Play Date
Chapter 68: Play Date
(Canterlot Mall)
“Ah… the mall.” Rarity crooned as she spun around like a child dancing in a wheat field. While it may not be as glamorous as nature itself, the feeling of the stores always made her feel welcome. “It feels like forever since I last visited this place. I have returned, my home away from home. I’m dying to find out what new designs they have in store. I can’t wait to see what new inspirations and chic that occurred in my absence. Time to get back in the times!”
“I don’t know about you, but I prefer some things to never change.” Applejack followed suit pointing at her favorite store. “Stinky Bottom’s Discount Hat Emporium is still there even after all these years. And so far they haven’t changed their stock.”
Rarity shrugged back. “Eh. I suppose everyone has their own unique taste. Speaking of which. Thank you again for coming with me. While I do enjoy window shopping around this fabulous place, having a friend tag along is always far more enjoyable.”
“No problem Rare. Always happy to help a friend in need. Besides, I need to do a little shopping myself.”
“Then we’ve come to the right place!” She exclaimed. “No more magic, no secret society or shadow monsters. It’s just you, me, and the greatest place mankind has ever invented.”
“I don’t think that’s…”
“Come along now! We don’t have all day.” She pulled the cowgirl through the crowd viewing the many stores along the way. “So what is it you’re looking for, darling? A new dress for the Spring Dance, a new pair of boots to go along with your gown? Oh wait. How about a new vintage hat design to spice things up?”
“Well… I suppose I am looking for something vintage. But it ain’t clothes.” Rarity gave her an ‘Oh’ sound. “There’s a crockery store here that imports some stuff from overseas. The metal they used to fashion their pots and pans makes them highly resistant to fire. Granny owned a set of them back in the day, but she gave them away when my uncle, Green Apple, got hitched. I figured I could use some of that to spruce up my place.”
“Applejack, dear. You already have a magnificent kitchen. I highly doubt another pan will make a difference.”
“True. But I kinda need the extra protection for tomorrow. I uh…” Her face turned a shade of pink. “… I kina promised Flash I’d teach him how to cook.” Rarity’s brain fizzled. “Uh… Rare?”
“Aheh. I’m sorry dear. But… did you say that you’re having… Flash… over?”
“Yup.” She said nonchalantly.
“Will… anyone else be there?”
“Nope. It’ll just be me and him for the whole day.” Rarity’s eye twitched as her friend gave her a suggestive wink. “I got plans for Granny to take the whole family out. I figured now was the best time to try out this whole flirting thing.”
“R… really now? That’s… wonderful.”
“Granny said I should be aggressive if I want him to notice. That… and that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And this little get-together is just the kind of excuse I need to set it up.”
“That’s… a great plan.” Rarity swallowed. “I take it you’re still pining to get closer to him.”
“Well… that’s not what I really want, but yeah. I figured if he and I would ever start to hook up, we’d start there.” Applejack chuckled shyly, which she mimicked the stance of a certain Wallflower in their group. “I know you told me that I should wait a while. But seeing this being our last semester, I thought I’d speed things up a bit.”
“Uh huh. That’s… great. I’m… happy for you.” Though the fashionista’s expression didn’t match her words. AJ quickly caught on that.
“What’s the matter? You still think I’m taking things too fast?”
Too fast? Maybe. I mean this is your first ever crush after all. Applejack has never been a girl who was into romance. In terms of love, one might even say that she was still an innocent soul. A ripened fruit just waiting to be plucked.
Oh… that sounded raunchier than she expected.
Still… if this was a simple love Rarity would’ve supported her friend all the way. She would’ve showed her the ways of seduction, flirting techniques, and all manner of things that would make a girl like her blossom. Applejack would’ve been the Belle of all the balls. Heck, she even knew a few friends who had massive crushes on her. But things were far more complicated than others turn them out to be, and honestly there wasn’t much she could do to remedy them.
