Playing With Fire | Rewritten

by Fluskie

Chapter 6: A Formal Invitation

Heartstrings hurried down the hallway, a stack of papers nestled under her wing and a binder held between her teeth. She was thoroughly overloaded with her mother’s menial tasks, grunting in annoyance as she rushed to her next destination.

She wasn’t even a certified nurse and her mom had decided to dump everything she didn’t feel like attending to onto her daughter. Was this even legal? She barely even knew the heimlich maneuver. Even though most of it was just checking in on patients, making sure they had their medication or had any of their other requests fulfilled, Heart felt a little anxious, unsure she might come across a situation far out of her understanding. However, it did beat remaining at home and having to deep clean the entire house.

She took a brief break midway through the hall, flipping through the binder and skimming over its contents before she stopped at a page. Drizzle Dot’s hospital records lay front and center as she carefully peeled a pink sticky note from the top.

“Patient may be released Wednesday if no other complications. Check-in before signing patient out.”

She glanced up at the walls around her, absentmindedly searching for a schedule or calendar posted somewhere. “What day is it today?...”

And then it came to her. On her way here, she was reminded of seeing an advertisement for “Taco Wednesday” instead of tuesday in a local taco shop. She remembered thinking it was strange and didn’t make much sense, neither fit the name very well. So it had to be wednesday.

“Well, I’m sure Flusk will be happy to have him home finally.” She thought to herself.

With his room number in mind, Heartstrings navigated her way to his hospital room. She double-checked the number on the door and the records before gently knocking and opening the door.

“Drizzle,” Heartstrings called. “You’re free to go now! I need to ask you some questions first but then I can sign you out. Are you-...Drizzle?”

The pegasus stood in the doorway, noticing him face the headboard of his bed. His head was lowered and he was sort of crouched, gazing down at his bedsheets. Heart felt a bit creeped out seeing as he wasn’t answering, nor moving to look at her. She debated on whether she should just trot right out and pretend she never came or approach him but she decided on neither.

“Drizzle?... Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry...I didn’t mean to burden you…” He muttered in a small voice.

“Huh?” She cocked her head. “Burden me? What do you mean?”

“I don’t understand...Why do you hate me?...”

“I don’t hate you, where did you get an idea like that?”

She set the binder and her other papers down and got closer to Drizzle.

“I...Didn’t do…-thing…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

She reached her hoof out to touch him but she was startled by his sudden movement as he rapidly turned to look behind.

Heart gasped and stumbled backwards. “I’m sorry!”

“Huh?...Heartstrings? What are you doing here?” He asked, half shielding his eyes from the hospital lights.

“I…I um,” She fiddled with her hooves nervously. “I came here to tell you that…You’re free to go now!”

He gave her a perplexed look, a hint of exhaustion in his eyes accompanying it. “Free to go where?” He absently glanced around the room as if he were getting his bearings.

“Home!” She pasted on a friendly smile. “You’ve been approved to return home now. The doctors didn’t find anything out of the ordinary for you in the last forty-eight hours so all I need to do is ask a few questions and I can send you on your way!”

“Oh really?” He sat up more in bed, thrilled to finally leave the hospital.

“Yeah! I’m sure Flusk will be relieved to have you back.”

“Oh…” His shoulders fell behind him as the spark of excitement faded out. He forgot all about Flusk as the dread of facing her again set in.

“Oh, is something wrong?”

“No, not really,” He made a waving motion with his hoof. “I just forgot I uh…Had some unfolded laundry back at home for a few days now! I’ll have to take care of that when I get back.”

“Ooh, I see. Well, I hope you have a fast and easy folding session!” She chuckled before reaching for her binder. “This should be fairly quick and then I can help you pack your things.”

---

Heartstrings went through the checklist the hospital had instructed all its staff to go through before signing a patient out. It was extremely basic, going over the regular questions one would normally ask. Have you experienced any headaches, nausea, coughing, dizziness, pain, or any other concerning symptoms that should be noted? Drizzle breezed right through them, even if some of his answers weren’t entirely truthful.

