The Lion's Roar

by I Am The Night

Chapter 3: Goings On

The feeling didn't leave Lyon. The words of the stranger bounced around in his head, playing over and over again, and they continued to play no matter what he did to quell them.

At first, he tried to come up with the most basic of assumptions. The first one was a mistaken identity. He was certain he had seen a couple stallions across Canterlot that looked just like him! Some were unicorns, and very few of them were pegasi, but beyond that, and a different cutie mark... they were sometimes indistinguishable from him.

He wasn't the only tan stallion in the world. Then again, not very many ponies have gray and dark stripes in their hair, either, at least none that he could find.

But with that slim possibility in his mind, he came up with assumption #2: Relationship problems.

Lyon knew a fair share of filly-foolers and colt-cuddlers throughout his life, and he wanted to assume the stallion downtown might have been someone's ex-lover. Someone betrayed him, he saw Lyon, and something sparked in him to assume he was said lover. Hooves fly, words are spat, and he's taken away. Right? It seemed like it'd make sense.

Anything but what his mind dialed back to.

Traitor.

No.

It couldn't be related. There was no way. How could that stallion even know? It's not like he was some kind of mind reader! Or was he? Did those even exist, or was there some kind of spell for it, or...

No. No, it doesn't exist. Even if it did, he couldn't be one. He couldn't know about his dreams! It has to be just a coincidence.

Traitor.

And yet, that same word. He said the same exact word.

Traitor.

The same word uttered as he lay surrounded by countless dead bodies among a hellish blaze.

Traitor.

The same word uttered by his monster.

Trai—

"Stop."

He hadn't realized he said it out loud until the nurse stopped tending to the wound. He looked up to see a middle-aged unicorn mare, Nurse Luckhorn, eyeing him with concern as she held a wetted wipe in her telekinetic grip.

"Sorry," he apologized with a faint smile, "not you. Just my thoughts getting in the way."

"You want me to keep going?"

"Yes, please."

She went back to tending to the wound. As soon as they arrived at the infirmary branch of the castle, it became clear the hit was more than a simple "clip," as Lyon initially believed. A small gash ran just under his left ear, with blood dripping down the side of his face. He didn't remember the attacker wearing anything sharp on his hooves, but everything happened so fast, it might've gone over his head.

Not entirely literally.

"Can you tell me what this guy looked like, sugar?" the mare spoke in a southern drawl that would give Applejack a run for her money. "Was he wearing anythang specific?"

"Just a black suit," Lyon answered, lifting a hoof to dismiss Luckhorn's followup. "The guard took him away before we could say anything."

"Well... if that's the case, then there's no need to take this up to the princesses. I figure they already know by now. What in the hay did you do to tick him off?"

"I..."

Lyon froze. What could he say?

"I don't know. I just bumped into him a little, then he was on me. I didn't even get a chance to say sorry."

Luckhorn sighed. "That's Canterlot for you. One of the richest places in the world, and everyone who lives in it is an entitled snob that gets uptight about the smallest inconvenience."

"Yeah..." Lyon's voice faltered for a moment, wincing as the wipe hit a sensitive spot in the cut. By now, the wound had stopped bleeding, and it would be a moment before she began stitching it up.

"What brings you here, anyhow?" she asked him as she finally reached for the needle. "If you're up here, I'm guessing you got some kinda appointment for the princess?"

"Uh, sort of. I'm supposed to be leading the fireworks display for the royal wedding."

Luckhorn recoiled.

"Really, now?!" Lyon nodded, earning a quick snort from the nurse. "Well, gee, I wasn't expecting that at all, haha! And she asked you herself?"

The stallion nodded again, grimacing slightly as the stitching process began.

"My friend Twilight's brother is the groom of the wedding, so in a way, I guess all of us were kind of part of the whole thing."

"Huh. Well, I guess I do learn something new every day," Luckhorn prodded. "I've had Captain Armor come down here a couple times for a fixer-upper, though it was never too serious an injury. He never really told me about a sister of his."

"... He didn't?"