For one, there was Pinkie Pie. Her parents were doing the arranged courting session between her and Flash, which was working surprisingly better than anyone expected. If anything, the odds of them really getting together was phenomenal. You’d expect someone like Pinkie would be somewhat harder to date with all of her cute-yet-crazy antics and her explosive personality. But to her amazement that gal was in it for the long run regardless of how much she protests. Either she was easily charmed or this Flash Sentry was really good at this game. Having all that money to fund his endeavors must be really nice.
And secondly, there was Sunset Shimmer. While she and Flash have officially broken up, there have been signs that they might be getting back together. Though that ship hasn’t exactly had a smooth sailing since this whole magical mayhem started.
And then there was Rainbow Dash and her god darn lying spree. One of these days she was gonna cash in those favors.
But what to do…?
If Flash goes for the others, dear old Applejack here will have her very first heartbreak. And honestly that’s never a good feeling to have.
“Rare?”
“Hmm? Oh sorry darling. I was a little deep in thought.”
“I’ll say.” Applejack cocked a brow. “You walked past four discount signs and didn’t even bat an eye.” Did she? Oh she’ll just have to take another tour around the mall later. Can’t miss those discounts. “So what’s the problem? You’ve been acting really weird every time I bring Flash into the conversation. You think I’m being ridiculous?”
“No. Of course not sweetie. It’s perfectly logic for you to give it all for someone you like. It’s just that… all this talk about love has me practically rattled.”
“And why’s that? I thought you’d be thrilled about having these girl talk.” I used to. But she had to find out the hard way that their love life was far more complex than this magical mystery they were solving.
“I do, darling. Honestly I do. But there’s only so much girl talk I can handle.”
“We’ve only done one.” Which was one too many already.
“Anyway, let’s not delve into this. We came to this mall to rest our laurels. Whatever you wish to do, I’ll um… root for you. Just try not to put too much of your energy in this.”
“Will do. Now let’s get that pot before it sells out.”
Absolutely. Anything to change the subject. She’ll allow Applejack to spend a whole hour talking about apples rather than listening to another minute of Flash Sentry.
“Oh hey guys!” A whacky yet strangely familiar voice called out to them as they entered the store, embracing the two of them.
“Pinkie?” AJ recognized her instantly, shaking from the shock. “And… Maud? What are you two doing here? I didn’t think you guys would be interested in old crockeries.”
“We’re not.” It was Maud who responded in the same stoic manner. “We’re actually here to replace some cups that Pinkie broke.”
The bubbly gal giggled back. “I was trying to make a five layered choco berry blasted bun cake. But I discovered the hard way that you need a very special kind of oven to even get close to it to that temperature. Long story short: It exploded. So now we’re here. What about you? Did you blow up your kitchen too?”
“Uh… no. I’m actually here to get some fire resistant pots for tomorrow.”
“Ooooh.” Pinkie crooned knowingly. “Right. You’re teaching Flash how to cook tomorrow. Oh that sounds like fun. Maybe I should come too? Give him some tips on how to bake the perfect cake.”
Rarity bit her lip resisting the urge to make a sarcastic cough.
“That won’t be necessary.” Applejack declined politely. “Your way of cooking is way too advance for someone who’s just starting out.”
“Ooooh. So it’ll just be the two of you huh?” She gave the cowgirl a knowing nudge. “Be careful there. Otherwise your crush might get jealous.”
“Hmrghhhmphh!”
“You ok Rarity?”
“Y… yes darling! I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. Nothing to worry here.”
AJ shrugged back. “Well I wouldn’t worry about him. He’s not the jealous type. Though I could say the same for you.” AJ returned the gesture. “When are we gonna meet this secret date of yours? It’s been months now.”
“Oh pshh. He’s nobody interesting. Just someone my mom and dad introduced. You hardly even know him.”
Rarity began to sweat.
“Really? A rich boy who can take you to a very expensive restaurant? I can name a few.”
“It’s definitely not who you’re thinking.”
AJ challenged. “Wanna bet?”
“Ok!” The fashionista interjected stepping between the two. “It’s really nice catching up with you Pinkie. But Applejack here is in a rush to get those new pots of hers. Why don’t we save this conversation for another time? Preferably never.”
