would’ve made if you went up there, and didn’t come back.”
Spike felt his heart drop. Without a word, he ran up to Twilight and hugged her. Twilight returned it.
Skystrike shook his hoof and got down on all fours. Rarity looked over at him. “...Was that really necessary?”
“I think so.” Skystrike admitted. “Because while someone wants to make a name for himself, he forgets he has ponies who still care about him, and want him to be alive.”
“It sounds as though you’ve walked this road.” Zecora said. Skystrike looked at her. “A tale of yours yet to be told?”
“...You know, you’re right, but I don’t like how you said that.” Skystrike sighed.
“Ignore that for now!” Rainbow gawked. “Did you just make a sonic rainboom!?” She kept staring behind him.
Skystrike turned around to see a blue ring expanding and dissipating as it spread out further. “Huh… Guess I did. Didn’t realize. But that isn’t really a rainbow… Skyboom? No, that sounds stupid.”
“Dude, you’re missing the point!” Rainbow put her hooves on his shoulders. “You just accelerated at the speed of sound! Do you have any idea how amazing that is!?”
“...Not really? I bet you could do it if you try hard enough. Took me years to do that.”
“But HOW!?”
“Iunno.” He shrugged. “One day I was just able to.” Then he realized. “Luna, you said you wanted to talk to me too, right?
The princess of the night blinked. “Oh, yes, we do!”
“You zoned out, didn’t you?” Skystrike smirked.
“...We did not.”
“Yes you did.”
“What we wish to discuss is more… private than what our sister spoke of.” Luna moved along the conversation.
Skystrike cracked his neck and thought for a moment. Then he realized something. “Ok… but this sounds kinda updog.”
“...We must apologize, we are not yet fully immersed with the modern slang… What is ‘updog’?” Luna tilted her head.
“LUNA!!!” Celestia shouted at the top of her lungs and put out a hoof in despair.
Skystrike smirked. “Nothing much, what’s up with you?”
“No way…” Pinkie snorted. “Heheheha! You got a princess!” She began rolling on the ground in a laughing fit.
“...Are you proud of yourself?” Luna gave an unamused look.
“Yes.” Skystrike nodded. “So, you implied we need to talk alone?”
“Yes.” Luna turned to the others. “We apologize, but we ask you all to leave us be for now.”
“As you wish, Princess Luna.” Twilight bowed. “It was nice to see you two again.”
“And thanks, Sky! The food was great!” Applejack said, nudging him with her elbow as she walked past.
“I appreciate that. I’ll see you all later.” Skystrike said as his friends began walking down the path from his house. “Come back inside. Meet me in the living room, I need to get something.” the pegasus said before walking to the research tower. He opened a cupboard and found a small box of pearl white orbs. He took one, fitting it in his hoof, before walking back to the living room where the princesses were sitting together on his couch. He sat down in his recliner.
Celestia looked at the orb in his hoof. “And that is…?”
“A little something I made called a silent stone. It stops eavesdroppers.” He nodded his head toward the window.
Luna looked out it. “...There’s nopony the-”
“Luna?” He cut her off, getting her attention. “Updog.” He plainly said. A giggle was heard from the window, as well as several shushing her. “And that’s why I have this…” He twisted the two halves of the stone in opposite directions. A pale white dome formed around the three, swirling like a blizzard of arcane energy. “As you can see, it creates a small space around the center. No sound can enter, nor leave.”
“And you made these?” Celestia asked. “I was under the impression that they were in limited supply, and the patent is under a strict lock and key.”
“They are.” Skystrike leaned back. “After all, I made the patent. It’s passive income.” Skystrike rolled a hoof. “So, what did you wish to speak on?”
Luna cleared her throat. “Right…” She took in a deep breath, thinking on how to say what she needed to. “Many are unaware of what our role was before my banishment. We were to protect the ponies from their nightmares, and give them pleasant dreams, to put it sparsely. We speak of this because… in an attempt to continue this duty, we attempted to protect you from your nightmares. Over the last few months, we have noticed that thou hast not been sleeping soundly… if you even do fall asleep.”
Skystrike blinked. He didn’t, yet should have expected this talk about his nightmares, with you know, Nightmare Moon. He sighed. “Well, I have my reasons.” He leaned forward, dropping his joking tone. “My past hasn’t been… the best one to have.”
Luna gulped. “Indeed… our sister hast shared pieces of your upbringing… We are sorry about what thou-”
Skystrike shook his head. “Not that.” He exhaled through his nose. “I came to Canterlot at around ten. Celestia adopted me a few years later. My nightmares are frome times before all of that.”
Luna looked at her sister, who returned the look. “He hasn’t told me about that time either. It’s a topic he tends to avoid.”
“Still is.” Skystrike stated.
“...May I ask why?” Celestia asked.
“...A couple reasons. It was a time in my life where I had no control. Not because I was a child, but because I was… an item. I wasn’t a sentient being to them, but a means to an end.” He clenched a hoof. “I’m plagued by those nightmares almost every other day. A different memory each time. I’ve grown used to it…”
“And thou hasn’t asked for help?” Luna asked.
“That would be showing weakness… Also, the innocents would get involved. This is something I need to handle myself.”
“There is no shame in recognizing your weakness, Skystrike. You can't handle things by yourself, no matter how strong you are.” Celestia offered.