Once that was finished, Heart assisted in gathering up his things and guided him to the front desk where she checked his name off and was sent on his way with a pleasant goodbye from the pegasus. Although, as he was leaving he did notice her staring at him for a long time. He didn’t know what that was about.

He had already forgotten all about that as he made his way apprehensively to the only place he could call home, Flusk’s house.

The thunder rumbling in the sky from the towering dark clouds behind him only made this all the more dramatic. He slowed his pace to prolong the time he had left before having to engage with her again. As he wordlessly trotted, he was actively planning multiple ways to both address Flusk and completely avoid her.

He could walk in through the door, ignore any attempt to speak with him that she made and hurry to the couch and…No, that didn’t make any sense. Well, he could respond to her but with what? He didn’t have anything to say to her. He’d probably just get mad and make her cry all over again. No matter what scenario it was, his words deeply lodged themselves into the others and always upset them. They were like knives that only he could handle because he wasn’t on the receiving end.

He was urged to quicken his pace when a thunderclap sounded overhead and spooked him, sending him flying down the road. A few droplets of rain hit his muzzle as a furious storm over River Breeze began to release its downpour. He had no choice but to force himself inside, no matter the circumstances.

His mane was moderately damp when he threw himself at the door and allowed himself entry. He wrung his mane out on the rug before checking his art supplies. He grimaced at the wet spots speckled across a few corners of his sketchbook, creating small smears of color that dripped off the edges. At least he was indoors and not out there when it really started to pour.

He noticed the dining table in the middle of the room, commonly an area where Flusk was kicked back with a book, empty. A chair was pulled out but the entire table lacked any items. It was a bit unusual for that table to be completely spotless.

The door surely would have been heard opening and closing but Drizzle tip-toed around anyways, taking in the home he had been missing for days. Nothing changed, except for the dining table, yet it filled him with a sense of comfort being able to come back to a place he felt comfortable.

Walking past Flusk’s room, he immediately backtracked when the back of her short blue mane caught his eye. She sat at her desk, overlooking a few of her manuscripts like usual with her vision set on the window at her shoulder. The rain streamed down the glass and into the dirt below as lightning shot across the sky, her back jolting with a surprise from the intense flash. She acted completely oblivious to his presence, more infatuated with the weather.

“...Flusk?” His voice sounded gravelly.

She finally took notice of him, refusing to look him in the eye but ever so slightly turning her body. “You’re back…Welcome back.” She responded deadpan.

“Thanks.”

He awkwardly stood there before he continued.

“They said I was fine so they sent me home.”

“That’s good.”

She barely tried to entertain the conversation, practically giving him nothing. It was like he was talking to himself. Maybe that was the point.

“Sooo…Are you just going to ignore me now?” He asked irritatedly.

This time he was given no response at all. It seemed like the mare was expecting a negative reaction coming from him and chose to bear it instead. Being somepony who received this argumentative behavior on a daily, you eventually got used to it, even so much as accepted it. Explaining and reasoning wouldn’t turn this around, so why even try? It wasn’t like he hadn’t done the same to her in the hospital.

He let out a sigh, most of his frustration leaving with the drop of his shoulders. His hoof reached to the wrapped fabric around his neck, the light blue scarf, similar in color tone to his coat draped over his arm. Small dampness from the rain remained in its fuzzy material.

“Flusk, would you just look at me at least? You don’t have to talk but it’d be nice if you would hear me out.” His voice took a more gentle tone.

Her body shifted a little before she turned her head to stare at him. Like Scarlet had mentioned, she appeared as if she had been crying. Despite her vexed expression, the tear stains across her face and her puffy eyes only further revealed the immense sadness behind her anger.

“I’m sorry. I know apologizing isn’t going to necessarily fix anything but I felt like if you heard it from me, it’d further convince you that I still care about you.” He then eased himself to the floor and held his gift tightly to his chest. “I love the scarf that you gave me. I wouldn’t have worn it out if I didn’t. I’m sorry that I didn’t show my gratitude for it then but…I do like it. It even matches with me!”

