Whether You Want It Or Not

by Roserado

3.Assistance (Whether You Want It Or Not)

The doors of the castle thud as they close. Starlight recalls that they always sound like that, but for some reason, the noise feels different this time. Shaking the thought off, she looks to Sunset, standing beside her. The orange mare has the tracking stone in her hoof, her head tilted down to look at it.

As the two walk away from the castle, Starlight can't help but feel that the tension Sunset had earlier has somehow transferred over to her. Now that she's outside, the whole of their mission feels much larger than it did when it was just something they were talking about. It was some goal to be accomplished later, rather than the reality she now had to deal with.

The urge to sigh arises, but she squashes it down, replacing it with a desire to prepare for the task ahead.

There's no use in thinking about how much I don't want to do this. It needs to happen, and I'm one of the ponies that's going to make it happen. That's all there is to it. No overthinking this!

Her mind made up for the time being, she turns to Sunset, intent on creating a plan. After a second, she notices the attention, and puts away the stone, presumably tucking it in one of her invisible wings.

"So, what's on the agenda? What's the first step in your master plan to make us heroes?"

Starlight squints her eyes. "Please don't tell me that was your motivation for taking this up."

Sunset tilts her head up. "No, that was a joke. Seriously, though, it can't be that hard to deal with one bad guy on their own. Just blast some magic at them, and we're done!"

How I wish that were true.

"Magic won't just instantly solve all our problems. Believe me, I'd know better than most. I doubt we're going to get anything better than that tracking spell, anyways. No, we need supplies for the journey, first and foremost."

Puzzled, Sunset raises an eyebrow. The two continue to talk while they gradually walk away from the castle gates and into the city.

"Supplies for the journey? You make it sound like we're going to be searching for Chrysalis for days!"

"Well, we very well might be." Starlight replies matter-of-factly. "Think about it. Chrysalis slipped away within minutes of becoming free. If she headed directly for a way out of the city, she may already have escaped Canterlot. If she has, then we need to be ready for the time we'll spend on the road."

Sunset looks like she just swallowed a frog. "I, um, didn't think about that."

Starlight glances at her in disapproval. "Well, that's why I'm here. To think about these things, and plan ahead. You're welcome in advance."

Sunset opens her mouth to speak, shoulders hunched, before her energy slowly leaves her. She looks down and mumbles, the words escaping her lips indistinct. After a few seconds, she looks away from Starlight and speaks clearly.

"...Thanks."

Starlight cocks her head. "Thanks? For what?"

"For, I don't know, going along with my nonsense. You didn't have to keep my wings a secret. I wouldn't have blamed you if you told everypony."

Starlight huffs, a small laugh escaping her. "Oh, that? Don't worry about it. I wouldn't do that, especially when you made it so clear why you didn't want anypony to know. You were nervous, sure, but I could tell you really didn't want to mess things up for Twilight."

Their hooves move against the ground, buildings of businesses and high end restaurants coming into view.

"Well…yeah," Sunset says, voice dropping in energy. "She's the whole reason I'm here, after all. In more ways than one."

Starlight looks around, moving her attention from one place to the next, trying to ignore the residual chaos still present. "Well, that's at least one thing we have in common."

Sunset turns her head back towards her companion. "It is? What do you mean by-"

"Oh, here we go!" says Starlight, abruptly cutting her off.

She points to what appears to be a clothing shop, with mannequins displayed in windows out front. Just like all the other places around, it looks far more high-end than the usual places Starlight shops at.

"Just what I was looking for. We need saddlebags for the road, so hopefully we can find some here. And, also, someone to sell them to us. Maybe we'll get lucky."

Sunset looks to the shop, then back at Starlight. "Are you sure we'll find saddlebags here? I kinda doubt there'd be anything actually, well, useful at someplace like this. Besides, this place looks really expensive!"

Starlight waves off her concerns. "Oh, the cost won't be a problem. Sure, it'll be a bit pricey, but I have enough saved up for-"

She cuts herself off, a single realization stopping her train of thought.

I don't have any bits on me.

She turns to Sunset, who looks back at her, confused and expectant. Thoughts begin to whirl in Starlight's mind as possible solutions to their new problem all crop up. None of them seem very practical, and the ones that are aren't what she would describe as "legal".

"So, I just realized something."

"What's that?" Sunset asks flatly.

"I don't have any bits on me."

"Oh. That's a problem."

"Yes, it is." says Starlight, unable to look Sunset in the eye.

A smirk arises on Sunset's face. "I guess 'thinking about these things' and 'planning ahead' didn't last very long, huh?"

Starlight groans.

"That was, what, two minutes? Three? Good streak."

