Chapter IX: Kiss Of Judas
Several weeks had passed by since I’d made my marriage proposal to Flutters and all of my friends were happy to find out that the curse had been broken as well as my body having returned back to normal, congratulations abundant all around. In that time, there’d been a fair amount of preparations that needed to be made for our upcoming wedding set to take place at Canterlot Palace. Rarity was hard at work making my suit and Fluttershy’s dress, Pinkie Pie was in charge of planning the party for afterwards, Applejack was handling the catering, I’d asked for Rainbow Dash to be my best mare, and Princess Twilight would be officiating the actual ceremony itself, which was set for a few weeks before Hearts And Hooves Day.
On this day in particular, I was reminded of an entirely different proposal that I had for Twilight since about the same time that the curse had originally been cast. Making my way towards her palace in Canterlot, it was a rather pleasant day as Winter was nearing its end. Ponies were already beginning preparations for Winter Wrap Up, only a couple of days away.
It was during this flight towards Canterlot Palace that I was thinking of my proposal to Twilight and how she might take it. The proposal itself was an unusual one that I thought would most definitely be met with some opposition. However, deep down in my heart, I felt that it was the right thing to do. I weighed very heavily how I would go about wording the proposal when I finally made it to the princess. Before too much longer, I’d finally reached the establishment and came in for a landing whereupon I was met by Gallus at the front door.
“Hey, David,” he greeted. “Congrats on the proposal.”
“Thanks, Gallus,” I answered with a smile. “Is Twilight here by any chance? There’s somethin’ really important Ah need ta talk with her ‘bout.”
“Yes she is. If you want, I can take you right to her.”
“That would be greatly appreciated.”
“No problem,” he replied as he led me through the doors into the palace.
During the long walk from the entrance towards Twilight’s throne room, I decided to strike up a conversation with Gallus to pass the time.
“So Gallus, have you ‘n Silverstream finally gotten married in tha time since Ah was las’ here?”
“Yes actually. We were married about a month to a month and a half before you just now came back.”
“How’ve ya been enjoyin’ married life thus far?”
“It’s pretty good. Definitely an adjustment, but one that I think is ultimately worth it in the end.”
“Ah felt pretty similarly when Ah was still married ta Savannah before her murder all those years ago. Ah’m jus hopin’ ‘n prayin’ that Ah’ll be able ta have an even longer life ta enjoy with ma beautiful Flutters.”
“I’m sure you will as well as having a life with just as much happiness as your marriage to Savannah had supplied.”
“Thanks Gallus.”
It was in that moment that we realized that we’d finally made it to the throne room. Reaching the doors, Gallus opened one of them to announce me to Twilight.
“Excuse me, Your Majesty. David is here to see you.”
“Thank you, Gallus,” I heard Twilight’s voice from the other side. “Please send him in.”
Gallus then stepped aside to allow me to enter the room before closing the door behind me. Making my way towards the throne, I saw Twilight sitting there with Spike at her side.
“Hello, David,” Twilight greeted, getting up to hug me. “How are you doing today?”
“Pretty good,” I answered, accepting her hug. “Lot o’ weddin’ preparations ta go through. Me ‘n Fluttershy have been busy workin’ on writin’ out our own marriage vows fer tha ceremony. Ah’ve nearly gotten mine done.”
“That’s good to hear,” Spike spoke up.
“So what brings you to the palace today?” Twilight posed the question. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah. Everythin’s good. Ah jus’ had somethin’ that Ah needed ta touch base with ya on, somethin’ Ah’d been meanin’ ta bring up after ma proposal ta Fluttershy, but tha curse cast on us got in tha way.”
Twilight’s eyes lit up with the spark of realization at what I was talking about.
“Right. You’d mentioned that before when you were here previously trying to figure out what had happened to Fluttershy. What exactly did you intend to propose?”
“Well,” I began, “Ah was gonna suggest… that Ah be allowed ta… release Tirek, Chrysalis, ‘n Cozy Glow from their… stony imprisonment… ‘n send ‘em ta Tartarus instead.”
Twilight stared at me for several seconds, apparently trying to process this proposition that I’d made. Finally, she answered.