She shook her head, but recoiled for a moment. "But, then again, he's never really talked about his personal life all that much. I think he mentioned his dad one time, and that was it."

"Oh. I was gonna say... well... I guess it's a long story. Plus, I don't think Twilight would be fine with me blabbing about family stuff."

"Twilight Sparkle? I've had her down here too sometimes. It never really clicked in my head that those two were siblings. Guess it was because I never saw them here together. But that mare... oh, hoho, she would go on and on about her studies with the princess. I always thought she was an earful, but... deep down, she's a good kid."

"Yeah.... she is."

Lyon hesitated for a moment, a thought crossing his mind. But he merely felt it to be a way to hide the pain of having a needle piercing his flesh just so it can put it back together. He shivered at the thought, not wanting to look in the mirror for a few days.

Or weeks.

Soon enough, Luckhorn had finished stitching the wound and seemed Lyon fit to leave.

"Now, next time you see Twilight Sparkle, tell her Nurse Luckhorn sends her regards."

"I will," Lyon promised, giving the mare a grin. "Thank you again."

"Anytime, sugar. And you be careful with those fireworks now!"

"Will do!"

Lyon waved the nurse goodbye as he made for the exit. Down the hall, he laughed to himself.

"What a nice lady."

He couldn't remember the last time he saw a nurse that kind. Sure, he could count Nurse Redheart back in Ponyville, but she seemed a bit strict at times. Of course, she was dedicated to her job, but...

Well, it's not wrong to love your job 100%, is it?

Lyon shook his head in attempt to laugh, only to grimace again slightly as cool wind from the outside brushed against his wound. Instinctively, he rested a hoof against it, careful not to damage the stitches. He was sure he had to sleep on one side for a while.

After a moment, he lowered his hoof and inspected the wetness he had noticed, revealing a faint bit of blood. It wasn't too much, just a smidgen of red and... and...

Is that green in there too?

Lyon shook his head, doing a double take on his vision, and yet the green didn't go away. His eyes abstracted. Surely, he was seeing things?

It was only when he looked away from his hoof that he noticed more green. Green grass. All around him.

He was in the middle of one of the castle's few gardens. Already, he was laughing to himself.

That's what it was, then! The blood was reflecting the green of the grass! Of course!

"I really need to sleep after this, dear Celestia," he muttered to himself as he wiped the blood on his fur. It wasn't too much, so it shouldn't be too noticeable.

With a change of pace, Lyon went to work as he was ordered. Hopefully that would be enough to get his mind off the sting.

Yeah... because being around sharp edges is just what this gash needs.

---

A few minutes of trotting, and a quick rundown later, Lyon was standing around in a small garden, one of few with very little vegetation, the only mentioned being the overgrowth accumulated over the last several years.

Standing before him were some of the finest members the Canterlot Royal Guard had to offer, hoof-picked by Celestia herself. And it showed, in both size and strength.

That was good. Holding a bow is hard sometimes.

Lyon paced across the line of nearly 20 stallions, all of which were tall, short, scrawny, or bulky. A third of them were unicorns, another pegasi, and the other earth ponies.

He could feel his heart beat in his chest, but he told himself simply to breathe. With a close of his eyes, he let out a deep breath, and held it there for a moment.

As soon as he felt the crave, his eyes opened again, and what came out... well...

"Alright, you maggots! Our dear leader has put ME in charge of your sorry flanks! I advise you to get into tip-top shape, or there will be tartarus to pay! And I expect you to be FLAWLESS, or I swear by Celestia's 13th right feather, I'll tear you a new one! Capiche?!"

They stared at Lyon. Then they eyed each other. Then back to him.

He couldn't keep the charade up any longer than a few seconds, before he bowed his head, trying to hide his embarrassed laughter. Looking up, the confused expression on their faces only grew.

"Sorry. I always wanted to do that." He tilted his head. "Celestia did put me in charge of the fireworks show, though, so... let's get down to business, then?"

Standing behind Lyon was a decent-sized board with a few markers on a support. Grabbing the black marker in one hoof, he turned back to the guardsponies.