“Oh oh oh! We can pick them together!” Pinkie suggested much to Rarity’s frustration. “I saw this buy two get one free bargain just around the back.”
Pinkie hastily dragged the cowgirl through, ranting on about utensils and pickle barrels. Something Pinkie would say. But as long as they weren’t talking about that blue haired idiot, that was fine.
Goodness gracious. Never in her life did Rarity ever thought that having two of her friends so close together would be as dangerous as rubbing two sticks of dynamites together.
“You seem strangely nerve wracked.”
“Gah! Oh! Maud. I… forgot that you were here. And… yes. You could say that I am a little on edge. Things have gotten a little complicated and way out of my hands.”
“I’ll say.” She agreed. “Having a love triangle like theirs must be exhausting.”
“Tell me about it. I have no idea how this will end.” She paused for a minute. Waited for a few seconds more. And then it hit her. “Wait wha… what?! What are you talking about?”
“About my sister and Applejack having a crush on the same guy.” The stoic girl said plainly like it was the most obvious thing in the universe. “That thing.”
“Wha? I… I mean. No. Well… how would… that is of course…” Rarity went on a tangent for another few minutes, babbling incoherently before her brain finally burned out from the lack of excuses. “Ugh. How long have you known?”
“A while.” She shrugged. “I saw Applejack and Flash during the concert last year. They seemed to hit it off pretty well. Not as well as Pinkie, but pretty well.”
“And… does Pinkie know?”
“About Applejack vying for Flash’s attention? No. Pinkie is a lot of things and oblivious is one of them. She doesn’t suspect a thing.” That was… sort of good, I guess.
“Do you plan to tell her?”
“No.” Oh thank god. “I wouldn’t even know what to say. All I know is that… she likes him – and he doesn’t seem weirded out by her personality. He… makes her happy.” Maud gave out one of smiles which was perhaps rarer than a blue moon itself. “And to me… that’s really all that matters.”
“Oh?” Rarity blinked, caught off guard by the sudden admittance. “Are you saying that you approve of them getting together?”
“Maybe.” Maud pouted. Her eyes glancing sideways before she answered. “Honestly… when mom and dad suggested this, I was a little bit… skeptical. I was supposed to be their first choice, but when I told them that I was with Mudbriar they put Pinkie on the block instead.”
Really now? Can’t really imagine that. Maud and Flash? That’s a dynamic duo you don’t see every day. It would certainly make for an interesting pair – or a disastrous one.
“So… what do you plan to do?”
“Honestly? I have no idea.” The rock gal shrugged a second time. “I didn’t think it would work out between them. I was kind of hoping they wouldn’t be a match and they’d leave it at that. But after their second date. She seems… to smile more often.”
“She does?”
“Yes. Even Boulder here can see it.” The said rock nodded smugly in agreement. “I’d very much like to see them get together. Even if it means hurting one of your friends. At least I’d know she’ll be happy in the long run, and that she’ll be treated well.”
Oh wow. Maud.
That has got to be the most sisterly thing you have ever said. Actually that’s probably the most you’ve ever said in any conversation, ever. Rarity can’t remember the last time she said more than five words in a sentence.
Still… she could totally understand where she’s coming from. Being a big sister herself, Rarity also worries about Sweetie Belle’s future. While she has plenty of friends to guide her, you can’t help but wonder what kind of person she would choose as her special someone.
And she had to agree that Flash was a good catch. Not only was the guy stupidly rich, he was also pleasantly nice to be with. There were worst people for Pinkie to be with. Like that Feather Bang fellow, or god forbid – Cheese Sandwich. Sure those two would make a nice couple. They had almost perfect chemistry with one another. But two party pals living under one roof? I’d feel sorry for all the folks who would be their neighbors.
“What about you?” Maud asked, locking eyes with the fashionista. “Don’t you think it’d be better if Pinkie ended up with Flash instead?” Was she trying to pressure her into supporting her sister? Is that this works?