"Sunset." exhales Starlight, already exasperated with the verbal jabs.

"Maybe next time you'll make it to five!"

"Sunset!"

"Whaaat?" asks Sunset, still smiling. "I'm just keeping you humble!"

Starlight huffs. "Are you even taking this seriously?"

Sunset puts a hoof to her chest and proclaims, "I am taking our mission to find and capture Chrysalis, the former changeling queen, one-hundred percent seriously. I am not, however-"

She pokes Starlight's chest with the same hoof.

"-taking you completely seriously."

Starlight squints her eyes and leans her head forwards, an edge creeping into her voice. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means," replies Sunset, "that if I have to be completely serious for several days straight, I'm gonna go crazy. Just let me have this."

Starlight closes her eyes. Another sigh of resignation.

I've been doing that a lot today.

"Sure. Fine. Just, don't lay it on too thick, alright?"

Sunset, looking satisfied with herself, places her hoof against her chest once more.

"I promise I won't make fun of you too hard."

Starlight rolls her eyes, resignation turning into acceptance. The moment passes, and the scenery comes back into view. Despite being this close to the castle, things are relatively hectic.

Even if I did have any bits, I doubt I could find anypony to sell me anything. They're all probably hiding or trying to leave the city in panic.

Sunset interrupts her thoughts. "So, what are we going to do now?"

Starlight ponders her question. "Well, I guess we could just borrow from Celes-"

A loud pop hits their eardrums, and a white flash of smoke appears from nothing in front of them. A figure emerges from it, taller than both ponies stacked on top of each other. Two different horns, and limbs of all kinds. A rapturous voice cuts through the air.

"I thought you'd never ask!"

Sunset's mouth drops. Starlight holds in another massive sigh, choosing instead to exhale through her nose.

I really do not need this right now.

"Discord?" she asks pensively, already expecting the unexpected. "What are you doing here?"

His fingers snap, and a large "#1 HARMONY FAN" foam finger appears on Discord's right hand. A hat with Twilight's face on it also appears on his head, a fake purple horn sticking out of it.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here for the coronation! My good friend, Twilight Sparkle, is becoming a queen! How exciting!"

Starlight raises an eyebrow. "A queen? Since when? Her title isn't changing, she's just… getting a new job."

Discord snorts in disagreement. "Oh, they can call her whatever they like, I know the truth."

"And what's the truth?" asks Starlight, already somewhat used to this kind of conversation.

"That she's becoming a queen! Really, Starlight, were you listening to anything I just said?"

I have to speed this up.

"Uh-huh. So, why are you here? And by 'here' I mean directly in front of us, and not literally anywhere else in the city?"

His ever-present grin seems to stretch just a bit wider at that question.

"Oh, you're no fun! But fine, if you must know, a little birdy told me all about the princesses' plan to deal with those three loose troublemakers."

Another snap of his fingers, and Discord disappears, only to reappear as a small brown bird with his same horns, now perched on Starlight's left shoulder.

"It was just so sickeningly sweet watching those prim and proper princesses worry themselves to tatters over the two of you! It was almost enough to drive me to tears. Tears, I say!"

Despite the size, his voice is unaltered, and just as loud.

"The little birdy was me, by the way. I bet you didn't even notice I was there!"

From behind Starlight, a full size Discord reaches his claw over and plucks his bird-self from its perch. The two ponies turn to see him chucking the thing in his mouth, and swallowing it whole. Without any pause, he continues his lengthy explanation.

"So, I thought, why not see off my other good friend Starlight Glimmer and find out what kind of pony she's trusting her back with? I can't just let her get suckered in by the allure of a brand new friendship!"

His grin is now so wide it seems like it'll break the edges of his face any second.

"So, imagine my surprise when I happen to overhear that this fiery young unicorn is sporting a pair of wings!"

That seems to shake Sunset out of her stupor. Her eyes focus on the draconequus, anger beginning to show on her face.

"Not only that," Discord continues, "but this is a secret, one kept by Starlight herself! What a fantastic turn of events!"

Sunset raises a hoof. "You-"

Before she can utter another word, Discord's claw stretches over to her and snatches the mouth off of her face. A low pitched mumble is heard from her, and upon her realization, she becomes even angrier. Discord nonchalantly throws the stolen mouth somewhere behind him, quickly resuming.

"Now, I know you're probably frustrated, but believe me when I say that I was only eavesdropping out of concern for my friend! What a relief it is, that if things go south, she has a lovely little piece of blackmail she can use to keep you in line. I couldn't be more relieved!"

Struggling to keep up, Starlight stammers out a question.