“Why would we move them from one imprisonment to another? Especially when their current imprisonment is perfectly fine?”
“With all due respect, princess, Ah personally don’ feel it’s right fer ‘em ta be placed in stony triple solitary confinement like that when what they did wasn’t entirely their fault.”
“Whachu talkin’ ‘bout?!?” Spike questioned, incredulously.
I took a deep breath before finally making my case.
“Yes, what they did was wrong. There’s absolutely no denyin’ that, but Ah believe that Discord is tha one who’s far more at fault here. Chrysalis was alone in tha Everfree Forest slowly losin’ her sanity, Tirek ‘n Cozy Glow were locked away in Tartarus, ‘n, on a similar note, Sombra was already dead. All these villains were not in a position where they could’ve caused any harm ta anypony. However, Discord as Grogar not only brought all of ‘em together, but set tha idea in their minds of attackin’ you guys ta begin with.
“None of ‘em were able ta really do anythin’ before Discord united ‘em tha way he did. Not ta mention, what Ah personally find ta be tha most messed up, after all this bullshit that Discord pulled with settin’ up their attack on you guys, he got ta decide what their punishment was. Ah can’t be tha only one ta see how messed up that is, right? That’s like tha ‘quivalent o’ me tellin one o’ ma friends ta commit a crime ‘n then lettin’ them take tha fall fer it, all tha while denyin’ any responsibility o’ ma own fer even puttin’ tha idea in said friend’s head.
“Ma point is Ah’m not tha kind o’ person who can jus’ stand by idly when Ah see injustices like this in tha world. It’s never been in ma nature. Yes, these individuals are evil ‘n yes, they did some terrible things. Ah’m not tryna diminish that. But Discord had no place ta decide their punishment when it’s all because o’ him that they were brought together, set on this destructive path, ‘n nearly put all o’ Equestria in jeopardy. If Ah couldn’t let injustices like this happen in ma world when Ah was jus’ an average boy, how much moreso must Ah be willin’ ta practice that same mindset as a prince in this world?”
After stating my case to Twilight and Spike, there were several seconds of silence between us, seemingly as the 2 of them tried to process what I’d just said. Finally, Twilight broke the silence.
“Well, now that you put it that way, in retrospect, I’m able to see how messed up it is that Discord purposefully brought that upon them, even though they are clearly evil. That being said, if you put them in Tartarus, won’t it just be possible for them to be broken out again? Discord’s magic that he used to summon Tirek and Cozy Glow from Tartarus is still out there.”
“That’s why Ah only plan on placin’ ‘em back in there after said magic has been destroyed. When Ah make sure that that magic no longer exists, they’ll never be able ta get broken out o’ there again.”
Twilight then cleared her throat before replying.
“In that case, I grant your request to have them placed in Tartarus on one condition: they are to be placed there when, and only when, you’ve made thoroughly sure that the magic used to summon them is permanently gone.”
“On ma honor,” I answered, crossing my right arm over my chest and bowing before continuing. “Now Ah really mus’ be goin’ ta make sure Ah’ve got all tha weddin’ plans taken care of. Tha weddin’ itself is only a few days away.”
“Well we certainly won’t keep you from that,” Spike smiled.
“Thanks fer yer time, Twilight.”
“You’re quite welcome, David. See you at the wedding if not sooner.”
“Yup. See ya guys later.”
And with that, I turned around and left the throne room, making my way back to my house as quickly as I could. As I headed back, I was greatly relieved at how well that meeting with Twilight had gone. I’d presented my case well enough and she was quite understanding of my reasoning behind all I’d said. With all that off my chest, I looked forward to mine and Fluttershy’s upcoming marriage in the coming days. What I didn’t know at the time was that life was about to throw me yet another curveball that would threaten our very future together.
* * * * * * * *
A couple of days later, it was time for Winter Wrap Up. This was my first time ever taking part in the day (hell it was the first time that I’d ever been to Ponyville during the Winter time in general) and, as such, I was determined to do the best that I could to help out. It also served as a brief, yet pleasant, reprieve from all the wedding planning, the wedding itself only a day away by this point.