“Normally I would agree with you, Maud.” Rarity admitted. “I know exactly how you feel. Believe me I do. But sadly, in this case, it’s far too much for me to decide. They’re both my friends. I can’t pick one over the other. Especially when it comes to a touchy subject like love. And as their friend in return, I must remain neutral. I will cheer them on, but I won’t pit them against one another.”
“Hmm… sounds to me like you just don’t want to get involved.” Urk… she hit the head on the nail there. “Well… whatever. I just hope this doesn’t turn into something messy.”
Oh if only the two of them knew.
(House by the hill)
Ah… that was the stuff.
Sunset breathed out a blissful sigh as she got out the bathroom, changed into her PJs. There was nothing better in the world than a nice hot shower after a successful mission. Granted the mission wasn’t really that exciting or dangerous but she was gonna take every little victory she could get. A mission was a mission, and with all the crap they’ve been going through these last few months they were due for an easy win.
Having hot water in the house was also good too. Her old apartment had hot water in spades but the pipes had a habit of freezing over during the winter, and the landlord was a lazy cheapskate who kept putting it off for other ridiculous reasons. She was partially glad she didn’t have to deal with his sleeziness again.
Speaking of landlord. I wonder if Flash would ever come to collect pay. He said that she could stay here for as long as she wanted but a part of her was feeling rather… guilty. She was basically a squatter in everything but name. Heck, they all were.
Don’t get me wrong. The house is great. There was plenty of room for her to go around. Half of which she and her friends hardly even use. The view from this place was to die for, the distance from here to school was only about 10 minutes longer than her old place, and beach down the cliff was bound to be breathtaking when summer hits. Heck it was practically a beachfront property. The price on this location alone would be worth over a million bits back home. Though the ratio for bits and this world’s currency was debatable.
The only problem was, it wasn’t technically hers. At least… not by any legal standards. She didn’t have any bills to pay, no rent to think about. Not that she could pay any of them anyway.
When her whole apartment blew up, everything she ever owned went with it. Not to mention she was about two months behind on her rent. The fact that her old landlord didn’t charge her for it was a miracle.
Piling all that favors, debts and close call encounters, Sunset thought that it was high time she returned the gesture. Any more than this and she’ll be in debt with him till forever.
“What’s gotten you all murky?” Twilight asked as they sat by the dining table.
“Nothing.” She hummed. “I just… realized how comfortable I became, living here. It’s only been two months but it feels… longer.”
“I get what you mean. After the whole thing with Hoity Toity, you feel like this place has become our official home-away-from-home. It’s pretty homey here. I decorations, the view. And don’t even get me started on the location. It’s practically a half-hour drive to Everton Academy. Oh! And the electrical grid here is top notched. The electrical engineer who designed this place really know what they were doing.”
“You’re just saying that because you don’t have to fork over the bill.”
Twilight pouted. “I can say the same about you, Freeloader.” Ouch. That hurt. But not untrue. “Sorry. That came out wrong.”
“Don’t be. You’re right. I am literally just freeloading here until I get back on my feet. Or at least until this whole magical fiasco calms down a bit. I’ll have to go apartment hunting again after this.”
“Oh! I can lend you my brother’s binder. It still has all the cool locations. It’s a little bit on the pricey side but I’m sure there’s something in there that can suit your taste.”
That didn’t sound too bad. “I might just take you up on that offer. Which comes to my next problem.” Twilight raised a curious look which prompted her to continue. “I wanna thank Flash for everything he’s done for me. Show him that I really appreciate everything he’s given. All the help he’s done, the house… and so much more.”
“That sounds reasonable. What do you plan to get him?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know.” Sunset groaned, hands cupping her chin. “I was thinking about getting him a gift but…”
“You have absolutely no idea what to get him?”
“Exactly! What do I even get a guy who literally has a movie theater in his own house?”
Twilight pondered in thought. “Well… what did you used to get him back then? I mean… you two used to date, right?”
Her expression soured greatly. “And you remember that I wasn’t exactly the ideal girlfriend, right?”
“Oh… right.” Twilight again went into a deep thought and put out her two bits on the table. “How about a new guitar?”
“He can buy a hundred of those.”
“A new pair of shoes?”
“Have you seen his collection?”