"Earth ponies, step forward?"

Almost immediately, 7 earth ponies walked through the rows of lined-up guards and stood before Lyon. They gave him a steady salute. Lyon stepped back for a moment; he wasn't entirely used to royal guards listening to him. It was usually the other way around, in some cases.

"Right then," Lyon began, making some quick sketches on the board. "Earth pony archers will go first here, at the south garden facing directly towards the gazebo where the reception will happen. Seven of you, plus me, equals eight of us."

He began pointing at various guardsponies and telling them their positions and timings. It wasn't long before he sent them back to where they stood earlier, and called up the pegasi next. Their goals were simple: Perch up on top of a series of clouds that will overlook the opposite side of the gazebo, facing the valley towards Ponyville. As soon as the earth ponies stopped firing their shots, the pegasi would swoop down and immediately let off a barrage of fireworks that would fill the sky with a glistening array of pink and white.

"Unicorns?"

On cue, the remaining 6 guards stood before him, all of them unicorns. This time, Lyon grabbed the red marker to make the difference between the black and yellow.

"Your job will, in a way, be the bread and butter of the finale. This part isn't necessarily archery... but then again, this is just a fireworks display." He drew 6 simple stick figures down in a location resembling the west—or main—garden of the castle. "What I want you to do is stand here, altogether."

One of the guards looked around at the others surround him.

"All of us?"

"Yeparooni!"

Lyon walked over beside the board and reached into a small wooden basket. Inside were a series of spell books, taken from Twilight's library earlier in the day. The books were short and curt, as was intended, only a few pages worth.

"I've been looking these over before I picked them out, just to make sure they were what I was looking for!" Lyon exclaimed as he passed the copies out to the guards. "Now these are firework spell books, containing some of the most basic of firework spells that have been seen typically at coronation ceremonies—not that there are very many to come by—and Summer Sun Celebrations. Though they're basic, it still requires unicorns of a high level to actually focus them, especially for the Triple-O: The Octagonal Orion Outburst."

Lyon paused.

"No wonder they call it Triple-O. Mouthful and boring."

Shaking his head, he walked past the guards as they skimmed through the few pages, then looked back up to him.

"From what Celestia briefed me on, you 6 are some of the most skilled in the Royal Guard. So your goal for tonight is to read through these books and practice your share of the spell. After tomorrow's training, if you still feel you're rusty in parts, keep reading. There's no shame in not being ready."

"Wait," another unicorn guard spoke up, "tomorrow's training? We're not doing anything today?"

"Nope! Today was just an orientation course!"

Coming down from his brief bout of happiness, Lyon laughed in embarrassment and looked towards the sun, already inching its way towards the horizon. It was far too late for anything now.

"I got caught up in an... incident earlier today. Explains this gash," he recalled, briefly touching the stitched wound before keeping away. "If it weren't for that, we'd probably at least get an hour in. But Celestia needed you guys for your evening shifts, and I didn't wanna keep you any longer than I needed to. So for today, no training. But first thing tomorrow at 10 AM, we'll get right on it!"

"Are you sure we'll be ready by then, uh... sir?"

"Of course! Celestia wouldn't have put me on the job if I wasn't skilled at my work! Though, the unicorn part isn't really part of what I do... trust me: You'll see what I'm capable of tomorrow."

With a few final words, Lyon dismissed the group of guardsponies, whom all immediately made their way to wherever Princess Celestia had them assigned. He had hoped he didn't make them unintentionally late to their shifts, though he'd be willing to take responsibility for it. Maybe she'd be lenient, given there's a big wedding coming up?

Lyon trilled his lips as he grabbed the now-empty basket and started back for the living halls where he and the others were staying for the wedding. He yawned slightly as fatigue started to set in. He was surprised it hadn't set in sooner with all the sugary treats they had at the picnic, but honestly, it was better to be tired now than... than before...