As this was my first Winter Wrap Up I’d ever taken part in, I wasn’t immediately sure what group I’d be put in. I did remember from past viewings of their show that these ponies were completely dead set against using any kind of magic for the whole wrapping up process and so I was committed to honoring their wishes. Still, I guessed that I would have to check with Apple Bloom, who had become the new mayor in the time between when I’d first returned to Equestria after several long years and this most recent return, to see which group she thought I’d fit best in.
Waking up with a start, I was eager to get down to the Town Square and help out with Winter Wrap Up in whatever way I could. Heading immediately out the door, I reached the Town Square in almost no time at all where a large crowd had gathered pretty quickly. Something I was quick to notice upon arrival was the fact that Winter Wrap Up didn’t seem to be a “pony exclusive” kind of event any more as there were several other creatures gathered in the square to help out.
Looking through the crowd that had assembled there, I finally spotted Fluttershy at the very front, facing the entire crowd, along with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Mayor Apple Bloom. As I recalled from the Season 1 episode on Winter Wrap Up I’d watched what felt like an eternity ago, there were 3 main groups that everypony was broken into: 1 group handled weather, 1 group cleared the ground, and 1 group helped out with waking up all the animals who’d been hibernating over the course of winter. From what I’d observed, it would appear that Rainbow, AJ, and Flutters were the respective leaders of each individual group.
Standing well above most of the assembly gathered there, I made a quick wave to Fluttershy which she noticed and reciprocated with a smile. Before too much longer, Mayor Apple Bloom finally spoke up.
“Howdy everycreature ‘n thank y’all fer comin’ out today ta help out with Winter Wrap Up this year. Looks like we’ve got yet another solid turnout as well as havin’ a relative newcomer ta tha wrap up this time ‘round. Please give a warm welcome ta Equestria’s very own local hero, Dayvid.”
No sooner had she finished speaking when I was greeted with a loud cacophony of clapping from hooves, paws, and claws all around me. It had been quite a while since I’d gotten this level of attention from a group so large and it was kind of a lot to take in at once. Soon, the applause died down as the mayor continued.
“With tha ‘mount of able bodied workers we have here today, we should be able ta get Winter Wrap Up done in no time at all like tha past several years. Now since tha previous years have gone soo smoothly with every creature here, all o’ y’all’ll be stickin’ ta tha groups ya were assigned in tha past. As fer Dayvid, he’ll be assigned ta tha Creature Wake-Up group, led by Fluttershy. Now let’s get on out there ‘n have another successful Winter Wrap Up this year!”
I couldn’t help but let a smile cross my face at the news that I’d been grouped up with Fluttershy’s crew. Not just because I’d get to spend time with the beautiful mare who’d become my wife in just one short day, though that was definitely a bonus, but also because I’d get to be waking up all the animals which was easily very agreeable for me considering my love for animals. I then made my way over to Fluttershy along with various other individuals who I only knew a few of them from previous run-ins.
“Hey Flutters,” I greeted her with a quick kiss upon reaching her, much to the enjoyment of the adoring public gathered around us.
“Hey handsome,” she followed up. “Glad you were able to make it today.”
“Hey. Ah’m more than willin’ ta help out.”
Fluttershy then gave me a quick smile before addressing the rest of our group.
“Alright everycreature. This is my very close friend and future husband David who some of you might already know of. As this is his first time taking part in Winter Wrap Up, I hope that you’ll all be welcoming to him and willing to help him out if he has any problems. Generally, he can pick up things quite quickly, but please be patient with him as he’s still learning.”
I truly did appreciate Fluttershy looking out for me in this way. In all the time that we’d known each other, she’d grown to be much more understanding of all my little idiosyncrasies that came with my condition. Whenever I was learning something new, it might take a fair amount of explanation for me to understand how to do it, but once it was explained well enough, I could complete pretty much any task that was put before me with very little problems. Not everyone I’d come across in the past was fully understanding of that fact which made it all the more special to me that my future bride had that level of patience with me and I cherished moments like that.