“A private cruise trip?”
“He can buy the whole cruise ship and its crew.”
“Then I’m stumped.”
“Precisely.” Sunset sprawled on the table groaning on the maple wood surface. “Anything I get him, he could probably get a dozen or more all by himself. What do you get a guy who has everything?”
“MONEY!” Another voice answered bombastically, smashing a tray of food onto the table which startled them. “Sorry. I couldn’t help but overhear. And to answer your question, money is normally the solution. If you don’t know what to get someone, just give them money and let them decide. That’s what I normally tell my sister anyway - after she got me my favorite blouse with the wrong size for the fifth time. You can never go wrong with a few rolls of 20s in your hand.”
“Thanks Ms. Luna. But I don’t think money is gonna cut it with Flash. Not while he has more than he knows what to do with. We want this gift to be special.”
“Oh Sunset. You two are way~ overthinking this whole appreciation thing. I’m sure Flash will cherish whatever you give him. He’s your friend after all.”
“Appreciation is nice and all.” Twilight agreed. “But we really want to show that we’re grateful for everything he’s done. Sure there has to be something we can do that can show him that we care.”
“Well you could dress in…” Luna froze, her face turning a shade red. “Ahem. No. Never mind.”
“What? What is it?”
“It’s nothing. Just my wild imagination catching up to me. A little bit of my college days resurfacing.” She waved it off chuckling like some kind of pervert, hiding it behind her hands. “Now eat up. We had a long day today and you all need a good meal to get your strength back.”
The two girls relatively agreed. They could all use a little meal after a long day. But when they picked up their spoons, their bodies froze up in synch when they noticed the green goopy substance that sat in front of them.
What was that thing? It looked like something that came out of the swamp. Not only that but it smelled absolutely horrifying. The whole plate was covered from all edges with leafy, bobbly marsh. They can spot some chopped vegetables and mushrooms hidden within but they were all slowly sinking into the deep dark void of the porridge, never to be seen again.
“Uh… Ms. Luna.” Twilight dread to ask. “What is this… exactly?”
“Hmm? Oh this is something I used to make when I was back in college. It’s my very own recipe. Luna’s power-egg-cheese-salad!”
Egg cheese salad? Really? Well… I can see the salad everywhere, but… where’s the egg? Or the cheese for that matter? Did it get lost in the cooking or were they put on the side?
“Don’t you worry. I guarantee that it tastes a lot better than it looks.” And the fact that she’s actually eating it herself fortified her statement.
Sunset looked up to her friend on the other side of the table and sent a worrying message. Twilight didn’t seem that convinced but decided give it a shot as to not be disrespectful. With a little courage she got a spoonful of that green slimy goop, which seems to become even soggier as it separated from the main body, and chucked it into her mouth.
The poor girl didn’t even get to the first chew when her face turned pale as a ghost. She choked as the sludge worked through her teeth stopping just beyond her throat. Her face went through a mixture of expressions as sweat dripped down from her forehead. She looked like she was about ready to give up on life itself and toss her body down the cliff.
“See?” Luna said proudly. “I told you it was good.”
Twilight smashed her face on the table, hands twitiching madly before falling on the surface, her finger tracing a dying message.
‘Death comes for you’ is what she wrote with her exaggerated dying gasp. Or at least that’s what she think she wrote. You can’t really tell with the splotchy handwriting.
“Uh… y… yummy.” Sunset gulped, as she dipped her spoon into the sludge which made a very audible ‘Plop’ noise. “Can’t wait.”
Oh Celestia. She needed an out. An excuse. Anything really.
Maybe she can pretend to have a stomach ache? No that won’t work. Maybe she wasn’t hungry? How about she stabbed herself with her own fork just to get out of it?
Sunset glanced around looking for her salvation. And luckily for her… it came right above the fireplace.
“Say, Ms. Luna. You’ve known Flash’s dad from before. Right?”
Luna chewed. “You mean Sombra? Of course. He, my sister, and I were friends since we were teenagers. Why?”
“Does that also mean you knew Flash’s mom too?”