You traitor! You'll—

He shook his head and sighed. Lyon wanted to tell Twilight about it, and maybe the others already said something. It wasn't so much that he was worried about her finding out about the incident. But it never occurred to him until today that he didn't actually tell them what was said. That part of the dream didn't start becoming clear until only a few weeks back, and at first, he didn't think much of it, just something it whipped up on a whim.

Then that stallion came along, and suddenly, he could feel his heart racing with anxiety, his breathing labored with fear. He did his best to hide it, and sometimes, he was good at it. He doubted those guards noticed anything out of the ordinary.

But around his friends, it was a different story. He wanted so badly to just say something, but he didn't want it to be blown out of proportion. He knew how easily Twilight could take something a simple as a ripped out book page and treat it as something that could threaten Equestria. Something like this would probably make her brain explode.

And... if that was the case... Did he even want to tell her he l—

"Guuaah!" Lyon yelped as he bumped into something. He failed to hasten his balance before falling to the pavement.

Whatever he bumped into, it definitely wasn't a wall. Walls don't have fur.

"Sorry, sorry, that was my bad!" he quickly apologized, waving a hoof in the air as he tried to get himself back up from the ground. "I... don't really have any excuse, but... my bad."

It didn't take long for Lyon to recover, and presumably, whoever he bumped into was getting back on their hooves as well. Looking over to his accidental victim, he heard a feminine shiver.

"It's fine," she hesitantly said. "I can say the same thing, I guess."

He walked over to the mare and held out a hoof. "Here, let me help you up."

"I'm fine, I assure you."

"Oh. Okay, then."

Slowly, the mare stood up on all fours and appeared before him. She sported a reddish coat of fur and a yellow mane. She appeared to be a unicorn from here, judging by her attire. At first, she opened her mouth to say something, but something stopped her.

"Is something wrong?"

"Say... Don't I know you from somewhere?" she asked after a moment. Lyon had noticed she had been eyeing him almost intently.

"Uh... can't say I know many red-furred mares where I'm from. Sorry."

That explanation didn't stop her, though. She twirled her body left and right, looking him up and down, even to his very cutie mark. Lyon didn't know whether to be nervous or confused. Or maybe flattered, if she was technically checking out his flanks.

The mare's horn glowed faintly, though Lyon hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Then after a few short moments, the glow dissipated, and her eyes widened briefly, looking back at his own.

"My... apologies, sir," she said slowly. "I just had to check if you were my, uh... snooty husband. I kind of got a bit drunk last night and... well, it's a long story."

"Oh. Well... that's okay, I guess. Relationship troubles?"

"You don't know the half of it. And here's to hoping you never do."

Lyon shrugged. "Anyway, I'm sorry for knocking you over. It was an accident."

"No need," she dismissed, "the fault is all mine. I hope I didn't inconvenience you any."

"No, not at all. I've literally got no place to be at the moment. Well, other than to catch some Zs."

"But of course!" the mare exclaimed, exchanging a brief smile. "Don't let me keep you any longer."

Lyon smiled back, bowing his head. "Well... bye, then! I hope things go well between you and your husband. "

"Hmm-hmm... me too."

With a better pep to his step, Lyon picked up the basket he had dropped and continued his way down the road leading to the castle. After a few moments, the mare had done the same, walking in the opposite direction.

Once he was out of earshot, she talked to herself.

"See you later... traitor."

---

"Bet I can guess what you're all thinking, Cadance is the absolute worst bride-to-be ever."

Whatever had been bickered across the table was now suddenly silent, as the other 7 members of the group stared back at Twilight Sparkle, who uttered the words with a drop of her drink against the table. It was later in the evening, after everypony had finally retired from their duties for the night. The stares the unicorn received were nothing but confusion.

Well, except for Spike.

"Who, me?" he asked in a girly voice, holding a small figuring of the mentioned bride Cadance.

"Spike!" Applejack said sternly. "That goes on the cake." The young drake was quick to put the figure down on the table, laughing nervously as Applejack stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

Rarity looked at her friend across the table, confusion replaced with curiosity.

"Twilight, whatever are you talking about? Cadance is an absolute gem!"