“...I pray you never find out how deep this rabbit hole goes. It’s more than nightmares, it’s more than this feeling of weakness.” He admitted. “They are the reason I fight.”
“They?”
For a moment, Skystrike thought of admitting everything. But something within him, almost instinctual, told him not to. Not yet. “They are not important yet. Give me time.” He sighed. “But back on topic. Luna, you seem awfully worried about my nightmares.”
“Indeed… Because of the nature of this issue.” Luna nodded. “We’ve noticed that during your nightmares, we are not able to interrupt them, let alone enter.”
“Oh, that’s it?” Skystrike raised a brow. “That’s just the mental barrier I set up.”
Luna stared at him. “Wha-... then that means thou art conscious enough to be lucid dreaming!”
“Yes.”
“Then thou could have stopped the nightmares yourself!”
“Yes.” Skystrike nodded. “And I have my reason as to not do so. But why do you want to enter my dreams in the first place?”
“...Because it is our duty as the princess of the night to make sure everypony gets a good night’s rest.”
“Cool, but hear me out, and excuse my harshness, but I didn’t ask you to, nor did you ask me if you could enter my dreams” He frowned.
“...Then will thou allow us into thine dreams?” Luna asked.
“Don’t see why not.” He leaned back in his chair.
Luna looked incredulously. “...Really? Just like that?”
“I am a simple stallion. You asked, I found your reasoning just, so I said yes. I’ll open up my dream when I want to though, so stay vigilant on that.” Then he looked at the silent stone. “Effect is going to wear off soon. You mind if I say something silly to fuck with the listeners?” He asked as he looked at the pale white dome around them slowly fading.
“Go for it.” Celestia waved a hoof.
The barrier fell, and the stone shattered into several pieces. Skystrike smirked. “What do you mean I’m wanted in fourteen territories and three separate countries!?”
“He’s WHAT!?” The ponies outside said, making them laugh.
The next day came quickly once the princesses left to return to the capital. After his morning routine, Skystrike decided to take a walk through Ponyville. He figured that it’d be a good idea to get around more, feeling like he only came out for major events. He sat down at a park bench for a small break. He closed his eyes, letting the gentle breeze flow through his hair and fur. The trees rustling in the wind were calming to his ears. Even his sun was hitting him at the right angle.
“Well howdy, Nebula!” A filly with a southern accent got his attention.
Skystrike opened his eyes to see three fillies in front of him. “Ah, Applejack, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. How’s the day treating you?”
“It’s good! We were actually looking for something to do before we found you!” Applejack jumped on the bench next to him.
Scootaloo did the same. “Yeah, we can’t think of anything else… We’ve played tag, hide and seek, red light green light, you name it.”
Skystrike thought about what they could do. “You know, when I was your age, I sat down and pretended to squish really far away ponies with my hooves.” He chuckled. “It’s even more fun if you make sounds while you do it.” Their eyes seemed to light up as they began doing it, making squishing sounds and laughing to themselves.
“Heheh, this is kinda fun!” Sweetie Belle giggled.
“Oh, Nebula! There you are, dear.” Rarity said, coming from behind him.
Skystrike jumped. “Jeez, don’t pop up out of nowhere like that…” Skystrike turned his head to look at the unicorn, noticing a pink pony and a yellow pegasus at her side. “And hello to you too, Pinkie and Fluttershy.”
“I have a surprise for you~!” She sang. “It’s at my boutique!”
“Oh cool, what is it?”
“I… just said it was a surprise dear.”
“Oh, a surprise surprise.” Skystrike got up. “Alright, let's get going. I’ll see you next time, kids.”
Skystrike walked in with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. The three followed Rarity inside with their eyes closed.
“That’s it!” Rarity said in excitement as she led the group with her voice. “Keep them closed! Don't look~!” They all stopped in place. “Ok you can look now!” The mare squealed.
Skystrike opened his eyes, seeing all of his pony friends, Stardust included, standing to his right. After looking at them, he gave his attention to the several dresses on mannequins in front of him, the eight of them each having a different, and rather stunning, dress on them. Rarity stood proud over her work. A green and brown cowgirl style dress with boots and crocheted apples placed periodically around it. That was obviously for Applejack. A blue dress with a large collar and silver stars on the edges, and as a head piece. Probably Twilight’s. A grass green dress with flowers stitched in with a pair of green vine-like shoes. Fluttershy’s. A rainbow dress that flowed like a waterfall with a headband and shoes of roman design. Rainbow’s. Wait, they have romans? Ignoring that he looked to the last three.
A pink, white, and blue dress that looked as if it was made from cake, candy canes and candy corn, as well as some bows. Pinkie’s. Fitting. A navy blue dress with white and sky blue glitter, and a necklace in the shape of a four pointed star. That was Stardust’s.
The last one Skystrike looked at was black, with white rings spread around in a chain like pattern. It also had a blue under-dress, as well as a black jeweled necklace in the shape of a four pointed star as well. That was weird…
“What do you think of your old duds now, Applejack?” Rarity motioned towards her dress. “Pretty swanky are they not? And Twilight, I made this dress for you and designed each dress to match each ponies specific personality!” Skystrike stared at her. “Oh, it took forever to get the colors right on this one, Rainbow Dash.” She continued as she walked by each dress. “And It turned out beautiful, don't you think? And I know you’re going to LOVE yours, Fluttershy. It just sings spring!” Skystrike continued to stare at the mare. “And Pinkie Pie, look! Pink! Your favorite! Stardust! Yours came out almost on instinct! And Skystrike! The dark colors to contrast your fur, it came out just perfect! Aren't they amazing!?” She looked at the group with a waiting smile.