After our group, which included Ocellus, Sweetie Drops, Silverstream, even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon among others (the latter 2 I found a little surprising to be in this group), had received our instructions from Fluttershy on how to go about waking up all the animals, we split up into different sections and swiftly got to work. Even Mayor Apple Bloom’s husband, Tender Taps, was there to help out. It wasn’t too much longer before I got the hang of how to best go about waking them all up, Fluttershy and the others helping to serve as guides for me throughout the whole process. Once I knew what was expected of me, I began making great progress with waking up all the animals from bunnies to snakes to skunks to otters and even squirrels.
Before we knew it, a few hours had passed by and we were completely done. Not only our group, but the other 2 had gotten their work done in record time also. Having completed our tasks, all of us met back up at the Town Square where Apple Bloom was waiting.
“Well, y’all,” she began, “Ah’m happy ta say that it looks like we’ve had another great record year fer Winter Wrap Up. All o’ y’all should be proud o’ tha work ya got done today ‘n in such a swift amount o’ time. Give yerselves a round of applause.”
None of us needed to be told twice as we all began cheering for all the hard work we’d been able to get done in the time we’d had. I turned towards Fluttershy who was standing right by my side and the two of us shared a smile, both of us happy that my first Winter Wrap Up had managed to go as smoothly as it had.
However that wasn’t the only thought that lingered on my mind in that moment. It also occurred to me that this was the last day before our wedding. Just one more day and we’d finally be united for life as man and mare. As the crowd began to disperse and go their separate ways, I was reminded that I still needed to go by Rarity’s to try on the suit she’d gone through the trouble of putting together for mine and Fluttershy’s wedding. I didn’t know what she’d put together for me to wear, but, while making the short trip over to her boutique, I had no doubt in my mind that whatever it was would be absolutely perfect.
* * * * * * * *
Making my way over towards the Carousel Boutique, I was eagerly looking forward to seeing what Rarity had come up with as far as my wedding outfit was concerned. It was during this time that I thought back to several months earlier when she’d designed my getup for the Grand Galloping Gala and how absolutely stunning the piece was. I had no doubt that Rarity was definitely a master of her craft, yet even I found myself amazed by what she could come up with when it came to fashion, fashions that I certainly never would’ve thought of at first.
Finally reaching the boutique, I knocked out my familiar greeting upon the front door.
Tap. Tap. Taptap Tap.
After several seconds of waiting outside and receiving no answer, the thought suddenly occurred to me that it was quite possible that Rarity wasn’t there as she herself had most likely been busy helping out with Winter Wrap Up like I had. With this realization in mind, I turned to walk away, thinking that I could always try coming by again at a later time in the day rather than the alternatives of either waiting there for however long it took or hunting Rarity down. The latter option especially could come across as way too stalker-y. As I turned to leave, however, there was Rarity approaching me.
“Why hello, David,” she pleasantly greeted me. “Here to pick up your outfit for the big day tomorrow?”
“Ya know it, Rare,” I smiled back at her.
“Well let me just open the shop back up and I’ll show you what I’ve got put together.”
As I stepped aside to allow more room for Rarity to navigate, she unlocked the front door before opening it up to grant us entrance into the establishment, Rarity herself leading me over towards a small stage that was obscured by a large curtain. Much like when I’d been there to pick up my Gala outfit, I could only guess that my wedding suit was behind that very same curtain this time around. Sure enough, Rarity made her way over towards the stage before using her magic to grip a pull rope.
“Are you ready to see your new outfit?” Rarity posed the question.
“As ready as Ah’ll ever be,” I answered.
And with that, Rarity pulled the rope and the curtain parted to reveal my wedding suit. Worn by a full size mannequin at the time, the suit coat itself was of the darkest black, matching my hair quite well, accented with bright, gold buttons and equally golden epaulets adorning each shoulder. The pants were of an equal black to the suit coat while also having a gold stripe racing down the outside of each leg. Finally, perched atop the mannequin’s head was a high silk hat, almost reminding me of the hat the villainous Dr. Facilier wore in The Princess And The Frog. The main differences between the 2 hats was that mine didn’t have a skull and crossbones design on it, there was no feather on mine, and my hat had a wide, gold ribbon wrapped around the hat just above the brim instead of the red one Dr. Facilier had on his own hat.