"Rarity, she was so demanding!" the mare insisted, as if pleading for her friend to believe her. But Rarity simply shrugged it off with a faint laugh.

"Well, of course she is! Why shouldn't she expect the very best on her wedding day?"

Twilight didn't answer her question, instead turning towards Applejack and waving her hoof about extensively.

"Applejack, did you know that after she told you how much she just 'love-love-loved' your hors d'eouvres, she threw them in the trash?"

At first, Applejack looked at Twilight with a bit of bemusement, but she simply smiled. "Aw, she was probably just trying to spare my feelings." She then took a sip from her drink.

The unicorn closed her eyes. "No, she was just being fake and totally insincere!"

Despite her claims, the group eyed each other with uncertainty, even going far as if pretending Twilight didn't have much of a reason to be uppity.

"She did raise her voice at one of my birds during rehearsal," Fluttershy mentioned hesitantly.

"See?" Twilight pointed to Fluttershy. "Rude!" The mare then crossed her arms, confident it was more than enough evidence to convince them.

Fluttershy then lifted her hoof from under the table, a small bird perched on her foreleg. "But he was singing really off-key."

As if on cue, the bird immediately began to scream in an out-of-pitch, deafening tone, prompting all of the table-goers to cover their ears and wince in pain as the animal attempted to sing his heart out. Well, sing.

"Ugh," Lyon groaned, "are you sure it was the singing she was worried about? No offense to your little birb, either."

"Uh... bird."

"Same thing."

Twilight turned to the pink pony opposite from her. "Pinkie Pie, you had to have noticed how Cadance treated–"

She stopped talking once she realized Pinkie and Spike had taken both cake figures and were making smooching sounds, smashing the two figures together. She sighed in frustration.

"Never mind," she grumbled, turning towards one of her other friends. "Rainbow Dash, you're with me, right?"

But the pegasus only shrugged, to Twilight's disdain, and seemed more interested in polishing the tips of her hooves.

"Sorry, Twi. Been too busy prepping for my sonic rainboom to pay much attention to the bride's bad attitude."

Twilight growled, her patience failing her. She placed her head down on the table and snorted. When she lifted herself back up, she turned to Lyon, who had looked onto her with concern in his eyes.

"... Lyon? Please tell me you saw something out of line with Cadance today."

The stallion scratched his head. "Actually, she didn't come to the orientation today. Probably because of how late we started."

"She didn't come at all?"

Lyon shook his head, taking a quick slurp of his drink. "Maybe she was too busy with the others? Or maybe she got there too early and left beforehoof? Well, early, if we were actually there."

Twilight opened her mouth as if to say something, but Rarity came to her side and rested a hoof on her friend's arm.

"The princess is about to get married," she stated bluntly, "I'm sure any negative behavior she might be displaying is simply the result of nerves."

Stomping on the table, Twilight retorted, "And I'm sure it's the result of being an awful pony who doesn't deserve to even know Shining Armor, let alone marry him!"

The group stood silent again for a few seconds as Twilight caught her breath. Applejack eyed her worryingly.

"... Think maybe you're being just a tiny bit possessive of your brother?"

Much to Twilight's shock, an echo of questioning 'uh-huhs' filled the table. But the unicorn only shook her head and doubled herself down. Firmly.

She shouted at them. "I am not being possessive, and I am not taking it out on Cadance! You're all just too caught up in your wedding planning to notice that maybe there shouldn't even be a wedding!" She ended her rant with a hard enough slam against the table that caused everypony's drink to fall over. With another bitter sigh, Twilight walked away, mumbling to herself.

"Jeez," Rainbow Dash groaned with a roll of her eyes, "Cadance doesn't like a couple things, and suddenly she's an evil witch? I think I know who the off one really is around here."

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity shouted. "I can understand that Twilight's accusations are a bit out of hoof, but there's no need to go and do the same."

"Not exactly an accusation as much as it is just spitting a straight fact."

As the two bickered about the developing situation, Lyon couldn't help but glance back to Twilight, who at this point had becoming increasingly smaller the further away she became, until she disappeared behind a corner.