They all stood silent for a moment, staring at the dresses. Their dresses. It was deafening. Well, Skystrike figured that the eight one was Zecora’s. Rarity probably didn’t want to go into the Everfree. He assumed his opinion would work. Though it would be a bit big on Zecora… Rarity probably didn’t have her measurements.
“Wow… they’re....” Twilight started.
“Yeah, they’re…” Rainbow tried to continue.
“They sure are… somethin’.” Applejack gave an awkward smile
“Yes!” Twilight pointed to Applejack. “They’re something!” She said as she gave the same smile.
“I love something! Something is my favorite!” Pinkie gave a wider awkward smile.
“It’s… nice.” Fluttershy pointed her ears down.
“I like mine.” Stardust gave an actual smile.
“What’s the matter? Don’t you like them?” Rarity asked with an awkward smile.
“They’re… very nice!” Twilight said, the awkward smile never leaving her face.
“And we’re plum thankful you worked so hard on them!” Applejack smiled.
“Mine’s just not as cool as I was imagining!” Rainbow said flatly. Applejack and Twilight glared at the pegasus. Rainbow looked back at the two before putting up a hoof. “What? She asked.”
Skystrike chuckled. “At least she’s honest.”
“Well, what about you, Skystrike? You haven’t said anything yet? You’re rather straight forward, but… I am prepared for your honesty!” Rarity puffed her chest out.
“Oh, no, I think these all look great. I can tell you put in a lot of effort, and I personally think it paid off.” Skystrike rubbed his chin. “I’m just trying to imagine Zecora in that black one at the end and I’m not sure if it’s her style… or size, actually. Next time, just ask me to get her if you don’t want to go in the Everfree.”
“What?” Rarity stood confused. “Well, It is nice to know that Zecora is going to the Gala, but this one isn’t for her, this is for you…?”
Skystrike turned his head to the unicorn. Slowly. “...Is this some inside joke I haven’t been made privy of?”
“Wh-... what do you mean?”
Skystrike gave her an incredulous look. “I mean that when I saw this dress, I was expecting this to be for somepony else, and now you tell me it’s for me? I’m having a hard time believing you.”
“Well… I thought you’d like it? It goes with your style fairly well, wouldn’t you say?” She gave an awkward grin.
“The style, admittedly, would suit me, but that isn’t the crux of the issue here. Why. A. Dress?” He emphasized each word.
She shot looks to the rest of the ponies next to him. Fluttershy made a motion with her hoof for the unicorn to keep talking. “W-welll… I…?”
“You?” Skystrike raised a brow.
“I… well… you are into stallions… aren’t you?” She asked, as if she wasn’t sure anymore.
Skystrike chuckled. “Ok, now I know this is a joke. No way you think I’m gay.”
Twilight decided to put her friendship lessons to good use. “Skystrike, I know it’s not widely accepted for stallions to be gay, but don’t worry. We won't judge you for it! You can be yourself around us!”
Skystrike slowly turned to look at the other unicorn. “...The hell did you just say to me?”
“S’ alright, Sky. While this probably isn’t the best way to come out the closet-” Applejack began.
Skystrike cut her off. “Shut your dumbass up, I’m not gay.”
“Dude, it’s all good. We’re still your friends.” Rainbow patted him on the side.
Skystrike looked between all of them. “You’re all fucking stupid. Do I have to find a mare and fuck her in the ass to prove I’m not gay!? Do you all think I’m gay!?” They all, except for Stardust and Pinkie nodded. Skystrike took off his helmet, grit his teeth, and rubbed the ridge of his nose. “Calm down, Skystrike…” He took a deep breath. “Obviously, I’ve been giving… mixed signals, if you all think I’m into stallions. One of you, explain.”
“Well…” Twilight sheepishly began. “When we’re together, you act… you know… marely?”
“...What word came out of your mouth?”
Applejack rolled a hoof, thinking of an example. “Y’know… marely! Like when ya fought Nightmare Moon! Or those times when ya built your house by yourself!”
“Or how assertive and brave you are sometimes.” Fluttershy added.
“Or how you try to take charge in bad situations.” Twilight added.
It was then that Skystrike remembered the somewhat reversed gender roles in this society compared to humans. The more he thought, the more it made sense. Nearly every being with notable strength, being physical or political, was female. Thus, the traits they have are societally assigned to mares. Basically the opposite of the male dominated society of humanity. Add to that the ratio of males to females, it would imply that the stallions did most of the traditionally human feminine roles.
“I can't believe you all are serious.” Stardust scoffed. He’s not those things because he’s gay, he’s those things because of his line of work. He was alone a lot, so had to do most things himself.”