He let out a small chuckle, purposely holding the scarf in a way to compare his blue hue to the pigment of the accessory. His light-hearted joke didn’t exactly hit her and he nervously cleared his throat before setting down the scarf.

“My point is…I say the wrong shit sometimes. It just comes out before I can even think about it first. But that doesn’t mean I truly think that about you. You mean a lot to me and I’d never want to purposely upset you.”

Flusk’s head turned away at that as if she disagreed. She blinked rapidly, trying to keep her tears at bay.

“You really think that I want to make you cry?...” He asked, noticing her dismissiveness.

“I don’t know what you want.” Her voice quivered. “You’re different…All the time. One day you’re my best friend and then the next you don’t even want to be around me. I don’t know what’s going on inside your head and what you think.”

“Flusk…”

“You’re a pathetic excuse for a best friend.”

He involuntarily twitched at the resounding voice of Scarlet inside his mind. He couldn’t get that one statement out of his memory and it was starting to bother him. What was even worse is that after she said that, it felt like it was coming true. Flusk was so confused about whether she should trust him or not. Even when he tried to show her, it made no difference. Scarlet’s words had made him aware of a reality he despised and he didn’t want it to be true. He didn’t want this.

Letting his emotions get the better of him, he pulled Flusk in a tight embrace, squeezing her shoulders in his arms. She looked down at him bewildered as he trembled, his breathing becoming more unsteady.

“Please…Please tell me you don’t think that I’m…Pathetic?” His voice was nothing but a whisper.

“Pathetic?...” She repeated.

“Do you…Think I’m a bad friend?”

She hesitated for a moment, reminded of Scarlet’s lecturing from a few days before and decided to craft her response. “No, I don’t think you’re pathetic. I don’t think anypony is pathetic. Only ponies who are truly bad and attempt to hurt others on purpose would I ever say are pathetic.”

“So you don’t think I’m a bad friend?...”

She sighed. “You’re not a bad pony in my eyes, no matter what anypony else says. I just feel like you’re misunderstood and no one has tried to look at it from another perspective. But that also doesn’t mean that I don’t think you have a lot of things to work on.”

She looked him in the eyes as she continued. “You fail to listen to me when I have something important to say or it’s my feelings about you. Instead, you blame me for feeling like that, like it’s something that I should feel ashamed of. You’re also unexplainably rude to me when I did nothing to make you act like that. It all comes off as you don’t care about me and you only keep me around to vent your emotions and I don’t think that’s fair.”

“I don’t…Mean to be like that to you…”

“I know you don’t but that’s why I’m telling you. If friends notice they’re hurting each other, they’ll want to change that because they care about how the other feels. I just want you to show me that you care about me…That I’m-...”

She sniffled as tears began to soak her eyes. “That I’m still special to you…That you still want me…”

His gaze softened on her as he held her closer. Her fluffy blue mane tickled his nose as he rested his head near her shoulder, hearing a quiet whimper in her throat while she stuttered out a few cries in his embrace. The ache he felt in his gut as he listened to her cry almost elicited his own tears but he fought back against it.

“You’re still special to me, Fluskie.” He remarked in a tender tone. “I’ll try to be better, I promise.”

Butterflies danced in her stomach at the way he had said her nickname and she exhaled softly before letting her eyes close.

She couldn’t be entirely sure if this was just a promise at the moment that he would eventually break so that he could excuse himself but she didn’t care. The way that he held her, his arms wrapped around her midsection and how compassionate and loving he appeared, it was enough right now. Just feeling an ounce of love from the stallion she cared about most had her feeling as light as air and she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

The little rumbles of thunder from the storm began to dissipate as the rain was replaced with the shining sun. The grumpy clouds left shortly after as River Breeze was enveloped in the warm sunshine once again. Only one dark cloud remained but it hardly made a dent in the sun’s brilliant light.

---

Flusk slammed her hind leg into a slightly rusted mailbox, her hoof making contact with the lid and causing the entire thing to screech from the impact. She rotated around to see she had created an indentation in the metal with her buck and the base of the mailbox was titled backwards now but it still wasn’t broken enough to open. She groaned in frustration as she approached the mailbox and attempted to pry it open with her hooves, grinding her teeth together.