“Flash’s m—you mean Sophie?” Luna’s face turned curious. “Well… yes. I suppose I do. We went to the same college back in the day. Why?”
“It gave me an idea.” She reasoned. “And honestly I’ve been a little curious about her.”
“Oh me too.” Twilight added, miraculously recovering from her food poisoning. “She has a staggering collection of books I’ve never seen before. Many of them are somewhat related to magic.”
The woman paused like she had just been asked her age. There was a small array of expression twisting on her face which seemed neither upsetting nor pleasing. But you could tell that something was stirring up inside of her. Luna shifted by uncomfortably, her brain spinning around like she was thinking of an excuse not to answer. But sadly none came, and she slowly but obviously turned her attention to the large portrait above the fireplace.
“Well. I don’t normally speak ill of others but… I suppose I can make an exception.” She paused for a second to let the words sink in. “Sophie was… in a lack of a better term: An oddball.” That was unexpectedly blunt. “When I first met her, she struck me as someone who never really fit in anywhere. She had the most unusual hobbies. Collecting strange books, weird looking antiques, she even goes exploring the far off places for weeks without anyone knowing.”
“So she was an archeologist?”
“Mmm… more like an explorer.” She laughed. “She’d go on these wild adventures every summer vacation and journey to the most remote location she could find. That’s how she roped Sombra onto her. We hung out plenty of times back when we were in college. She quickly became one of my best friends.”
“She sounds like a handful.” Twilight snickered to which she did not disagree.
“Oh you have no idea. One time she even roped Cranky Doodle and Matilda to join her on this expedition on the canyons of the Ghastly Gorge. It was perhaps the most horrifying experience we ever had. But it got those two together so we didn’t seem to mind it. It was such a romantic moment.” Luna let out a wistful sigh. “Years later. After we all graduated, she and Sombra got married and they settled down here. As far as I know, they lived a pretty happy life.”
It would’ve sounded like a good ending to a story, had they not know the ending.
“So… what happened to her?”
Luna’s expression darkened a tad bit. “I’m afraid you’ll have to ask Sombra yourself. Though I highly doubt you’ll be able to get an answer out of him. It’s a very touchy subject for the man. All I know is that… right after Flash was born, something happened to her.”
“Something?” Sunset inquired. “What kind of something?”
“I’m not sure. He never specified what happened. He just said that she was gone. And… we would never see her again.”
That’s… rather suspicious if Sunset was being honest. For someone to just disappear without a trace? It had all the hallmarks of a mystery.
“Sorry Ms. Luna.”
“Don’t be.” She waved it off. “It was nice to reminisce about the good old days.” She paused briefly and coughed into her hand. “Umm… I mean… the better days. I’m clearly not that old to have such memories. Ahem.”
“Sure Ms. Luna. Whatever you say.” Sunset giggled under her breath before pausing to stare back at the goop before her. That little conversation brought her some time, hoping that it would somehow magically disappear on its own. But no. Instead, the green goop just seem to have gotten worse. Even the odor alone was putrid enough for one to desire to lose all sense of smell.
“You should really eat it before it gets cold.”
“Yeah… sure.” Sunset turned over to her friend once more who twitched her eye sending a deathly Morse code.
They would unanimously breathe a sigh of relief when the doorbell rang.
Thank Celestia.
“I got it!” Twilight volunteered almost immediately just to get away from the table. She practically ran to the door hoping to escape the dreaded meal. “Hey Flash. Great timing. Come on in.” More like perfect timing.
“Hey guys. Sorry I’m late. I had to stop by and grab pizza on the way here.” Flash Sentry, you beautiful lifesaving genius! “Ugh… what’s that smell?
(Equestria) (Portal Room)
Starlight grunted and huffed, pacing around the room like mother who was waiting for his children, whom she told that they couldn’t go to that concert so late at night, to return. She was livid. Perhaps even furious.
“I can’t believe those two! Going off on an adventure without me? What were they thinking!?” Standing a good distance from her was Princess Luna who was flanked by two members of the royal guards, who had the same attitude, though for an entirely different reason. “Just you wait. When I get my hooves on those two ponies they’ll regret it! They’ll be working overtime without pay for the rest of the year! I’ll chain them to their offices! That’ll teach them to just leave me behind!”