“Yeah… it’s pretty obvious when you think about it.” Pinkie added before pulling out a pair of reading glasses and a notepad out of her hair. “Starting with Applejack, if you pay attention to how he acts, Skystrike does things because he doesn’t think anypony else will. Not necessarily marely from that stance. Fluttershy, he’s that way because it comes with the job. A push over wouldn’t make any money. And Twilight, Skystrike takes charge as he normally plans things before-hoof, as we can recall from Nightmare Moon. On top of all of this, we must also remember the different cultures he’s interacted with during his travels. For all we know, he thinks he’s acting like a stallion!” She put up a hoof.
“Well, that last part sounded weird, but thanks? You’re pretty spot on.” Skystrike nodded. “And on top of all of that, even if I was gay, which I’m not, assuming a pony is gay because they act outside of their gender stereotypes is not only harmful to the pony, but you’re confining ponies into boxes. Imagine if I called Rainbow gay just because of her hair!”
“He also looks at our plots sometimes.”
“Aaaaaaaaaaand I instantly regret coming here.” Skystrike threw up his hooves, making Stardust laugh.
“Well… I guess it’s fair.” Applejack huffed. “We look at his.”
“Oh, he knows.” Pinkie laughed.
“HE KNOWS!?” Every mare in that room stood on edge.
“None of you are anywhere near discrete… and it’s also a bit weird that you were pondering at a stallion you thought was gay.”
Rarity decided to speak up for the rest of them after a long, awkward silence. “...I regret this day a lot.” She said with the thousand yard stare.
“Yeah, I think we all do.” Skystrike began walking towards the door. “I’m going to go home, drink several shots of tequila, fall asleep, and hope I wake up with no memory of this.”
“Wait!” Pinkie stopped him before he left. Skystrike turned to her as he put on his helmet. “...who’s is the best”
Skystrike’s eye twitched at them waiting for an answer. “You know, every goddamn day, I wake up and ask myself ‘what am I willing to put up with today?’ And you know what? NOT FUCKING THIS!” They laughed.
A day passed as Skystrike prepared for his mission. While he couldn’t predict every scenario, he prepared for the most likely ones. In case the villagers needed medical attention, and there were no medical ponies there, he’d bring some potions. If he didn’t need them, that was good. Zecora said she’d make a few for him. Skystrike would make it up to her later. For now, he just finished the upkeep on his armor and swords. The polish would have to sit for a while. That gave him free time.
Rarity wanted to meet him with an actual suit made for him, and wanted his opinion on it. He walked inside, seeing the mare and what he assumed to be his suit. “Oh, perfect timing, dear! I just finished!” It was the same black as the dress, but an actual suit. There was also a blue undershirt and silver bowtie. Silver chain patterns went around each sleeve, and there was also a pocket square to add a bit more focus on his chest.
“Pretty good, Rarity.” Skystrike nodded as he walked around the clothes on the mannequin. “I know that it’ll make me fit in just right. Matches my colors pretty well. I know you aren’t really a fan of ‘plain’ clothes, as you put it, but this is really appreciated.
“Just… pretty good?” Rarity asked. “Nebula, Dear, I want this to be the best outfit that you will ever wear! Just tell me what you want to change about it to make it absolutely perfect!”
Skystrike hummed in thought. “Well, I’m not sure if you can do it…” She raised a brow, almost insulted. “Oh, not because I don’t think you can, but because the materials I would ask for, I have no idea how expensive they are to get, or if you have them… I can pay though.”
“It’s alright, I assure you. Just give me your ideas.”
“Very well.” Skystrike stood next to the mannequin and began pointing to each section as he spoke. “First the color, while this black is good, the black on my helmet that I’d like you to match it with is raven black. It actually has a hint of green in it, and a nice sheen.” He began before pointing to the chest. “Ideally, I’d like an evening tailcoat, raven black, worsted barathea wool, and matching pleated trousers. With my size, I’d probably need shoulder suspenders, so keep that in mind. Black silk lapel facings with a boutonniere-hole on the left side with a stem holder…” Then he moved to the chest again. “Three ornamental blue buttons on each breast, four on each sleeve, each button have matching material. A blue lapel-less waistcoat, cut to line up with the tail coat, and it should cover my trousers and waistband. White bow-tie, same fabric, with prench cuffs. Patent leather shoes, whole cut, with inner quilting, since I plan on dancing. Two pairs of kidskin gloves, one the same color as my bow-tie, the other the same as the waist coat. If you could, my four-pronged star on the back of the gloves. The chain patterns I like, so keep that. The pocket square, while I’d like to keep, would be a bit too much. And I know you like to make things flashy and sparkly, so I’ll let you do that.” Finally he turned back to Rarity. “If you don't have the materials, I can pay, and if a sketch is needed, I can do that too.”
Her jaw dropped. “Dear Celestia…”
“What?”
“Nothing, it’s just…” Rarity composed herself. “After Twilight and the others gave me so many… ideas…” She shuddered as she said that. “It’s nice hearing one that I don't have any gripes with!” Then she went wide eyed. “Oh, you won't tell them that last part, will you?”
Skystrike looked at her. “...I won’t but now I feel like I should be worried on how these dresses will look. And that would also explain the bags under your eyes, and mane. You need a nap.”
“Ah… I see you’ve taken notice.” She quickly brushed the wrinkles out of her mane. “But there was also a second reason I was so surprised.”
“Go on.” Skystrike rolled a shoulder.
“It’s… nice seeing a stallion who knows his way around fashion.”