“Come on…Open you piece of shit!”

Drizzle took notice of her struggling from the window of her house as he took a sip of his coffee, which Flusk had remembered to buy him some coffee mixes while he was gone, and choked down the warm liquid before he could spit it out from laughter. He snorted at her aggressive attempts to beat the old mailbox into submission for a few minutes longer before he trotted out into the yard to question her actions.

“What are you doing?” He asked, the end of his sentence breaking off with a chuckle.

“It’s this stupid mailbox! It always gets stuck like this and I can’t open it. This big piece of garbage has been here long before I even moved into this house!”

“Why haven’t you replaced it then?”

“I’ve meant to but I keep forgetting to get one while I’m out. I probably should, I doubt even the mail mare could open this.”

“Here, let me help.”

She watched as his purple aura grasped the lid and a stressing creaking noise emitted from the box. The lid shuddered and the noise got louder as he focused his magic’s strength on the object. Suddenly, it was roughly ripped off the box and tossed to the ground.

“Drizzle, you broke my mailbox!” She said irritatedly.

“About time, now you have no choice but to buy a new one.” He smirked.

She rolled her eyes and reached into the mail slot, grasping some parchment and an envelope in her hoof.

“Is my acceptance letter in there?” He asked excitedly.

“Acceptance letter? For what?”

“I applied to be a protege magus for River Breeze. You know, those unicorns that sometimes patrol the outskirts? They wear heavy armor with the seal of Regalia on them?”

Those guards?... Flusk hardly noticed them. Sometimes she’d see a stray unicorn who wore gold armor, head to hoof, taking a stroll through the center of town but nopony ever paid any mind to them. She honestly thought they were off duty. However, the magus unicorns were always the ones she heard about in the newspaper.

A few weeks ago, she heard about a pony who had their hooves on a dangerous magic amplifier and was approaching River Breeze with it with the intent of harm. It was the unicorn magus that leaped into the scene and had the culprit in restraints in a matter of minutes. A few onlookers even mentioned the magus dragging the pony away screaming bloody murder. There had been far more violent acts in the past but the magus had been known for being impenetrable and intimidating. It made all the more sense why they were appointed second in lead of Princess Regalia’s defense and had received her seal.

But that also meant Drizzle had applied for an extremely ruthless duty that would require him to go through vigorous situations all while being calm and collected in the face of a rampaging murderer or hostile pony. She knew he was well skilled in his magic from years of practice but being a magus for Ifera meant more than just being smart with one's spells. It meant being fearsome and having a keen sense of a serious occurrence along with being nimble on your hooves. She wasn’t quite sure he could be all those things.

“Are you sure about that? Being a magus is a tough job, it’s far different from simply studying magic. I thought you wanted to be a wizard?”

“I did but being on the front lines and protecting ponies sounds more exciting. I know being a magus is tough but I’ve thought about this for a long time. Far longer than you think.”

“But didn’t you just get out of the hospital? I don’t think you’re in any condition to take on something like that.”

“I’m fine, that’s why they sent me home,” He dismissed her concerns. “Besides, I wouldn’t start immediately. I have to go through a ton of training before they can even send me out. That is if they even assess me as good enough for the magus.”

Flusk shook her head as she held her mail in her hooves, heavily disagreeing with Drizzle’s decision but knowing that he wouldn’t reconsider despite it. All she could hope was that his acceptance letter wasn’t in this pile.

Carefully shuffling through the mail, she found mostly coupons and advertisements for different restaurants and businesses in River Breeze. The only important ones appeared to be a letter for Flusk and an envelope with…The seal of Stone Hedge Castle?

“Is it there?”

“No, but something else is.”

She carefully tore at the envelope with her magic and found a folded-up piece of paper inside. Straightening it, she read its contents aloud.

“Dear Residents of River Breeze, Princess Regalia and Princess Aphrodite cordially invite you to the annual Stone Hedge Gala-”

“Stone Hedge Gala?” Drizzle interrupted her in confusion.