The moon pony coughed. “Starlight. I understand your predicament…”
“Oh no. I’m not giving them leeway this time. Trixie I can understand. She’s always been a pony who does things her way. But Sunburst? We’re supposed to be best of friends! Why did he have to lie to me!? You’re not supposed to keep things or trick me into getting your way! ARGHHH!!” She paused after her rant. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to yell so loudly. I must look like a total idiot right now.”
“Oh not at all.” She replied with regality catching the purple pony almost completely by surprise. “I find your anger completely justified and your punishment to be completely within your right. Though I would prefer if we kept them on probation instead, with tracking collars of course.”
“You mean… you don’t think I was being too harsh?”
“Absolutely not. In fact, I was expecting you to be quite lenient seeing as they’re your friends.”
“Well friends don’t exactly lie on your vacation letters and go on dangerous trips.”
“Perhaps I could offer you some extra suggestions on their punishment?”
Starlight couldn’t help but chuckle. “Thanks. For a moment there, I thought I was getting too emotional.”
“Oh believe me. I know exactly how you feel. My sister once did the same thing to me a long while ago. She visited another world and left the realm for a whole week without anyone noticing. Luckily for her, I was around to pick up the slack. It was quite a slog trying to keep the image.”
“Really? When did this happen?”
“A while back.” She brushed her hoof off. “It’s a long story. Best told after a good cup of tea. But I’ll let you know that it does with a… happy ending. Oh?” Her eyes brightened when she noted the portal sudden reacting. “And here he comes. I do hope you have a harsh lecture ready. They’ll need a good scolding after putting our worlds in danger.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve learned from the best when it comes to lecturing ponies.” Starlight quickly put up a sore expression when she recognized the blue mane coming through. “Well~~. Look who decided to show up after all this time? I do hope you’re ready for a good day’s punishment. Because you’re…”
But all that anger quickly went out the window when Trixie dropped to the ground with a loud thud, her mane covered in scratches and scars.
Starlight gasped and rushed to her friend’s battered body, cradling her in her hooves. “Trixie! No! I didn’t mean it! I take it back! I take it back! Wake up!”
“Starlight! Look out!”
Confusion and fear gripped her body when the portal suddenly began to react again. Something else was coming through the swirling torrent of magic. Something big and bold.
A claw three times the size of any pony made of fiery shadow tore through the fabric of time and space thrashing madly like an untamed animal. Several other portal mirrors fell from their stands as well as decorations and other ornaments. Starlight conjured a shield above her just in time to block a blow from the hand.
“Guards! Contain that thing!” The two unicorns in armor rushed as ordered tossing magical bolts. But it only seemed to agitate the beast even further.
The arm forced itself through even further, showing a full limb this time. Expanding its flaming figure for all to see. It looked some kind of monster trying to fit through a hole that was obviously not big enough for its massive size. But it didn’t seem to care and continued to squeeze its way in, disregarding any damage to the room or itself.
“GUARDS! Get in here, now!” Luna commanded with her age old voice summoning a battalion of castle guards to reinforce them. But they could do little against such bestial wrath.
The claw continued to thrash itself around the room, tearing through everything and anything it could reach. The guards did their best to rein in it, but they were clearly outmatched. It cut through their formation with a single swipe, and any magical attacks thrown at it were simply absorbed or ignored completely.
“Alright. That’s it!” Putting her hoof down, the Princess of the stars flew in. “I don’t know what you are or who you are. But no one thrashes my home but me. By my authority as Princess. You will cease and desist immediately!” Unsurprisingly, the claw didn’t respond well – or perhaps it didn’t really care, and continued to thrash around the room like before making a complete mess of the place. “Very well. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
With a deep breath, she fired a powerful bolt of energy from her horn hitting the claw directly on its joints. It exploded into a puff of smoke filling the place up with dirt and debris.