“Huh, thanks.” Skystrike said awkwardly. Wasn’t sure what to say in this situation. “You know Canterlot. Comes with the territory.”
“Well, Twilight didn’t.” Rarity chuckled.
“Twilight barely went outside, and when she did, her face was in her books.” Skystrike retorted. “But if that’s all, I have some stuff to get back to. For real though, get some rest. I don’t need my outfit done anytime soon.”
“Alright then, Nebula.” Rarity sighed as she began taking apart his suit. “I’ll call you back here along with everypony else once your outfits are done.”
Another day passed. Skystrike and the rest were told their clothes were done. They all met up at Rarity’s boutique to give the final say so.
“Ok.” Rarity started with a tired sigh. “I did exactly what each of you asked for. Now don’t hold back! Let me know what you really think!” She tried to look away from the clothes. Skystrike noticed, raising an eyebrow before looking at the outfits. He was impressed, looking at his. It was exactly what he asked for, down to the T. Stardust’s dress was the same, though the necklace was now a pair of earrings, and the dress a bit shorter, stopping below her knees instead of at her ankles.
And then he saw the absolute abominations that were everypony else’s dresses. He gagged. Rarity’s cat gagged. Oh cool, she has a cat. Wait, that isn’t the focus, what the hell are those!?
“It’s exactly what I asked for!” Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie said in unison.
Skystrike looked at Stardust. Stardust looked at Skystrike. Their looks shared all the words that they needed to share. These five could not be serious. But they both knew it was more of a plea.
“Thank you Rarity!” Twilight walked up to the unicorn.
Pinkie, however, decided to jump in her face. “Are you as excited about them as we are? Huh? Huh?? Huh???”
“Well…” Rarity hesitated. “I’m… happy that you all are happy. I’m just relieved to be finally done.” The smile on her face was fake.
“Rarity…” Skystrike sighed. They all looked at him. “You gonna say it, or am I going to have to speak for you? Because I’m not gonna mince my words.”
Before Rarity could give an answer, Spike burst in through the front door, huffing to catch his breath from the ruin. “You’re never gonna believe this! You know Hoity Toity?”
“The big wig, fashion hot-shot in Canterlot?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah! He heard about your fashion show! Well, maybe I’ve mentioned it to him… He’s coming here! All the way from Canterlot to see your work Rarity!” Spike pointed at the mare.
Skystrike could see her heart drop. Didn’t blame her in the slightest. “Whoa, nelly!” Applejack whistled in surprise. “You could sell a whole load of dresses to this guy! Your business will be booming!” Rarity gave an awkward smile and an eye twitch. The rest seemed not to have noticed this anc congratulated the seamstress.
“Wait, Spike, how did you mention this to Hoity Toity?” Skystrike asked the obvious question.
“Oh, I know a lot of ponies. Someone had to do all the talking for Twilight.” Spike shrugged.
“Good to know I guess…” Then he clapped his hooves together. “Now, I’m going to be the only vocal voice of reason and say no.”
Spike blinked. “...No? What do you mean no?”
“I mean… I won’t- no, I CAN’T let you all go and do a fashion show wearing those… things!” He seethed.
“Aw come on, Rarity worked hard on them! I bet they look-” Spike held his tongue as he looked at the majority of the outfits before gagging as well.
“Spike, that’s rude! Apologize!” Twilight scolded. “These outfits are amazing!”
“Spike, do not apologize! These would only work on Nightmare Night!” Skystrike scoffed. “You’re going to look like the paintings elephants do at the goddamn zoo! And you want to look like that in front of the whole town, Hoity Toity, and tourists coming because of him?”
“Skystrike, our outfits are great!” Applejack stomped.
There was a creaking sound as he slowly turned his neck to look at the farm mare. “Applejack, I know you ain’t talking when your ‘dress’ looks like you’re about to do electrical work, plumbing, and tell Timmy Turner you own the Dimmsdale Dimmadome SIMULTANEOUSLY!”
“Hey, lay off!” Rainbow Dash flew up to him.
“Rainbow Dash, do not start with me. You probably said some bullshit like ‘oh, I want it cooler!’ with no further explanation, and now you’re about to look like you’re on your way to Rome with enough hair gel to cause a fire hazard.” He stared down the mare. Then he looked at the dress again. Too many words were coming to his head, and his mouth wasn’t fast enough to speak it. “The-... I mean… Wh-...” Then he banged his head into a wall. “You know what? Fuck it! Have fun. If I won't make you see reason, half the town will.”
“We’ll show you!” Pinkie Pie put a hoof in the air in exclamation. “We’ll have all of Ponyville in awe of Rarity’s outfits!”
Skystrike stared at her, then looked at Rarity, who was still stunned from the news. He gave a simple nod, then left.
The evening of the same day, the show was about to start. Ponies gathered around the stage set up in front of Carousel Boutique. A raised platform held a rec carpet on it for the walkway. Skystrike made sure to be there early to get a good seat. Next to him was a cushion for the guest of honor. A phthalo bluish grey pony with a light sapphire bluish grey mane with light grey stripes sat down on it before straightening his attire.
He made eye contact with Skystrike. “Ah, I didn’t take one of your ilk to be the kind to come to these types of shows, Atlas Nebula.”
Skystrike gave a nod in greeting. “Oh, Hoity Toity. Surprised you know my name. Nice to meet you.”