She continued. “This momentous gala has always been hosted at Stone Hedge Castle and reserved for those closest to the royal family and affiliates. This year the Stone Hedge Gala will be open to the public and heavily encouraged by the princesses to attend. Inside this letter, an amount of tickets with the expected attendees from each household has been dispersed.”

Drizzle pulled out two gold tickets from the letter. “How did they know I live here? I haven’t updated my address ever since.”

“Formal wear is requested for the gala, no other requirements are necessary. The princesses look forward to seeing you this Saturday at five pm at the gates of Stone Hedge Castle.”

Flusk appeared shocked when she finished reading and the letter slipped from her magical grip, floating down to the grass.

“Hold on a second, did we just get invited to a royal event? As in, an event hosted by the princesses, as in, they’ll be there?” Drizzle exclaimed.

“Princess Aphrodite…Invited me?”

She looked like somepony had just said the most beautiful thing to her as tears of happiness leaked from her eyes and her hoof held at her chest, touched by such a kind gesture.

“You good, Flusk?”

“Yeah…” She replied, her voice quivering.

Drizzle lifted the letter off the ground and reread it to himself a few times, going over the details. “They said residents of River Breeze. Does that mean everypony in town was invited?”

“I guess so,” Flusk said, a little choked up by emotion still. “Wait…That means Zozer, Meadow, Whisper and Scarlet, all of them got invited! Oh, and Heart too!”

“All of them?... Invited?”

Drizzle appeared mildly uncomfortable suddenly at the thought of Flusk’s five friends being at the gala. Flusk took notice and looked at him worriedly.

“What’s wrong? Do you not want them to be there?”

“N-No…I just um, was thinking about how much the train tickets would cost!” He blurted out nervously. “Five passengers are a lot of bits.”

“I’m sure they would pay for themselves.” She chuckled. “Actually, I think I might ask if they’d all want to go shopping. We could all look for outfits for the gala together!”

Flusk merrily pranced her way back inside, the two tickets for her and Drizzle levitating beside her as she got ready to invite each of her friends with her to the boutique. All while Drizzle stood there, feeling his anxiety consume him.

He wouldn’t say he was on good terms with any of her friends. Scarlet for sure hated his guts and would most definitely start a hoof fight on the dance floor if it came to it. Zozer was giving him suspicious glances the entire time he went to a cafe with them. Meadow and Whisper seemed almost afraid of him and Heartstrings was probably the only pony who was okay with him. Even then, she was more distant from everything that was going on.

The thought of arriving at the gala and his very presence being loathed, the piercing stares, the uncomfortable shifting and attempts to silently move away from him, he’d rather surrender his ticket now.

“Darling, don’t let a few nasty mortals ruin your night,” A smooth voice sounded in his mind. “They mean nothing in the end. I know you would feel contrite on missing an opportunity to meet the royalty of Ifera.”

“Apate now’s not the time.”

“On the contrary, it is. The tension you feel with those five peasants is preventing you from proceeding towards something you desire. You cannot allow their menial influence to sway you from your decisions.”

“They’re not all peasants…”

“What they are isn’t important, show those pitiful life forms that their hostility will not be forgotten.”

Even when she spoke with such malice in her words, Apate’s voice remained mellow and comforting. It was almost hypnotic and he felt the need to fulfill her wish.

---

“Over here we have our spring line, recently introduced to welcome the spring in both style and a light and breathable fabric!”

A retail worker of the boutique led the group of friends around the shop, gesturing to the multiple garments they sold and giving a brief description of their material and appearance before moving on and allowing them to observe the rest.

Drizzle was slowly lagging, his mind elsewhere as his hooves mindlessly followed the others. He hadn’t even raised his head from the floor ever since they arrived at the boutique, purposely avoiding eye contact with anyone else.

“All this stuff sucks,” Scarlet said bluntly.

“Scarlet, don’t say that so loud!” Flusk scolded her. “What’s wrong with it? Is there nothing you like here?”

