Branded by Friendship

by redstone

Chapter 10 : A Woman's Wrath

The Sunrise Garden had been built to offer peace and privacy to the Princesses, the circular outcropping suspended high above Canterlot. From this secluded terrace you could behold all of Equestria in all its grandeur, from the arid lands of Appleloosa to the metropolitan city of Manehattan and the great ocean beyond. You could also glimpse the fanged mountain ranges, a natural border separating Equestria from dragon territories. Twilight had explained her word’s geography to Mès, and the man was now doing his best to accurately describe all he could see to his blind wife. Aurora enjoyed this new knowledge almost as much as the morning spent fooling around with her husband.

“And all of this is Celestia’s to rule?” Aurora had wondered what kind of land the princess had under her control, she had not expected the alicorn to be responsible for an entire continent, in a different world altogether. “I owe my life to a very important figure, it would seem.”

Mès grumbled, unhappy to be reminded of the debt he owed the sun goddess. He shot an irritated glance at the fiery orb above them; it had risen steadily while him and Aurora had rolled on the grass, heating their bodies as much as love warmed their hearts. It looked like it was nearing its apogee, soon it would be time to eat lunch, but the man didn’t want to move from his comfortable position. He was sitting, leaning against the fountain, while his wife lounged to his right, her head on his thighs. His left hand was combing her short singed hair, while his right hand rested on her swollen stomach. Aurora toyed with his fingers, as if trying to memorise their shape.

“What is it?” She squeezed his palm, right on his brand. When they had started their relationship, she had often done this to alleviate his fears, brought forth by the stigma that used to be there. She now did it out of habit whenever she felt Mès was uncomfortable. Plus the possessive woman hated to see someone’s signature on her husband, she liked to think that each stroke dimmed the stigma, until it would be completely erased. It was Twilight’s mark she was now crushing, but she didn’t know it yet. “You’ve been really jumpy every time I mentioned Celestia. Why is that?”

“No reason.” Mès muttered, feeling his cheeks burn with guilt. He guessed that Aurora losing her sight would not improve his chances of fooling her, and when she faced him with an exasperated expression he knew he was right.

“What did you do. Out with it.” Mès mumbled something indistinct. “Just please tell me you didn’t threaten her.” His silence spoke volume. “You damn fool. Well at least you didn’t have your powers, so you didn’t do any damage...” Mès shivered, and Aurora’s singed eyebrows shot up in surprise. Her mouth made an ‘o’ of outrage as her void eyes stared at her husband.

Mès shifted under the empty glare, unnerved. He opened his mouth to explain, but he didn’t know what he could possibly say. The truth would bring him no reprieve, and lying would earn him Aurora’s infamous kick to the privates. Just as he reflected on the fact that she could no longer do it, the furious woman’s right hand shot to his crotch, her iron grip finding its targets.

“Now tell me my dear...” Her voice was dangerously sweet, her smile a fearful sight to behold. “What exactly did you do while I was asleep?” Her grip tightened, making the man draw a quick breath. Mès considered his situation, before smiling a crooked smile, and a mad laughter escaped his lips.

“My sweet sweet Aurora, you take the expression ‘holding a man by his balls’ too seriously.” He barked his strange laugh, he would have to work on it. Aurora’s hold wavered, surprised by his reaction.

“That’s not funny.” She fondled her prizes, thoughtful. If he had been in this situation before they had fled, Mès would have whimpered and confessed everything. A few days ago, he would have started to argue with her. She smiled warmly. “It has been a long time since I heard you laugh. I missed that sound, I can’t even begin to tell you how much.”

“Haven’t been a lot of occasions to celebrate lately.” Mès lovingly caressed Aurora’s ruined face. He still saw her as the greatest beauty he had ever seen, despite her disfigurement. “And a lot of things happened since we got separated.”

“I’m glad to have my happy fool of a husband back, but tell me, what happened to you? You were so violent these past weeks, I feared I had lost you to madness.” She propped herself on her free elbow, sitting facing Mès to bring their faces closer. “But since you came back to me, you sound like a changed man. Does it have anything to do with what happened with Celestia? You were with her for less than an hour.”

“She and I had... words.” Mès sighed as Aurora squeezed him unhappily. “I know you feel strongly for her, but I still won’t give her my trust.” He declared resolutely, frowning. “She is more powerful than any creature has the right to be, and she hides her true face behind deceit. I don’t feel she deserves her power. She is dangerous, you won’t make me think otherwise.”