“Charmed.” He straightened his sunglasses. “And surely you jest? Your name is known by all of Canterlot by now after what was learned about Magnus.”
“Yeah, I bet that would have my name come across your desk in some form, huh?” Skystrike chuckled. “Wish I could say the same about you, but I can’t say I keep up with fashion trends. I did visit one of your stores during my visit there… Any way I can convince you to make something in my size?”
Hoity laughed. “Ha! Well, you wearing my branding would get it out there more, given your travels… It is an idea. I’m surprised you take interest in my work. Pardon me if this sounds rude, but I expected you to be more… antagonistic.”
“None taken. You know the media, spreading around anything that looks like a good headline. Besides, I set that up for myself” They both chuckled. “You know, I’m surprised somepony like you cares about small town fashion. What made you decide to come to this one?”
“Well…” The earth pony scratched his chin. “It’s how I started, finding up and coming designers and seeing their potential. Few others in my line of work give these ponies a chance. What was this designer's name? Wait, don’t tell me, I like to be surprised.”
He nodded. “She tries her best and puts her soul into all the outfits she makes…” Skystrike then sighed. “Under different circumstances, she’d be ecstatic you’re here.”
“...What do you mean, ‘Under different circumstances?’” The stallion raised an eyebrow as he pulled down his reflector shades.
“Sssss…” Skystrike breathed through his teeth. “...Aaaaaah… You’ll figure it out…”
The stage lights began to dim, signaling the start of the show. Skystrike heard some music begin to play from the surrounding speakers as Spike’s voice began to speak. “Since the beginning of time, the elites of Equestria have longed for pony fashion that captured the essence of their very soul.” Spike said from the shadows.
“Oh dear fuck.” Skystrike cringed as he thought to himself.
“Patiently waiting decades… no, CENTURIES, for the perfect pony gown.”
“Oh god damn it…”
“Today, at long last, Equestria. Your wait is over!”
“Damn it Spike, stop hyping it up!”
“Let’s hear it, for the breath-taking designs for Ponyville’s very own… Rarity!”
As Spike finished, the stage curtains opened to reveal Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie wearing their outfits. The crowd gasped as they looked at their…
“Oh god I didn’t even get a good look at them, what the HELL are those!?” Skystrike thought as he cringed even more. He felt like his face was going to collapse in on itself.
As Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie walked to center stage, the on looking ponies watched in dead silence. Their faces contorted in a mix of disgust and confusion, and Skytrike got a better look at their design choices now that he wasn’t under whiplash from the initial viewing. Twilight had a robe of sorts that, to be honest, looked more like a rug, had multiple constellations on it, as well as the sun and moon. To be fair, everything was accurate. It did not help, however, that it would look better as a fucking bedsheet. She even had little stars on a headdress held up by springs that bounces as she walked.
Pinkie Pie… well her outfit definitely suits her. She had yellow ribbons on each hoof, as well as her chest. She also had a blue tu-tu on, and to top it all off, a giant cupcake on her head and balloons as a hair tie on her tail. To be honest, hers was the best out of the five, but that was a damn low bar. Might as well invite the devil to limbo dance with her.
Applejack. Dear Lord, Applejack. Her dress was a patchwork of red, green, and brown that was held up with overalls. She wore… A jean dress. Definitely southern. On her hooves were… Are those fucking platform rainboots? Is that a red 20 gallon hat with an apple buckle? Dear lord.
Rainbow Dash had… something on that Skystrike could barely describe, much less process. It was… Roman? In design. EVERYTHING had a rainbow. Rainbow socks, helmet, and chest piece. To add onto all that, there was a cape with a cloud and thunderbolt on it. Deadass a pride parade mascot, and that bitch should’ve stayed in the closet.
Fluttershy had… a whole ass nest on her head. Are those quail eggs? She had either a large orange flower or leaves around her neck. Her dress looked like a literal bush with flowers blooming on it. But the most atrocious thing is the damn moss slip-ons. He felt like he was getting a fungal infection just by looking at it.
Everypony, and he means EVERYPONY, had a look of disgust. Many were gagging. He wanted to throw up. If Skystrike had to describe what he was seeing in one sentence- “Eugh… Those amateurish designs looks like a piled on mish-mash of everything but the kitchen sink!” Hoity Toity said for him. Pretty accurate, and pretty witty. The crowd agreed with their laughter. “It’s a travesty, it’s what it is! Those outfits are the ugliest things I’ve ever seen! Oh, for shame! Who is responsible for subjecting our eyes to these horrors!?” He stomped a hoof. “Not to mention wasting my valuable time…”
Skystrike was going to ignore that last part. He was some Canterlot elite after all, they’re all a bit of an asshole. Spike walked out from behind the curtains… well, began to. He made eye contact with Stardust, who nodded and pulled the baby dragon back behind the curtains before he could ruin this anymore.
For a moment, Skystrike thought if he really wanted to do this. But then he remembered that if Rarity’s chance at making it big here is ruined, then it'll be monumentally hard to get herself out of that rut. So, he decided to do what he planned. Take one for the team.