“It’s all basic bitch stuff. This is why I never even wanted to go to the gala. My marefriend can’t come so it’ll just be me awkwardly standing there.”

“Well, I don’t have a date for the gala and I’m still going! You don’t need a partner to have fun. I would hang out with you!”

“Even then, there’s nothing I’ll like there. They’re not going to have metal bands playing at a fancy princess gala. The food will probably look like two leaves and a rock and it’s impossible to headbang to classical music.”

“You’re just full of complaints today, aren’t you?” Flusk laughed, shaking her head.

Heartstrings rotated around so that she was walking backwards and facing Scarlet and Flusk. “I’m sure that it won’t be that bad. They have to understand they’re inviting commoner ponies too. Not everypony has a stomach for the rich stuff.”

“They’re princesses, you think they care?” Scarlet asked.

“I’m sure Princess Aphrodite would, she’s very considerate and kind to other ponies.” Flusk grinned, practically in a daze thinking about the princess.

“You’re just biased.”

“No, I’m not!” Flusk shouted back, looking particularly flustered.

Whilst the three conversed about the princesses and the gala, Whisper and Zozer were busy admiring the available dresses the worker had pointed out. Zozer’s tail swished back and forth in thought as she debated between two dresses hung in front of her. At her side, Whisper held a gown at her chest, attempting to visualize what she’d look like in it.

“Um, what do you two think? I’m not sure if it’s for me…”

Meadow revealed herself from behind a clothing rack, shyly trotting out. She was adorned in a light pink dress, speckled with small strawberries all over it. In the front, a tied bow rested in between a v-shaped cut in the chest area. A small train followed behind her as she approached her marefriends. The gown was a spin on a famous dress in the fashion world of Ifera ByFlame, adding a longer back to it. She nervously smiled, waiting for their approval or disapproval.

Thankfully, she wouldn’t have to worry as Whisper and Zozer stared at her in awe, blown away by her beauty. Zozer would have literally gone flying had it not been for her moderate amount of control over her wind magic.

“Is it okay?... You both are just staring at me. It’s a little scary…”

Zozer dropped to their knees dramatically and clasped their paw and claw together in a praying position. “Please wear it, I beg you.”

Whisper shortly followed after, bowing her head as if she were bowing to a queen. “Do us the honor of wearing it, please!”

Meadow glanced left and right at her partners, her cheeks flushed as she emitted a small ‘eep’ noise and covered her face with her wings.

“As expected, invited to participate and yet no one has acknowledged your presence, not even once," Apate spoke while Drizzle looked through the stallion section of the store.

“I knew that it would happen, it’s fine.” He brushed it off.

“You should not become accustomed to neglect.”

“I much prefer this than having to talk to them at all. It’s a lot more peaceful like this.”

“Do you not remember what I told you before?” Apate questioned him.

“I do. But I’m not starting anything unnecessary if they’re not even bothering me.”

“From what I’ve observed of the one named Scarlet, it won’t be long before she’s pressuring you and berating you. She feeds off your irritation and misery. And while I’m not familiar with the three over there, I have my suspicions about the draconequus. She has been glancing this way a fair bit. If there was no better time to take control of the room, it would be now.”

“Just leave me alone! I can make my own decisions without you putting your two cents into everything.”

While the topic of princesses and fancy galas had already passed, Flusk was preoccupied with her two other friends in conversation when she took note of Drizzle stomping out of the boutique. She glanced back and forth to Scarlet and Heartstrings and then to the door he exited out of.

“I’ll be right back.”

That was all she said before she hurried after him and found him pacing across a sidewalk, his face contorted in anger as he barely lifted his hooves off the ground to walk back and forth.

“Drizzle, are you okay?” She asked.

“No, I’m not.” He replied bluntly.

Well, that’s a first, he didn’t normally admit to his feelings right off the bat.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t understand why you care so much. You care too much actually. I can’t even walk somewhere by myself without you forcing yourself onto me.”

“W-What?...” Flusk appeared genuinely confused.