He sighed, reaching for his drink. Then he forgot it was all over the table.

"I'm gonna go talk to Twilight," he muttered quietly, excusing himself from the table, but judging how Rainbow and Rarity were still arguing as he left, he was sure they didn't even notice he was gone.

Not that he minded, really. They always find something to argue about, it seemed.

---

A few minutes later, Lyon found himself wandering the living halls and opening individual doors trying to find the one Twilight was staying in. On the last try—what were the odds?—he opened her bedroom door, only to find the mare sitting at a desk and writing a series of scribbles and notes in a notebook.

Upon closer inspection, he could see the phrase "EVIDENCE" written on the top of one page in big, bold letters. Even closer, he could see writings related to what she claimed had occurred today. From the hors d'eouvres Cadance threw away, to the supposed intolerant behavior.

"Uh," Lyon hesitated, "Twilight?"

"Uh huh."

"Are... you okay?"

"Uh huh."

Lyon awkwardly looked around the room, trying to figure out what else to say. Anything to break the ice!

"Well... I know it's not much, but if you wanna talk about this whole thing, I'd love to—"

"Lyon, if you haven't found anymore evidence proving Cadance is a lying she-beast, can you do me a favor and not come back until you do? That'd be really great, thanks."

... Ouch.

"... Oh. Uh... okay."

Knowing she seemed far too busy at the moment, Lyon slowly started for the door. Maybe it'd be a better time to come back later, when she's not... this?

"Lyon, wait."

Hoof on the knob, the stallion paused, looking back to her. Twilight had put her pencil down and began walking towards him. Before he could say anything, she embraced him in a warming hug, but didn't let him go so soon.

She sighed, her warm breath cascading down his shoulder, giving him goosebumps.

"I'm sorry," she whispered against his body. "I know something is off about Cadance, I just know it. But that's no excuse for me to treat you like that."

Lyon hugged her back. "It's okay, Twilight. I know you're just worried about your brother."

"Even so, I shouldn't be putting you down over a hunch."

"Well," Lyon pondered with a shrug, "if you're so determined about all this, then... maybe it isn't just a hunch."

Twilight pulled away from her friend. "You think?"

"Not 100%. I never got the chance to see Cadance, but if I did, I'd probably notice something off if you were able to."

His comment earned a faint blush from the unicorn, who departed from him completely and started back for the desk. She said nothing for a moment as she scrolled through the individual pages she had taken out of her notebook. With a scrunch of her cheeks, she put down the papers and sighed.

"What should I do?" she questioned to Lyon, who briefly tapped his chin.

Then he came up with an idea he was surprised hadn't already popped up earlier. "Why don't you talk to Shining Armor? I mean, he is the groom, so I'm sure he'd see it clearer than any of us."

"Of course!" Twilight gasped and flipped around. "He has to have noticed something off at some point!"

At first, Twilight had a hopeful gleam in her eye again. But it didn't take long for the glimmer to fade.

"But he would've said something by now. I would've heard it from Celestia or Luna, or even when him and I were talking earlier today. But he didn't say anything."

"Nothing?"

She shook her head. "So... what do I do then?"

"Just tell him." Lyon walked over to Twilight and placed a hoof firmly on her shoulder. "Talk to him slowly and carefully. Don't let yourself stumble over your words. The way you talk about him, I'm sure he's an understanding guy, yeah?"

Twilight nodded.

"And you're his little sister. You both got enough a bond that he's gotta hear you out and look things over, no matter how ridiculous it might sound. Okay?"

Twilight eyed her notes again, then Lyon. With a smile, she nodded again.

"Okay. I'll go talk to him right now." She embraced the stallion in another warm hug. "Thank you, Lyon. I'm sorry again for snapping at you."

"Don't worry about it, it's totally fine. I would've done the same. I mean, not the "snapping" part, but... you know what I mean."

Giggling, Twilight pulled away and started for the door, Lyon following beside her. On the way down the hall to the exit, Twilight turned to him, not breaking her pace.