“While it’s more traditional for the stallion to wear the usual black suit,” Rarity began, “I was looking to go with something that stood out while still remaining true to that ideal. It was during this time that I got the idea of using gold in minimal doses to accent the piece as a whole, knowing that the gold color would go great with your blue wings and blue pony ears. As for the epaulets and top hat, the former is to symbolize the role you’ve played as our protector/soldier in the past as well as into the future and the latter is to symbolize your nature as a true gentlecolt- er… gentleman.
“In summary, those 2 parts of the piece in particular would be reflective of the dual sides of who you are: both a Lover and a Fighter. I hope you like it.”
I then turned to Rarity with a smile plastered across my face, eyes watering with emotion before finally speaking back up.
“Rare? Ya’ve absolutely outdone yerself this time. Ah… Ah’m at a loss fer words right now.”
“You… you really do like it?” she posed the question.
“Like it? With a piece as beautiful as this is, likin’ it isn’t even scratchin’ tha surface o’ how Ah feel ‘bout it!”
Now was the time for Rarity to start tearing up as I knelt down to her level to hug her gently.
“If only you knew how much your words of appreciation mean to me.”
“Ah think Ah’ve got a basic idea,” I replied, pulling out of the hug. “You ‘n Ah are both artisans at heart ‘n, as such, when we put a fair amount of effort inta our projects, we have that same level of insecurity, fearing that others might not appreciate that time ‘n effort we’ve put inta tha final product. Ah’m pretty sure that all of us creatives deal with that self-doubt on a regular basis ‘n there’s really no way that it’s ever gonna leave us.”
“You’re certainly quite right about that, darling. Would you like to try it on now?” she questioned.
“Oh yeah. Definitely.”
“I’ll give you some privacy behind that curtain while you change.”
“No need fer that, Rare.”
“Whatever do you mean by that?”
I answered her with a quick snap of my fingers. In that simple motion, the full suit suddenly appeared on my body with the clothes that I’d been wearing before now on the mannequin. Needless to say, Rarity was shocked at what she’d just witnessed.
“Sweet mother of Celestia and Luna! David, where did you ever learn that kind of magic?”
“Starlight’s been a wonderful teacher ever since tha las’ time Ah visited y’all ‘n Ah’ve picked up quite a few new tricks from her in that time.”
Walking around in my wedding suit, it was quite comfortable, reminding me of the suit Rarity had made me for the Grand Galloping Gala last Summer. However, this suit somehow felt even lighter than my gala outfit.
“It’s absolutely perfect, Rare.”
“Happy to hear that, David.”
I then pulled out a sizable Emerald as payment for my suit before passing it over to her. When I’d brought up payment previously upon hiring her to make my suit, she didn’t want to hear anything about it, but I was persistent as I felt that not paying for it would go against my integrity and she finally gave in, but only on the condition that it be a single gemstone. What she’d failed to specify at the time was the size of the gem itself and the one that I had on me was the size of a coconut.
“Here's tha payment we agreed upon.”
Rarity looked surprised by the size of the Emerald, but quickly shook it off before gratefully accepting it from me.
“Thank you, darling. Your generosity is always appreciated.”
With a smile on my face, I turned to grab my regular clothes while continuing to talk.
“Welp, Ah’d best be headin’ out now. Still got a lot o’ preparations fer tha big day tomorrow. Ah’m sure Ah’ll see ya there.”
“But of course. Wouldn’t miss it for anything else, darling.”
“O.K. Catch ya later, Rare.”
“You too, David, and good luck.”
And with that, I instantly teleported from the boutique back to my house to finish getting ready for the wedding. What I didn’t know was who I’d find when I got there.
* * * * * * * *
One quick flash later, I was back at my house. Thinking over what still needed to be done before the wedding, which I now realized was in less than 24 hours, I just had a few more finishing touches I’d planned on making to my wedding vows to Fluttershy. It was hard to believe that the magical day was nearly upon us, much harder to believe considering all we’d been through since the first time I visited Equestria soo many years ago.