“You wouldn’t let me go to the library myself, you wouldn’t leave me alone at the hospital, you’re obsessed with everything I do at home and you still won’t let down that stupid letter!” He shouted, stomping his hoof.

“What does that have to do with anything?... Maybe I should have just let you go by yourself to the library but the hospital thing was for your safety! I wanted to make sure you were okay. And you never told me you didn’t want to talk about Pet-...”

He noticeably flinched at the mention of that mare’s name. She bit her tongue and swore at herself internally.

“You’ve had a rough time lately and I only wanted to make sure you were alright. If you don’t want me to do something then just say it!”

“I shouldn’t have to say it. Any normal pony wouldn’t be so clingy and obsessed.”

Obsessed? Clingy? She thought he understood where she was coming from earlier when they shared an emotional moment, where she poured her heart out to him and confessed that he was hurting her feelings and he promised to do better. Should she have paid attention to her gut feeling saying that this was all a ploy? He was playing with her emotions again.

Obsessed…Clingy…It rang through her head as she hissed in a sharp breath. She swallowed the lump in her throat, fighting back her signs of weakness for him to pick at.

“I didn’t think I was clingy or obsessed…I just like being around you…I just care about you.”

“I’m tired of your bullshit. You say the same thing every time and I’m sick of it. When will you get it that I don’t love you? Do I have to say it for you to finally understand?”

She already knew he didn’t love her, at least not in that way. He didn’t have to say it for her to get it but he only brought the way he felt about her into reality. He didn’t love her. She already knew, she already told herself those same words every night as a way to rid her passionate feelings but it didn’t make the pain hurt any less. Hearing him say it only made her heart break and her longing more fierce as her hopes and dreams crashed around her.

A hope that he’d someday hold her and tell her she had worth in this world, a hope she would be desired and seen for herself, a hope that Flusk wasn’t a forgotten name but a pony cherished and full of purpose. Just like how she had seen him. But those hopes were but dreams, and dreams aren’t real.

A shattering pain traveled through the right side of her face as she was forced to look the other way, Drizzle’s hoof being thrust into her cheek before she could comprehend it. The punch echoed through the area and Flusk refused to peer up at him again after she had been dealt it. Red liquid splattered on the sidewalk underneath her as her nose leaked with blood at an alarming rate.

“What the fuck?!”

Flusk looked upwards to see Zozer standing at the entrance of the boutique and gaping at her. It appeared she was watching the scene the entire time.

“Zozer?...” Drizzle muttered.

“Why did you do that? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Flusk had never seen Zozer so angry before. They had described the few times in the past they protected their marefriend, Meadow from strange ponies on the street and often seemed like someone who wasn’t afraid to stand up for themself but Flusk had never seen them like this. It was bizarre but comforting to see them defend her.

Drizzle nervously stood there, not uttering a word. He looked behind at the rows of homes, seemingly plotting an escape route.

“Don’t you dare…” Zozer threatened, catching onto his schemes.

He took his chance and bolted in the other direction. The draconequus didn’t waste time to launch herself after him, chasing at full speed on her four mismatched limbs.

“Zozer, wait!”

Flusk shouted for her but it was futile. She was already fired up and no amount of restraint was going to stop her rampaging. She had her sights set on her enemy and she wasn’t about to tire anytime soon. A mere unicorn against a draconequus, it was obvious who would win.

Drizzle was throwing his legs forward, attempting to gain as much speed as he could whilst Zozer gained upon him, edging closer and closer. He was already panting hard, knowing he wasn’t going to be able to outrun her, not with the mizutsune in her blood allowing her to move swiftly and her owl eyes granting her sharp vision, unlike anything a pony would see. With all these creatures inside her working together as one, the probability of him escaping unscathed was very low.

“Running away like a coward, huh? Where did all your confidence go?” She taunted from behind.

Drizzle weaved in between ponies yards, hopping over fences and rolling into flower beds as nearby bystanders rushed to gallop out of the way in fear. Nearly trampling over an anxious mare in his way, Drizzle powered his horn with a flash and teleported a safe distance away from her before continuing his run.