"Sooo, you uh, don't have any problems with us going on this dangerous mission together?"

Discord sports a fake surprised expression. "Any problems? None at all! In fact-"

He lowers himself down to Sunset's level and pinches her cheeks, mouth still missing between them. She looks equally as confused as she does furious.

"I'm grateful! Adding a new alicorn to the mix, right as Twilight ascends the throne? Oh, think of the drama! The rumors! The - dare I say it? - chaos!"

Sunset shakes off Discord's cheek pinching, and rubs one side of her face, glaring at him.

Undeterred, his speech goes on. "Not the bad kind of chaos, mind you, like the kind Tirek is creating right now. No, the fun kind of chaos! The kind I can enjoy without having to even lift a finger! What a gift you've given me!"

He pauses, and lifts his chin up. A thin smile of satisfaction crosses his lips, and he looks down at Starlight and Sunset.

"It's only right that I return the favor."

He snaps his fingers, and an avalanche of stuff piles onto the two unsuspecting mares. Something sharp pokes Starlight's left side, and she's pretty sure she just crushed something with her right hoof. Quickly emerging out from underneath the newly formed piles, Starlight looks around to see Sunset doing the same. Her mouth is now back on her face, showing a frown of indignation.

Examining the things Starlight now finds herself sitting on, she finds several items she was planning to get for the journey. Tents, packaged food, canteens, bandages, and other assorted goods that would prove useful on a trek through wilderness, or at least a long camping trip.

A glance at Discord shows that he was simply waiting for them to get their bearings, as he breathes in to speak once more.

"Oh, I suppose this is all going to be a bit too much to carry, isn't it? No matter!"

He snaps once again, and Starlight finds herself standing right next to Sunset, saddlebags on both their backs. Turning her head to look closer at them shows that her saddlebags have her cutie mark as the latches, just as Sunset's saddlebags have her own.

"It's all in there, I promise!" he remarks, pointing a claw in the air. "Packed away as tight as can be. You have my quality guarantee!"

Attempting to take things in stride, Starlight turns to him. "This is all pretty sudden, but I'm sure this will come in handy. Right, Sunset?"

"Wha?" Sunset says, just barely keeping herself coherent.

Come on, keep up!

"I said, this will all be very useful, and we should be grateful to Discord for understanding our situation. Right, Sunset?"

Understanding dawns on her, and she immediately replies. "Y-yes! This is all super great. Thank you, I guess?"

Discord eyes her suspiciously for a moment before his usual demeanor comes back.

"Think nothing of it! This is merely the repaying of a debt. You gave me a gift, and now I'm giving you a gift. Its as simple as that!"

What was it I thought earlier? I had to speed things up? Did a great job with that. Go, me.

"Not that this wasn't nice, Discord, we really appreciate all this, but can we please get a move on?" asks Starlight, her exasperation starting to show. "We don't have all the time in the world."

"Oh of course, of course!" he says, waving his hand at her. "I'll let you be on your way. Just, ah, one little piece of advice."

He leans his head in close to Starlight and moves his hand over the other side of his mouth.

In a not-so-quiet voice, he whispers, "You might want to refresh that invisibility spell soon. Innate alicorn magic is harder to suppress than you'd think!"

Starlight groans internally, and Discord moves away from her, the grin back on his face.

"Well, I'm off to badger Princess Celestia. Ta-ta!"

He waves his claw, and a puff of smoke removes him from their presence. After a second, it clears, and the two mares are left by themselves once again.

They stand there for a moment, not saying anything. The world seems to calm down without the embodiment of chaos nearby, even as the two are distantly aware of the state of the city. Neither moves, nor do they turn to look at the other. Only a vague sense of their hooves touching the ground beneath them seems to keep their minds from floating away into the sky, never to return.

The idea that Starlight should stay on Discord's good side, no matter the cost, bubbles to the surface of her mind, fought in equal measure by the idea that she should never interact with him ever again, for as long as she lives. The two ideas collide, and neither comes out as a victor. Her mind is a battlefield, and there have been no survivors.

These bags are kinda heavy.

The errant thought brings her back to reality, somehow refreshing in its mundanity. Moving her body as fast as it'll go, she turns her head to Sunset beside her. To her surprise, Sunset is already looking at her. Starlight decides not to think about how long she was staring into space.

"Hey, Starlight?" inquires Sunset, breaking the silence.

"What is it, Sunset?" she responds, her voice dragging.

"You've got some weird friends."

"Don't remind me."

---

The stone and its arrow are leading Sunset and Starlight away from the castle and towards its outskirts. Rather than solid dirt and rock, the ground beneath their hooves is supported by expertly designed architecture and magic. The wall that marks the edge of the city is getting closer and closer.