Aurora reflected on his words, lips pouting. “You are less fun to argue with than before.” She accused. “It’s not as satisfying as when you were shy, or even when you were violent. But I do like this new you better than both.” She brought her lips to his, awkwardly bumping noses before finding her mark, giggling all the while.

“My old self would be deeply disappointed.” Mès said, grinning. He felt that they had not kissed nearly enough: they had to make up for the last months afterall. He threw his arms around her, but before he could embrace the woman, Aurora held him back, her expression suspicious.

“But if not Celestia, what changed you?”

“Lots of things combined I would say.” He said carefully. “I had time to think about who I am, I met interesting new people, got to experience this new world... And I was taken in by someone very clever, I relied heavily on that someone this past couple of days. I owe that person a lot.”

“That ‘person’, is a pony too, like Celestia?” Aurora heard Mès grunt affirmatively, somewhat reserved; she felt that he was holding something back. She sharpened her senses, ready to catch any slip up from her husband. “Her name wouldn’t happen to be Twilight by any chance?”

Aurora was ready to catch any little tell from Mès, a slight shiver, an intake of air... But what she got sent an electric current of fear down her spine: at the mention of that name, her husband literally jumped in surprise, like every part of his body had reacted at once. Every. Single. Part. Her empty eye sockets opened wide with shock, a multitude of scenarios playing out in her mind.

“Mès...” Her voice was calm. Too calm. “Who is Twilight?” She asked nicely, her words dripping with poison.

“She... She’s the one that found me when I crash landed.” The man shivered as though all the heat had been absorbed out of him. “She helped me a lot since... I... arrived...” He trailed off, faced with the most terrifying glare he had ever seen. He wondered widely if this was how facing a gorgon felt like.

“Mès... Hypothetically, if I told you to never go close to this Twilight again, would you do it?”

“N... No, I can’t!” The petrified man’s brain was frozen, his words escaping his mouth without his permission. “You don’t understand, we are bound together by something very strong and magical...”

“Mès...” Her whisper shut him up better than any shout. Aurora could not believe what she was hearing. Mès was hers. HERS. “Do you like her? Are you cheating on me?” The words felt strange in her mouth, they tasted like bile. They were the words of some vapid city girl, not those of a proud merchant. She wondered if she would have been crying, if she still had eyes. She put her left hand on his chest, covering his wild beating heart.

“I... I... Twilight... She...” Deep inside, Mès was yelling ‘NO’, but his body simply would not respond. The memories of the ‘other Mès’ -- as he liked to call him -- contradicted with his thoughts, making the gears in his head clash together.

“Mès... Tell me you did not lay with her! Say it!” She still had this hope at least, it had only been three days after all. “Say it, and I may forgive you...”

The shocking idea made Mès regain control over his flapping mouths, but just as he was about to answer truthfully, a new memory came to him, unbidden and terrible. He was in bed, waking up to the sound of his name, spoken in urgent tone. He had opened his eyes, seeing only deep purple, his arms wrapped around a warm body. A soft lavender body that tasted like the finest of wines.

Aurora felt his body tense up, his chest covering itself with cold sweat. His heart stopped beating long enough to tell her what she wanted to know.

She took her left hand away, slowly bringing it to cover her mouth. “Mès... How could you?”

Before the man could even begin to answer, her right hand began squeezing.

Hard.

---ΩΩΩ---

The silence was uncomfortable, the alicorn shifting restlessly on her divan. Celestia had brought her favourite pupil to a study, not too far away from the Sunrise Garden. It was a peaceful room with soft sofas and burdened bookshelves covering the walls. Soft blue curtains gave the chamber a relaxing atmosphere; the princess used this room whenever she needed to relax. She had hoped to share a private discussion with the unicorn, but as soon as they had crossed the door, Twilight had chosen to grab a random book and laid down on a couch, hiding her face behind the heavy tome. Celestia knew that her student only wanted to avoid talking to her mentor, as it took the frazzled unicorn some time to realize that she was holding her book upside down.