He flew onto stage, getting the crowd’s attention. Time to sell the act. He pointed a hoof to himself. “You thought it was Rarity who made those outfits… but it was ME, NEBULA!” The crowd gasped at his announcements. “That’s right! You would not believe how easy it was to switch up the outfits mere moments before they got dressed! And those idiots didn’t even notice!” He let out the best evil laugh he could. Honestly, he was surprised he was able to pull that off. “Y’all got played like a damn FIDDLE!” He laughed again as the booing came in. It was fine though, they thought he made them. Skystrike made a motion with his hoof, signaling his friends to get off the stage.
The five quickly ran behind the curtains before the crowd started throwing things. They met up with Stardust, Spike, and Rarity as he began watching him dodge the oncoming items. “...Is that a chair?” Stardust asked.
“The buck is he doing out there!?” Rainbow began taking off her helmet. “Is he trying to get ponies to hate him!?”
“Well, no, but he said that it’d be an ‘unwelcome side effect’.” Stardust let Spike go and made quotation marks with his hooves.
“I’m confused… He didn’t even want to be involved in this show, and now he’s… I’m not even sure what he’s doing!” Twilight looked back out at the stage.
“Oh…” Fluttershy said as she gazed at the chaos. “He’s… being the fall guy.”
Rarity’s ears perked up. “What do you mean?”
Stardust sighed. “He knew he couldn't stop this, and you all were adamant on having this show go on. Everypony knew Rarity was to make the outfits, but since the town already knows her work, Skystrike said it’d make more sense if he took the blame… He also said he didn’t tell anypony else because you’d all be against it. I was too, but… he is my boss.”
“But… he doesn’t want ponies to hate him!” Pinkie pouted.
“Oh, I said that too. And then he chuckled and said ‘it’s not like this town can hate me any more, right?’.”
The silence between them was palpable. Skystrike broke it by running backstage, huffing. “Somepony threw a piano at me!” He laughed.
“What was that!?” Applejack walked up to him.
“Me saving your asses.” Skystrike rolled his neck. “Don’t worry, those ponies are just caught up in the moment. Right now, I got a plan to fix this shitshow, and I’m going to need everyone’s help.”
“...Fine…” Applejack huffed. “But we will talk about this sooner or later.”
“It’ll have to be later, because I can barely take you seriously with that outfit.” He began to chuckle before reeling his head back as he inhaled deeply, making sure to not laugh. “Spike.” He got the dragon’s attention. “You’re going to go to Hoity Toity after this and explain to him that those weren’t Rarity’s designs once the crowd disperses a bit. With some luck you should be able to pull off a second show with good outfits. The last train left a while ago, so he has to be staying somewhere in Ponyville at least until tomorrow.”
“And… what about you?” Rarity asked.
“I’m going to get back home before anypony has the bright idea to egg or TP my house.” Skystrike sighed. “The ponies in this town are smart enough where they’ll realize I lied out there. I’ll leave you all to talk amongst yourselves, because I’m sure you all have a lot to talk about.”
“Oh no you don't!” Rainbow Dash flew in front of his exit. “You don’t get to run away from this like it isn’t your problem to deal with!”
Skystrike stared at her for a brief moment. “That’s because it is not my problem, Rainbow Dash, nor is it up to me to fix the problems that you all caused between each other. Whether it was between you and Applejack during that competition, Applejack and her pride during Applebuck season, all of you going for Twilight’s ticket, or now, as you held no regard for the original dresses Rarity made and put effort into for you all. Each of those problems lies between yourselves.” He said as he continued to stare. “I can, however, as your friend, help you fix the problem. Whether it be through cold hard truths, or through setting up the chances for you to fix things. So, talk amongst yourselves, figure out what went wrong, how to make sure this doesn’t happen again, and have a conversation with each other. If that’s all, I’m going home.” He stated flatly before walking off the stage.
Morning came quickly. Surprisingly, there was actually one attempt from Snips and Snails, but they didn’t know how to throw. It was kinda impressive how they missed the big ass house he has. But that was neither here nor there. Right now, he and Stardust were on their way to Rarity’s with Rainbow Dash. She just told them that they were able to convince Hoity Toity to come watch another show, but this one was private. Only that big wig and his friends.
“Rainbow Dash, you need to work on your wording better, because this wasn’t what came to mind when you said ‘private show’.”
Rainbow Dash blinked. “Oh shit, my bad.” She laughed. “But that’s something we can laugh about later… I actually wanted to talk about what we did.”
“You made it up to Rarity, I assume?” Skystrike asked.
“More than that!” She smiled. “We finished her dress! We realized that she never made one for herself, so we did!”
“Oh, good.” Skystrike smiled.
“Yeah… Honestly, kinda glad you didn't stick around if that is the case.” Stardust hummed.
“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked.
Skystrike chuckled. “Well, the first thought that came to my mind was that Rarity would not want me knowing her measurements…”
“Oh!” Rainbow Dash went.
“...And I’ve now made the realization on how much power that mare has in Ponyville.” Skystrike hummed in thought. They looked at him for an explanation. “Ok, guess I gotta spell it out. Let's say you find somepony you fancy. You wanna get all dressed up, and show them a good time. You go the extra step, get a nightgown or lingerie… Who do you have to go to for said items?”
“Oh shit!” They mares both went.
“Yeah. I’d recommend not getting that type of stuff from her.”
“Speaking of clothes…” Rainbow cleared her throat. “I know that you aren’t really a fan of changing in front of ponies, so Rarity said you can go in her bathroom to change into your clothes.”