Sitting down at my writing desk I’d purchased in the time between when my home’s construction was finalized and now, I labored over the wedding vows I’d already gotten written up, trying to figure out what the best way would be for me to close them out. It took several minutes of thought, but I finally came up with the proper note to end on as I took my feather pen in hand and wrote the rest of my vows down. Looking over what I’d written down in its entirety, I was finally satisfied with what I’d come up with for the vows themselves. I was positive that this was exactly what the mare of my heart deserved as we’d be starting our life together.
It was then that I made my way over to my bedroom to change back into my normal clothes. Even though I was alone in my house, it still felt more appropriate for me to change out of my wedding suit in my bedroom for some reason. While changing back into my regular clothes in my room, I was spending as much time as I could memorizing the vows I’d say to my beautiful Fluttershy the very next day.
Suddenly, as I was taking off my suit pants, I heard a voice come from behind me.
“David?”
Startled by the voice that I heard, having thought I was all alone at the time, I swiftly turned around, clutching my pants to cover my groin even though my boxers did a fine enough job of that on their own. Looking towards my bed, I saw Fluttershy.
“Fluttershy?”
My mind immediately began racing. How had she managed to get into my house? How had she managed to show up in my room so unexpectedly? I didn’t remember seeing her on my bed when I’d entered so had she been here the whole time and I’d just missed it? Something didn’t feel right to me, but I didn’t know what exactly.
“How’d ya get in here?” I puzzled.
“I flew in through the window.”
“‘N ya’ve been here tha whole time?”
“Of course. I originally wanted to surprise you at first, but you seemed soo wrapped up in preparation for our wedding that I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Something still wasn’t sitting well with me as I put my normal clothes on before joining her on the bed.
“Ah’m not sure what tha traditions are here in Equestria, but, back where Ah come from, it’s strongly considered bad luck fer tha groom ta see tha bride this close before tha weddin’.”
“Oh,” she reacted disappointedly. “I wasn’t aware of that. In that case, I guess I’d better be going.”
“Ah’m honestly sorry that Ah didn’t mention this ta you sooner, but Ah look forward ta-”
I was immediately cut off from my reply by Fluttershy pulling me in for a deep, passionate kiss. Her tongue ran along the inside of my mouth as she reached for my pants, apparently attempting to pull them down. Stunned by how extremely she was going into this, I pulled myself away from her before speaking back up.
“What tha hell was that?!?”
“What?” she questioned playfully. “I just wanted to give something special to my handsome stallion before our wedding.”
It was in that moment that I came to the conclusion that this wasn’t Fluttershy. Sure the 2 of us could get passionate in regards to our displays of affection towards each other, but never to the point of having sex with each other outside the context of marriage. I also picked up a rather unusual smell from “Fluttershy” that I hadn’t originally noticed. The smell itself was the smell of burnt wood, a far cry from the usual aromas of either Lavender or even Lemon and Mint.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“What do you mean? I’m Fluttershy, the love of your life.”
“No yer not. Tha Fluttershy Ah remember never acted this way towards me ‘n never smelled anythin’ like tha way you smell. Now tell me who tha hell a-”
I was cut off once again as a painful headache hit me, causing me to collapse to the floor as my brain screamed out. It was during this time that “Fluttershy” let out a cruel chuckle, but the voice was changing as was “her” appearance as “she” walked over towards me.
“I never expected you to completely fall for this little charade. I just wanted to get close enough to enact my magic against you through that kiss.”
The figure above me slowly but surely turned into none other than Claude as my vision started to blur.
“Now, with you finally out of the way, I’ll be able to enact my ultimate revenge against you. Everything you own, everything you love, will be mine.”
These were the last words I heard from him before I blacked out entirely.
Stats
Page generated in 0.032 seconds
Total duration
936 users online
538,320 hits today, 2,364,530 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Darn it! Cliffhanger! Continue asap!
Wish he had a remark on the end like,
"DONT TELL ME THAT I JUST KISSED A MALE"
10702323
Well technically, it was the other male that kissed him, though not out of any type of love towards him, but to maintain the fascade for his own selfish motives.