Starlight kept her shield up and the royal guards kept vigil but the attack seemed to have stopped the monster on its track.
“Is it over?”
“It is.” Luna confirmed it looking rather weakened herself. “I haven’t used such magic since we trapped those three villains in stone. Perhaps I shouldn’t have transferred all my celestial power to Twilight.” But she quickly regained composure and barked out commands. “You there. Get some pegasi here to clean up this smoke. And the rest of you, put that fire out. I’m going to find out who is responsible for this fiasco!” She then joined Starlight who cradled over her blue friend. “How is she?”
“She’s breathing. But she’s hurt bad.” That was an understatement. The poor unicorn was moaning achingly.
“Someone get a healer from the castle now! And where in Tartarus is that orange unicorn? He has a lot to answer for this mess!”
He really did.
What on Equestria did Sunburst and Trixie find in that…
“Princess, lookout!” Starlight tried to warn but it was too little, too late.
The claw thrust from the smoke and grabbed Luna. She gasped and choke, retaliating with another bolt of magic. But this time it had little effect.
“Release me at once you knave!” She demanded.
And this time, to everyone’s terror, it answered.
“Ahhh… magic.” It rang deeply like an echo of something horrifying. “True… Equestrian… Magic.”
“Wha…?” Luna gasped before realizing she was being pulled in.
“Hey!” Starlight quickly dropped her shield and raced forward using a roping spell to pull the princess back. “Help her!” The royal guards followed suit, the pegasi battalion rushing to the claw, prying its fingers away from the princess but to no avail. A dark laugh could be heard coming from the other side of the portal, mocking their feeble efforts.
“An Alicorn?” It asked. “No. Not the one. But… a meal all the same.” And then suddenly, with a hollowing cry, the claw began to funnel magic from the princess draining her of all that she was.
“Princess Luna!” Starlight pleaded. Begged, and pulled with all her strength. But it was simply not enough. The monster was simply too strong for any of them.
But then, out of desperation she heard a cry. A familiar voice shouting from across the world.
“No!”
Sunburst?
A sound of glass breaking echoed, silencing everyone in the room. The claw release its grip on the princess dropping her and allowing several pegasi to whisk her away.
“WHAT? What is this!?” The voice cried out. “No! No no no no no! You cannot…” It was cut off a moment later just as the mirror portal cracked. The claw tried to keep itself gripped on this side, but the force that pulled it back was greater. You could feel resentment and frustrating anger coming from its actions. It thrashed around some more trying to find something to grip. But nothing could hold it in. The arm would be swallowed back into the mirror before shattering to pieces.
Silence would fill the room leaving nothing but a trail of destruction in the wake.
What just happened?
Who was that?
And…… where’s Sunburst?
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Oh you sly dog. You didn't think I'd figure it out, did you. But I know what twist you're planning now. Bravo.
I was wondering when the girls would start to realize that they all have been developing crushes on Flash. I wonder how they are all gonna take it?
Good to hear you got your first vaccination shot. Fair warning though, the second one is the one that really gets you afterwards.
Geez... whiz...
Wow, I'm actually speechless over what pinkie did actually.
That's exactly what I think is going on with rarity as well maud.
If they found out it'll make things worse. Especially with their friendship too. 😰
Let's hope that won't have to happen. 🤞
Pinkie deserves cheese sandwich over flash any day.
I hope flash tells her the truth what he did in regards to her apartment sooner than later. 🤞
Or tell your friends that once this magic problem is done with she's going back to equestria and sadly not coming back. I hope she hasn't forgotten that starswirl told her that.
That sounds.... disgusting.
🤢
Maybe they might learn about in the future if they encounter sombra and ask him about it.
Well at least they won't have to deal with that terrible dish Luna made.
Those last parts sound too wrong or dark to do to them starlight.
Wait, those exist in equestria?
He's trapped on the other side of the portal! He's stuck there with no way back!!!
Now we wait until the harem starts
Ah, so the girls still haven't figured out how to properly thank Flash for all he's been doing for them yet? Not to worry. By the time this whole adventure is done, I'm sure they'll know the right gift for someone like him.