"Are you gonna be at the rehearsal tomorrow?"

Lyon sighed. "Nah. I gotta be up and early to train the guards for the fireworks show. A little bit earlier than I wanted because of the little "incident" today, but eh... no big deal."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that. I just wasn't sure if you wanted to talk about it."

"It's fine. It just kinda bugged me a bit, that's all."

"Why?" Twilight tilted her head.

Traitor.

"Uh... I'll tell you later. Probably wouldn't be the best time right now, would it?"

"... You're right," the mare agreed, slinking back just a bit, then returning to her usual posture as she approached the exit doors. "You don't have anywhere to be right now, do you?"

"No. In fact, I think I'm actually gonna turn in for tonight, if that's alright."

"Of course."

"Oh, and um... if you do find out more stuff, you can always wake me up."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't wanna be a bother."

"Nonsense," he persisted, "if something big could be going down, I wanna be able to help however I can—even if that means losing a couple hours of sleep."

Twilight laughed to herself, and with a comforting smile, she exchanged with him a final hug of the evening. This one was just a bit longer than the other two, though Lyon blamed himself for that. She was always so warm!

With that, she stepped out the door and trotted her way to the small home Shining Armor was supposedly staying in. Lyon watched her go until she was once again another blob mixing in with the other passing blobs of the night. Sighing, he shut the giant door and rested his head against the inner side.

He stayed silent for a moment, pondering whether to go out there and catch up with her. But he stopped himself.

"Bad time," he said aloud as he walked back to his room. "Bad time, bad time, bad time."

He passed by two royal guards, keeping their stand in the hallway. He didn't notice them the first time when he and Twilight passed through.

"Yo," he quipped, raising a hoof in a quick salute and clicking his cheek twice. The guards didn't respond to his gesture, nor make any form of movement.

He was in good hooves. Creepy, but good.

Returning to his own bedroom, Lyon flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Immediately, he felt relaxed, and a shiver ran down his spine as a cool breeze washed over him. Eyes closed, he anticipated finally sleeping.

For two hours.

He tossed and turned in his bed, got under the covers, and then pushed them aside. He felt comfortable, but for some reason, he couldn't just get his brain to shut off for the night. It started to frustrate him after a while, and he was sure he was starting to look crazy. Guards were not going to listen to someone that looked like they escaped from an insane asylum!

Would they?

"Why did I even think that?"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. At first, he thought it'd be Twilight, since he did say she could wake him up anytime. And if she was waking him up, that meant—

"Lyon? You awake, sugarcube?" Lyon heard Applejack's familiar accent echo through the polished wood. Plus, she was the only one who actually said "sugarcube."

"Yeah!" he hollered, "one sec!"

Lyon fumbled to get out of the mess that was now his blankets. He eventually was successful, at the cost of planting his face against the ground. Luckily, there was a carpet to break his fall, as opposed to the marble floor beneath it.

Opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of Applejack, who seemed to be not too awful for wear, but still carried small bags under her eyes, and her hat was missing.

"Hey," he greeted her. "You okay?"

But she laughed tiredly. "I'm fine. It's just been a long day, between making the food and trying on a... heh, gown."

"Gown?"

"Eeyup," she smiled. "Cadance hired us to be her bridesmaids. She didn't say why, but hay, I still think it's an honor, gown or no gown!"

"Well, that's... great!" Lyon replied, at a loss for words. But he couldn't help but laugh as he imagined Applejack wearing a gown. "I'm sure you guys'll look nice at the wedding."

Applejack blushed faintly. "Heh. Yeah, I reckon we will."

"I'm sure of it." Lyon nodded his head. "So, uh, is everything okay?"

"Huh?" The farmer looked up at him in brief confusion, only to snap to attention. "Oh, right! Sorry, heh. Yeah, everything's fine and dandy, just... well... You don't mind if I come in for a moment, do ya?"

"Not at all, come on," he insisted, motioning a hoof to allow her inside. Applejack walked into the room, shivering as the air from Lyon closing the door fell on her. "So, whatcha need?"