Celestia decided to act, Twilight not giving her any openings. Looking for a distraction, the princess of the day sent a telepathic message for her night counterpart, asking for her assistance. Luna answered her sister’s call immediately, descending from her tower to find out why the white alicorn needed her so urgently. The little princess pushed the door quietly, flinching when she tasted the very awkward aura in the room. She had always been more attuned to other’s feelings, often overreacting to what she felt coming from her subjects. Celestia hoped Luna’s abilities would help her with Twilight’s... predicament.

“Art thou all right sister?” Luna whispered uncertainly. She then realized that they were not alone in the room. “Twilight Sparkle?” The Royal Canterlot Voice boomed out, making the lavender unicorn jump out of her fur, the book on royal mane grooming flying out of her telekinetic grasp.

“GAAAH” Twilight fell from her couch, landing on her back. She searched warily for the source of the shout, finding the upside down image of the little princess. It took her a few seconds to realize who the little filly was. “Princess Luna?” She got to her hooves and eyed the princess curiously.

Last time she had seen the princess of the night, Luna had been a few inches taller than her, the alicorn’s coat a light shade of blue, her mane azure and pale. The princess was now smaller than Applebloom, her coat a deep sapphire blue, her mane shining like the night sky. Even her cutie mark was darker.

Twilight approached the little alicorn with reverence, giving her a respectful bow. “Pardon my curiosity, Princess, but what happened to you, why are you so small?” She asked, her head tilting to the side.

“We have undergone a transformation to ensure that... What is it sister?” Luna looked at Celestia, the white alicorn signaling her to stop talking.

“I should have warned you.” Celestia sighed, there was so many things her sister needed to be briefed on. “We do not use the Royal Canterlot voice anymore, or the Royal ‘We’.” She pointed to the lavender unicorn, her mane blown backwards by the power of Luna’s voice, eyes widened. “I felt that the side effects were... not conductive to a good relationship with our subjects.”

“Oh, I mean oh.” Luna cleared her throat, embarrassed. “That would explain why our servants cower before us... me.” She eyed her sister reproachfully before inclining her head towards the unicorn. “My apologies. We... I haft... I have been locked away for a thousand years, I am still learning the ways of this day and age.”

“I understand.” Twilight shook her head, dispersing the ringing noise in her ears.

Luna’s wing buzzed, bringing the little alicorn to her favorite spot in the room, a soft bean chair that could swallow an unexpecting pony whole. She nestled herself in it while Celestia brought her chair closer, setting Twilight’s couch between them both. The triangle of alicorns and unicorn settled in, and Celestia chose to break the silence.

“As my sister was telling you, her appearance is the result of a very particular form of moulting.” The great alicorn smiled as her pupil went into full student mode instantly, standing at attention.

“Is this part of the alicorn life cycle?” Twilight asked eagerly. Alicorn biology was something she knew next to nothing about, despite being brought up by one. She was much too polite to ask personal questions, but this was an unprecedented occasion.

“It is a rare occurrence, but we do use it when we need it.” Celestia replied. “I personally only used it once, a thousand years ago. My mane used to be bright pink back then.” She smiled at Twilight’s astounded expression.

“But what happens? Do you moult like mammals, only losing fur? Or is it like insects, shedding an external shell?” Twilight wished she had taken a pen and some parchment with her. “Does it hurt? Do you become more powerful? Is this how you stay immortal, like phoenixes?”

“The process is painless, and very similar to the Eternal Fire Birds.” Luna turned towards Celestia inquisitively. “Thou... You still have that bird of yours, do you not?”

“Philomena, yes.” Celestia nodded. “Twilight hasn’t got the chance to see her rebirth yet, although it should happen very soon, she started losing her feathers recently.” She chuckled. “I doubt you would even recognise her.” She said to the unicorn.

“So, do you burst into flames too?” Twilight asked eagerly.

“I did, but that was part of my affinity for the sun.” Celestia answered, grinning at the memory. “Luna is attuned to the night, her body was consumed by darkness.”

“This is the second time I had to use that power.” Luna added evenly. “This time to replenish my powers.”

“And the first time?” Twilight asked, before regretting opening her mouth. She could guess when it had happened as Luna’s expression became sad and regretful, the look strange in the face of this little filly.

“Nightmare Moon was an unfortunate side effect of a moulting born of negative emotions.” Celestia explained, trying to spare the unicorn. “My first moulting came after the battle with my transformed sister. I was completely exhausted, like Luna, after you delivered her from her nightmare, months ago.”