The expansive high-rises and complexes that mark the center of Canterlot have drifted away, and the two now find themselves in one of its tightly-packed residential areas. Despite not being nearly as fancy and pristine as the castle, the buildings here are still distinctly Canterlotian, its certain style permeating the whole city.

A red arrow floats in front of Sunset, pointing directly ahead. Her magic surrounding the stone, she pulls it back. The arrow disappears, and a quick unlatching of her left saddlebag lets her stash it away safely.

"Looks like we're still headed in the right direction. Do you think Chrysalis is still in the city?" Sunset asks.

Starlight looks to the wall just ahead of them and ponders the question. "I think it's likely that she's already escaped. Nopony would notice if a lone griffon or pegasus flew over the wall during all the chaos."

Sunset replies, "Well, Tirek is pretty distracting."

"Distracting is…" Starlight hesitates, "a generous way to describe the magic laser beams that he shot out while rampaging across the other side of the city."

Sunset looks back. Up in the sky, the holes in the clouds made by Tirek's errant magic are still visible. She looks forward again and shrugs.

"Yeah, well… I guess I'm pretty desensitized to this kinda thing."

Starlight smirks. "Y'know, I was starting to pick up that idea myself."

Bearing a grin as well, Sunset gives her a playful hit on the shoulder, and the two start to walk again. Despite how the day has been so far, Sunset can't help but feel relaxed, like the goal ahead of her will be no more difficult than a walk in the park.

Two of Equestria's best magic users, a tracking device, and plenty of supplies against a single, disgraced queen? I think we'll be just fine.

Her mental image of an easy task ahead is interrupted by a gasp from Starlight. Sunset focuses on the sight in front of her and immediately understands her companion's surprise. Without realizing it, they reached the end of the road, with the wall that protects the city directly ahead. An unexpected aberration lays before them, one that nearly dashes Sunset's newfound confidence in her mission.

On the face of the wall in front of them is a huge blast mark, centered at a point close to the ground. A gaping hole in that spot is clear to see, and the sprawling green fields and forests of the distant land below are just barely visible from where they stand.

On either side of the hole in the wall is a royal guard, both sprawled on the ground, their bodies still. Sunset's gut begins to twist, and she wordlessly rushes forward to see to the one on the right. Following her lead, Starlight does the same for the one on the left.

From a short distance, they looked unharmed, but up close Sunset can see that the chest armor of this guard is dented inwards. She moves a hoof to press against the guard's neck, hoping that the worst isn't true.

A second passes, with no response. Another second passes; still nothing to indicate a pulse. Before a third second passes, a brief beat of blood flowing tells Sunset that the pony lying before her still lives and breathes.

The knot in her stomach slowly begins to unwind as she checks over his merely unconscious body for any obvious injuries. She finds a few minor scrapes along his side, but can see nothing else. Everything tells her that this pony will be fine, but a nagging presence in the back of her head manages to sneak to the front of her thoughts.

What if he really had been badly hurt? Could I have actually done anything?

Starlight's voice breaks her out of her short contemplation.

"This one is out cold, but they seem mostly fine. What about yours?"

Sunset turns to the left and faces Starlight, who passes the hole in the wall to bring them face to face once more.

"Well, the one over here is alright too, more or less." Sunset states. "Do you think Chrysalis is behind this?"

Starlight looks from Sunset, to the guards, to the wide gash in the stone between them before shaking her head.

"This doesn't seem like something Chrysalis would do, at least not on purpose. From what I understand, she would try to keep a low profile, attract as little attention as possible, and flee before anyone could seriously look for her. Which is exactly what we're doing, actually. Maybe we just missed her."

Sunset walks over to the section of the wall that's been marred by whatever force broke a hole in it. She brings her face close to it, examining the black scorch marks that've been emblazoned into the brick. Embers from the effect seem to have already burned out, but something catches her eye.

Underneath the pitch black that now covers the outer layer of the wall is a subtle but still present sickly green hue. With no hesitation, she puts forth a hoof and tries to scrape off some of the black gunk. It falls off with little effort, and small bits of neon green ash fall away with it.

Turning back to Starlight with a look of certainty, she puts forward her hoof. Starlight glances at her before lowering her head and examining the residue that remains on Sunset's hoof.

"Know anypony with green magic that would want to punch a hole out of the city, while also willing to knock out a couple royal guards to do it?"

Starlight backs up a step and looks Sunset in the eye. "I only know one, and she's no pony."

Sunset glances at the hole, and the distant land below it. "I had a feeling you were gonna say that."