“Not willing to face me? Fine, then I’ll just have to make you.”

With her right paw in a fist at her chest, Zozer’s eyes flickered with electricity, as did her clasped paw. Sharply raising her arm to the sky, a crackle of lightning formed in her fingertips and she launched it his way. The sizzling of energy passed by his ear and he reared onto his hind legs to narrowly avoid the bolt. Shaken, he stared down at the burnt grass that it impacted before gazing at her.

The draconequus slowly strode toward him, dragging her back feet as she went. A low growl rumbled from her throat in between her rapid breathing as she approached him like a feral animal with its prey in sight. He hardly had any time to react before she erratically pounced on top of him, knocking him onto his back and presenting her full mouth of razor-sharp teeth mere inches from his face.

Fear overtook him as Drizzle instinctively pressed his hooves into her snout, using all his strength to push her jaws off him. His arms trembled and his breath short-winded as she fought against his force, snapping her teeth wildly. As if he had forgotten he had the power, he teleported himself safely away from her clutches and nearly collapsed to the ground, shaken at what he just endured.

Of course, Zozer wasn’t impressed with his continuous avoidance of their confrontation. In fact, it only enraged her further as she came barreling at him with full force, snarling aggressively. His horn sporadically lit to life and conjured a force field in her path, her body hitting it hard and she rolled across the ground. A trail of dust flew through the air as the draconequus lay on her side, unmoving.

Between shaky breaths, Drizzle muttered. “What in Regalia’s name…”

He nearly jumped when a claw extended out from the mass. Its digits dug deep divots into the earth, crushing the soil between its palm. The nails grappled onto the sturdy ground and supported the tall creature as she pulled herself up. Her hair became a tangled mess of dirt as she peered through strands of hair, her pupils narrowing on Drizzle. A stream of blood leaked from a fresh cut on her snout, slashed by a rock she tumbled over. She was littered with bruises and possible regrets but she was still determined to take him down, even at the cost of her well-being.

Strengthening his spell ever so slightly, she tossed herself at the shield once again and hammered at the shimmery surface with her fist.

“Stop hiding behind a pathetic spell, face me you coward, face me!”

Her continuous blows to the force field were much louder on the inside as if a glass ball was pounded on over and over.

“You weren’t so terrified before when you hurt Flusk, why is it different now?!”

He could hear small pricks of magic at his ears and cracks forming above him as Zozer picked at it, her pace nonstop. It would shatter in due time…

“Face me you asshole!”

The shield shattered like glass as his magic exploded outwards. Zozer was directly in the line of fire as the fragments of unicorn magic pierced through her skin, pushing her backwards. Through the outburst of power, Drizzle quickly escaped the other way and galloped down an alleyway without a second glance.

Zozer had been left behind, nicks all over her body as she kneeled to the ground and gazed onwards to where he escaped. She no longer could pursue him but she definitely wanted to despite the stinging sensation coursing through her skin. Who knew unicorn magic was so volatile?

“Zozer…Zozer!”

She turned her head and saw a very panicked Meadow and Flusk galloping towards her. Seeing the love of her life approaching her, she couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Oh my goodness, Zozer, what happened to you?!” Meadow gasped, a hoof flying to her mouth.

“It’s just a scratch, I’m alright.”

“That’s certainly a lot of scratches,” Flusk commented, her hoof pressed to her nose to prevent further blood from dripping down her face.

“That is not just a scratch. What did you do?”

“Drizzle, that prick got away before I could finish him. I’ve just got to figure out where he- OW!”

Meadow yanked on Zozer’s ear causing the draconequus to yelp.

“We’re going to the hospital right now!” Meadow replied sternly.

“But he’s getting away, I can’t just- OW!” Zozer flinched at her ear being pulled again. “...Yes dear.”

Not another word came from Zozer as she was forcefully dragged by her marefriend to the hospital while Flusk followed shortly behind. Despite the grim circumstance, the unicorn struggled to stifle her laughter at how obedient Zozer had become at the hooves of Meadow. It took one pony to tame a beast, it appeared.