“Stripping away my dark powers left me completely drained, the pony you saw then was only a pale reflection of my former self.” Luna explained, sighing heavily. “I needed to be reborn, start anew. My old body was lost to the nightmare anyway. But fear not, in a matter of a few lunar cycles, this body will be fully grown and my powers restored.”

“I’m glad you will recover.” Twilight sounded relieved. “After the party ended I didn’t know what happened to you, princess.”

“Please, call me Luna.” The little princess smiled warmly. “I was afraid to show myself while in this reduced from, but I had planned to visit your town in the future, to thank them for their welcome.” The dark filly inclined her head towards the unicorn. “I owe a great deal to you and your friends, I won’t forget your deed.”

“Don’t... Don’t mention it.” Twilight blushed furiously, the show of gratitude unexpected. “Without the elements of Harmony we would have been useless.”

“My sister already told me a great deal of your magical abilities, no use in trying to hide your merits.” Luna relaxed in her bean bag, sinking into its depths. “For such a young unicorn to be able to teleport, you must be very gifted indeed. Tell me, what kind of magic have you studied until now?”

Celestia watched as Twilight and Luna spoke of various magic spells, casually trading their experiences and interests. The white alicorn could not help but feel envious of her sister, she had easily breached the social barrier separating them. Was it Luna’s tiny body that helped Twilight feel at ease? No. Celestia knew that it was more than that. As the little alicorn and unicorn went on with their friendly conversation, Celestia realized just how much they had in common: they were both socially awkward, they shared a distinct passion for obscure magical incantations and they had very similar tastes in general. Twilight’s love for stargazing only made them grow closer. They talked for hours, their conversation natural and animated. Celestia felt lonelier than ever, as her sister and her student became closer friends in the span of a morning than she had ever been with Twilight in a decade. She realized that the same could be said of her and Aurora, and a grim smile crossed her lips.

“Birds of a feather...”

“Did you say something princess?” Twilight asked, a little surprised. Maybe she had forgotten she was there to begin with, they had been immersed in the story about the things Mès had done to bring him to the jail below. Celestia wondered how the unicorn would react if she asked her to call her by her name, and not title, just like Luna had.

Luna watched her sister, her gaze piercing Celestia’s calm exterior, seeing the sadness filling the alicorn. “I think my sister may be hungry, what say you we go forth to the dining room, the chefs will have finished setting the table.” Their eyes met, the princesses exchanging their feelings without words.

Twilight looked from Luna to Celestia, and back again, feeling that a quiet conversation as taking place without her. Before she could ask what was going on, a horrible scream shattered the silence. The unicorn’s heart seemed to jump to her throat, she recognized the voice behind the screech.

“Mès!” Twilight shouted, afraid for the man; his pain obvious. She bolted to her hooves, Luna’s round eyes following the unicorn as she rushed out of the room without a glance backwards.

Once the unicorn’s panicked hoofsteps disappeared, the princess of the night turned slowly towards her sister. “Funny that such a logical mind would react in this manner... Must be nerves...”

“Luna.” Celestia frowned, making her little sister avoid her eyes. “I know you can see through anypony’s hidden feelings. Even mine.” The white alicorn steeled herself, leaning towards the small filly. “Twilight, is she...”

“I won’t betray her secrets.” Luna interrupted stubbornly. “If she won’t tell you, don’t think I will spy on her for you.” She stared accusingly at Celestia. “Besides, you don’t need to be a medium to see the truth.” The little princess stretched, extricating herself from the bean bag. “We should follow her, see what the screaming is about.”

“Don’t worry, I think I know what happened. You’ve met Aurora.”

“Yes, I’d say that creature came straight out of Tartarus. But that wasn’t her.”

“No, but she has a husband. I just gave him back to her, that was his voice. I guess he must have angered her.” Celestia tried to hide her amusement.

“Oh...” Luna toyed around with this new information. “So this Mès is Aurora’s husband...”

“Yes.”

“And Twilight...”

“Yes. Unfortunately.”

“Hmmm” Luna pouted. “Don’t you think we should intervene quickly then?”

“Why is that?” Celestia tilted her head, not seeing why she should care if Mès suffered his wife’s wrath.