A sigh escapes her. The two stand there a moment, both lost in their own thoughts. Starlight moves past Sunset, and makes her way towards the hole, as well as the drop that leads to nothing. She comes right to the edge, and peers down.

Curious but apprehensive, Sunset slowly steps up to the place right next to her. The maw of the world seems to open to her, a vast empty sky pressing against her face, her chest, her legs. The wind cuts through her fur and the feathers of her wings she nearly forgot she has.

A precarious bit of rock is all that prevents her and her friend from falling into that long, steady drop down. Her heart falls to her hooves, and she nervously takes a step back.

"Hey, uh, S-Starlight?" she sputters, "Why are you looking down there? Don't we have to do something about these two?"

Starlight says nothing for a moment, her gaze still stuck on the land below. Sunset starts to chew her bottom lip, anxiety spiking her nerves.

Come on, what am I even worried about? I've been this high up plenty of times before. I used to live here, for crying out loud! Why am I nervous about this now?

"Sunset?" Starlight asks, breaking Sunset's train of thought.

"Yes? What is it?" she replies, the nervousness still present.

"I think you need to learn how to fly."

"I need to - huh?"

"Like, really soon."

Sunset blinks. Logically, she knows what Starlight is asking of her, but for some reason it doesn't make any sense at all.

In disbelief, she asks, "Why would I need to do that?"

Finally turning to her, Starlight states, "It would be much faster for us to fly down there and directly chase after Chrysalis than taking the long way around on land. If you're as smart as Twilight said you were, I'm sure you'll see it's true."

Eyes darting here and there, thoughts turning and chasing themselves in her mind, the wheels in Sunset's brain suddenly rush to a stop.

Did she say 'us'?

Balking at the implication, Sunset looks Starlight in the eye and bluntly asks, "Since when could you fly? I don't see a pair of wings on you! How would you…"

Wait, she made my own wings invisible. Has she done that before? Maybe she's had practice? Surely, it wouldn't be hard for her to cast the same spell on herself…

Mouth drawn in a flat line, Starlight interrupts her thoughts. "I can already tell what you're thinking, and no, I am not hiding my own pair of wings. I may be a powerful spellcaster, but that's not because I'm an alicorn."

Sunset leaves her mouth open for a moment before quickly slamming it shut, a blush spreading across her face.

"Oh! No, of course not; that would just be silly! Haha, ha…"

Her embarrassed laughs quickly trail away, and from a quick glance, she sees Starlight roll her eyes, amusement clearly visible in her expression. Starlight turns her gaze back towards the empty space ahead of them, and her expression quickly turns from one of amusement to one of shock. Immediately alarmed, Sunset whips her head around to the area her friend is looking at.

Just a short distance in front of them is a pegasus hovering in the air. Her coat is salmon-pink, and her mane and tail are a mess of curly light blue locks. Her cutie mark is a brown tower with light stripes, or perhaps a certain chess piece. She looks just as stunned as Starlight does.

What's a filly doing out here, and on the other side of the wall no less?

Sunset looks back and forth between the two. Starlight's expression, turning into one of apprehension and tension, causes a shot of fear to show up in the face of the pegasus. Both are as tightly wound as can be, and it seems like anything could set them off.

Confusion trumps any feeling of caution Sunset feels in the moment.

"Am I supposed to know who this is?"

Comments

[Twilight_Shimmer]

A very interesting update!

[KingSombraTheTyrantRuler]

Cozy Glow!

[jimbojames]

Congratulations, Sunset. You just found Cozy Glow.

[Thranx]

You didn't find Chrysalis, but at least you found Cozy Glow. So that's a plus!

[Shiny Kelp]

"Whaaat?" asks Sunset, still smiling. "I'm just keeping you humble!"

I half-expected Starlight to reply with "and I keep saving your ass you dumb alicorn, so shut it"

[Frazikar]

STARLIGHT: (soft voice] "Discord, when we reach into these bags, will we find what we're searching for first rather than last, or random, especially in an emergency?"
DISCORD: "Would I do that to you when helping a friend?"
PINKIE [Translation]: "Yeppers ..."

Look, an escaped Cozy in front of them, what to do ...

[Stet709]

Oh, hello, Cozy Glow...

[The Weaver]

Finally turning to her, Starlight states, "It would be much faster for us to fly down there and directly chase after Chrysalis than taking the long way around on land. If you're as smart as Twilight said you were, I'm sure you'll see it's true."

Or… you could both teleport.

[Vaguely Demented]

I’d like to imagine Discord immediately started chucking badgers at Celestia directly following that conversation.

[tsaukpaetra]

Well, that was easy!