“...She wants me in the show?”
“Well yeah, she made you the suit to wear.” Then she elbowed him. “Besides, we all want to see how well you clean up. Mostly Rarity. She would not stop talking about how you look ‘positively dashing’!”
“...The shit I do for you all.” Skystrike chuckled as he opened the door to the Carousel Boutique.
“Wait-!” Rainbow Dash tried to stop him from opening the door, but failed, seeing the other five of his friends in the middle of getting dressed.
They all looked at him. Their eyes went wide as they began yelling at him to get out while attempting to cover themselves. “Why are we yelling!?” Skystrike asked.
“Because we’re getting dressed!” Rarity hid behind a curtain.
“Ok!?” Skystrike said, but was more of a question. “And!?”
“And get out!” Applejack used her hat to hide herself. “You aren’t supposed to walk in on a lady changing!”
“I see you all naked all the time!” Skystrike tilted his head. “What, suddenly the act of putting on clothes makes this a sacred ritual or something?”
“Huh…” Applejack paused. “You know, when you say it like that-”
“Don’t agree with him, Applejack!” Twilight stomped.
“GET OUT!!!!!” Fluttershy said calmly. And then they slammed the door in his face. Stardust and Rainbow Dash were laughing their asses off. He waited outside for some time. Twenty minutes later, they let him in. “Sorry…” Fluttershy said.
“You all make no sense…”
“That’s rich coming from you, Skystrike.“ Rarity huffed. “You don't even go outside without some clothing of some sort.”
“That’s different.” Skystrike crossed his hooves.
“How!?” They all went.
“Name one time where any of you have seen me naked. The hospital and Rarity getting my measurements do not count.”
They all were about to say something, but then looked to the distance in thought. “...Huh…” They couldn’t think of anything.
“Yeah.” Skystrike said as he grabbed his clothes off the mannequin. “It's the inconsistency that I don't get. All I’m saying.” He went to the bathroom to change.
“...Were you raised in a barn?” Rarity asked.
“Hey!” Applejack glared at her.
A now fully dressed Skystrike was looking at himself in front of the mirror. He had to admit, he looked great. But he never did a cat walk. He did a turn in the mirror. “So, I’ve never done one of these before… Anything special I do besides just… you know, walking?”
“Nebula, I didn’t take you for one to have stage fright.” Rarity began pushing him out from behind the curtains. “Everypony else has already walked. Just get out there!”
Skystrike staggered onto stage before quickly straightening his posture. He tried to act confident as he walked down the catwalk but he had no idea what he was doing. He acted like he did though. Reaching the end, he spread out his wings and hit a pose, letting Hoity Toity get a side view before turning back around and walking back behind the curtains.
“Oh ho ho! Now this is a fashion show!” Hoity clapped. “These are some of the most amazing dresses I’ve ever seen!” He said, complementing Rarity. “And that suit, it’s on a whole different tier! It’s so tough to find stallion fashion designers! I must see who’s responsible, show yourself!” He stood up as he looked around.
Rarity came out from behind the stage and illuminated her horn, opening the curtains to show all of the outfits she made for her friends, as well as her own dress. Skystrike couldn’t get a good view earlier, but he had to admit, it looked nice. She wore a violet pink with golden stripes going around the dress, with sleeves and a collar ending with magenta frills. To top it off, she gave hersame a golden tiara with a purple gemstone in the center of it, matching her ear rings.
“Oh, Magnifico! Encore!” Hoity clapped his hooves together.
Rarity’s face lit up at his praise. “Oh thank you! Thank you so much!” She nearly jumped out of her dress.”
The group let Rarity and Hoity Toity talk between themselves for a while as they began to clean up. Skystrike pulled at the sleeves of his suit a bit. Of course, it was new, so he needed time to work the suit a bit. As he put down one of the mannequins he was moving, he noticed Twilight was having Spike write a letter to Celestia.
His attention was taken away by Applejack walking up to him. “You know, you clean up well.”
He smirked. “Same to you, Applejack. I’m surprised she was able to get your hat to match flawlessly.” Then he realized. “Huh, you braided your hair. You rock it.”
“Heh, you’re a charmer, ain't ya?” Applejack gave a flustered chuckle.
Skystrike looked at her. “...You aren’t told that you’re pretty often, huh? We gotta work on your self confidence.”
“Ask her out already, dude.” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “But you do look pretty good. I was expecting to laugh when I heard you designed that yourself.”
“You pick up a few things just by watching.” Skystrike nodded. “Also, sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to come off as… aggressive, for lack of a better word.”
“Eh, don’t worry about it. You were kinda right.” Rainbow shrugged. “But back on topic, you wearing not baggy clothes made me realize how built you were! We should hit the gym sometime!”
“Damn…” Their attention was moved onto Twilight, who was staring directly at Skystrike.
Skystrike hid a chuckle. “God, still socially awkward, I see.” Skystrike straightened his bow tie. “Well, good to know I still have it.”
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Loved the twist on the "show". Glad to see you got a chance to do more and upload again.
Nice to see a new chapter for this story. Hope to see another soon!
sky did a dio
*EXHALES SHARPLY*
and they say ponyville's garbage heap grew 6 dresses that day
11087578
If you could call them dresses.
She just gave up rhyming?