“Well, by now I am guessing that Twilight has ran head first into Aurora. I wonder what would happen if she got the wrong idea about our unicorn, with her feelings so transparent.”

Celestia froze up, before scrambling to the door, throwing it open without restraints. Luna sighed, following slowly.

“Worry about your own feelings, dear sister, before worrying about other’s.” She said to herself.

---ΩΩΩ---

Aurora had just managed to climb into her wheelchair when Twilight arrived on the scene, panting from her mad dash. The unicorn analyzed the situation: Mès was kneeling down, face planted on the ground. She could hear him moaning as he clutched his... nether regions. Just as she realized what he was clutching the man turned towards her, and the agony etched on his face made the unicorn run towards him.

“Mès, are you allri...”

Twilight was cut off, both in her sentence and in her movement, as Aurora blocked her path. The unicorn had not paid close attention to the female human before, but now she could not tear her eyes away from the woman. The first thing she noticed were her eyes, void behind her bruised eyelids. Her face was burnt in several places, one particular serious scar running across her nose. She could see her hands were also burnt, her arms blackened and blistered where they were not bandaged. She could not see the rest of her body as it was hidden beneath a canary colored gown, but as the bottom of her dress fluttered, she guessed that the woman had no legs. Mès had been right in saying that she could not have been unhurt.

The crippled woman rolled towards the unicorn, making Twilight take a step back. “Now, who might you be, I wonder? To come running to the rescue of my dear husband.” Aurora was smiling as she spoke, but Twilight felt cold as she gazed into the darkness of her eyes. Once again the woman pushed her wheelchair forward, but the unicorn stood her ground.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, nice to meet you.” She declared, valiantly trying to sound friendly. If Aurora knew her name, she didn’t let anything transpire. “Mès is my friend.”

“Indeed.” Aurora’s hands crept towards her face, the unicorn doing her best not to flinch. She let the burned fingers trace her features, caressing her mane carefully, brushing lightly against her horn, before they ended cupped under her jaw. “Tell me, little Twilight.” Aurora said sweetly. “Are you considered a beauty in your species?”

The question caught her off guard. “I... I don’t think so...” She was far from vain or concerned with her appearance. Some colts had offered her some compliments, but her antisocial ways had always kept most of them away.

“Mès.” The woman called, a groan answering her. “Would you say that Twilight is beautiful?”

“Ask me again when I find my balls.” He shot back. His voice was high pitched, and Twilight was glad to hear humor in his tone. “My gods woman, how will I offer you any more children if you keep doing that?” Mès rose behind Aurora, still clutching his crotch, but with a crooked smile reaching his ears.

“What makes you think I would accept your gifts?” Aurora tried to keep her poker face, but her lips twitched nonetheless, a smile fighting to appear. Her husband was not a shameless man, no matter how much he had changed. The lack of remorse in his voice meant she had been wrong about the situation.

“Because you are too smart for your own good.” He laid his left hand on her head, patting her condescently. The three of them were now linked together. “Twilight, may I present to you the reason for all of my troubles, the most possessive woman the earth has ever bore.” He laughed, and Aurora smiled bashfully.

“I may have overreacted.” The woman fought to keep a blush away. “I should have known better than to suspect you.”

“Yes, you should.” Mès chuckled. “And to answer your question, yes, Twilight is very cute.”

He barked his strange laugh, throwing his head in the air. He missed the way the unicorn reacted to his words, but Aurora didn’t. The merchant’s hands felt as Twilight gulped hard, her neck burning as she became flushed, and she could almost feel the satisfaction radiating from the unicorn. Aurora’s smile vanished in an instant, her grip on the unicorn becoming viselike, making Twilight wince, before softening into a gentle caress.

She brought her lips to Twilight’s ears, whispering in a kind tone. “That is a very unwise reaction, Twilight Sparkle. You took care of Mès for me, and for that you have my thanks. But you won’t have him, he is mine until I die. After that it’s up to him.” Before the unicorn could comprehend her words, Aurora held her head in place and planted a gentle kiss on her muzzle.

Twilight’s mind went into overdrive, trying to analyze the situation. She looked at Mès, hoping he would help her, but she found only an angry scowl. The man acted with blinding speed, jumping around Aurora, positioning himself behind the unicorn in the blink of an eye. Twilight wondered if he was going to drag her away from his wife, but soon she heard the canter of hooves that had made him react.