Immediately, Applejack paused, opening and closing her mouth whenever she seemed ready to talk.

"Well... it ain't something I need, exactly, it's just... I don't know how to say it."

"It's fine," he grinned, "take your time."

The two leaned against the nearby wall for a moment, and Lyon was patient as the seconds ticked on. Applejack would start to say something, and then stop for a second like she was readjusting it in her head. Lyon was okay with that, as he had done the exact same thing in the past.

"So... I really think that... no, no, that ain't it... there's a... ugh, sorry..."

"Applejack." Lyon lifted her chin and looked at her with a calm smile. "Breathe. Take your time."

And all she did was look back at him, her eyes fixated on his for what felt like such a long time. The way her eyes glistened at the right angle, the way she breathed in and out slowly at his request. She swallowed the spit in her mouth and sighed.

"Land sakes, fine. Lyon, I'm... ugh... I like you, alright?"

He recoiled faintly. "... Oh."

Applejack sighed again.

"Yeah. I know, it's probably a big shocker to ya, finding out your boss has a crush on you and all. But I... I don't know, I just... you're just amazing." Lyon said nothing, listening to Applejack as she was able to find her words. "You're a smart cookie, a capable worker, you're funny, and you don't let even the worst thangs in life get you down. You're always there to help no matter what comes at ya, and... well, I know this probably sounds silly, but I... feel safe around you. I don't know if this is the right thing to say right now... but I love you, Lyon."

That look on her face... no longer was there exhaustion, but a sense of bliss.

Lyon was at a loss for words. He had no idea Applejack felt this way for her! And he had been working with her for nearly 5 years now! Those feelings must've been harboring inside her for a while!

"Sugarcube?" she said as the air filled with silence. "You okay?"

"I..." It took a moment for the words to catch up with his throat. "Yeah. I... um..."

The bliss in her eyes started to fade as he hesitated.

"Applejack... I..." Lyon tried to get the words out as best as he could, but he felt himself struggle under a sudden weight that drooped onto his shoulders.

"... You don't feel the same."

The bliss was gone. He saw it.

Her eyes...

Lyon lowered his head. "I'm... sorry... I didn't know that you—"

"I-It's fine, sugarcube. I was going too fast, I didn't think, I..." She laughed to herself, but it was cracked and ragged. "I didn't mean to bother you with this. I was just being dumb."

"No, AJ, I—"

"Don't worry about it," Applejack whispered hastily as she hugged Lyon in almost a half-flanked attempt. Each new word she say sounded more broken than the last. "It ain't a big deal. I should git going now anyway. G... Goodnight."

"AJ, wait," he pleaded to her, wanting her to stay just a bit longer, but she was already gone. Even looking outside the bedroom, Lyon didn't see a trace of Applejack in the hallway. Only the clopping of her hooves against the marble floors could be heard echoing faintly.

Lyon thought about chasing after her. He really did. But deep down, he knew that would only make it worse... make it hurt more. Reluctantly, he closed the door and sat against it, letting himself fall to the floor. Already, he was cursing himself and banging his head against the door softly.

That was when he noticed the wetness against his hoof. And his shoulder. They were tears, still fresh as they soaked into the fur on his hoof. And all he could do was just sit there, unable to move or do anything without the urge to cry.

He had broken her heart.

"Dammit..."

Author's Note:

Sorry that the last chapter was so short, and sorry that this one was super long. Was trying to make sure nothing was resolved or gone through in two lines or something.

Also, sorry for this bit of melodrama, but the intention is to have Applejack's and Lyon's feelings play out throughout the story as it goes on, but it won't be the main conflict.

Hopefully you're enjoying the story so far!

Comments

[Muramasa]

And... if that was the case... Did he even want to tell her he l—

And here I thought this story didn't have a romance tag

I'm digging the vibe so far. Keep it up!

[I Am The Night]

9884585

I knew I was missing something! My bad!

Glad you're liking the story so far!

[Drakuse the Idiot King]

I am quite curious as to where this story is headed. I like it.