“Stay back!” he ordered. Twilight realized that he had placed himself between both females and an unseen danger. The clops of hooves came closer, stopping at the entrance of the garden. She tried to turn, but Aurora held her in place, grumbling as if to say ‘I’m not done yet.’

“I should have known.” Celestia’s voice made Twilight jump. The alicorn chuckled behind her. “Your wife seems to be adept at kissing people she just met.”

“It’s her way to offer her friendship.” Twilight heard Mès shift as he answered. “It’s a gift she won’t offer to just anyone, and I know she holds you in great esteem.” Aurora finally released her, obviously curious about what Mès was doing. Twilight turned, discovering that Mès had inclined his head in a very small bow. His hands were clenched into fists as he bent lower, his spine curving towards the surprised alicorn. “You saved her life, and for that I am forever in your debt. You have my gratitude.”

“But not your trust.” Celestia spoke matter of factly, not bothering to ask.

“Not yet.” Mès straightened up, and Twilight realized that his eyes were level with the princess’s.

“For how long do you intend to look at me like an enemy?” Celestia asked, her sadness showing.

“The sun has always been my enemy.” Mès’s eyes glared daggers at the alicorn, until a small form appeared at Celestia’s side.

“If you want my advice, just send this one to a dungeon until he learns some respect, and be done with it.” Luna declared, visibly not happy with the treatment her sister was getting. The two feet tall filly advanced on Mès, eyes sparkling with fury. “Tell me, young one, do I need to teach you respect for the powers of the alicorn sisters?”

Twilight wandered to the man’s side, worried about his reaction. Aurora did the same, placing herself on his other side. The unicorn saw Mès inspect the small princess, she heard him sniff like a dog, his tongue rolling on his lips, tasting the air.

“So much power in such a little body.” Mès whispered, astonished. “Tell me, who are you?”

“I am Luna, princess of the night and co-ruler of Equestria.” The dark filly declared solemnly. “Know that I am aware of the guards you have attacked, and now you have insulted my sister. I am not as forgiving as her, how are you going to repay your offense?”

Twilight felt Mès shift in his stance. She was prepared to tackled him to the ground if he acted crazy again, but she didn’t need to, as the man kneeled down on his own. Resting on both of his knees, his hands on his thighs, Mès bowed once more, this time much more respectfully, his brow touching the grass.

Luna eyed the display with an even expression. “Rise.” She commanded. Mès obeyed, sitting on his heels. “You offered your gratitude to my sister.” She spoke slowly, her voice regal and powerful. “What do you offer me, young Mès?”

Mès was strangely serious as he answered. “I swore never to bow to any man, or god, if I had the choice. But today I bow freely to you, Luna, and recognize you as a true goddess.” Twilight shot an inquisitive glance at Aurora, but she woman seemed as lost as she was. The merchant seemed to feel the unicorns gaze, as she turned her head towards Twilight and shrugged, shaking her head in wonder.

The little princess got closer, almost touching him. “Why would you act with such reverence for me, and not my sister?”

“The sun has never been but a burden on my life, burning my skin as I worked, revealing my traces as I ran, taking what I held dear...” Mès shot an angry glance at Celestia, before returning his gaze to the small alicorn in front of him. “The night was ever my ally, the moon illuminating my path, giving me respite. Your namesake always brought happiness to my heart, I can see the stars I love so much in your hair, I can taste the fresh night in your aura, and your great power fills me with joy, not dread. I gladly accept you as the Princess of the Night, the only princess I will follow. I offer you my service as repayment for my crimes”

Everyone around the garden was astonished, everyone but Mès and Luna. The little princess eyed the man critically, before smiling and spreading her tiny wings. “I acknowledge your pledge. Do you swear to never harm any of my subjects again, unless I command you to?”

“I do.” Mès’s eyes began to glow, his powers responding to his elated emotions.

“Do you swear loyalty to me, your friends, and all of Equestria?”

“Yes.”

“Do you swear to protect the realm against its enemies?”

“Without fail.”

“Do you swear to love thy princess and carry her colors?”

“Always.”

“Do you swear to love my sister as much as you love me?”

“No.”

Luna bursted out laughing, the solemn atmosphere broken. Twilight realized she was holding her breath. As the unicorn exhaled she noticed that Aurora was wearing an unhappy pout, her hands cradling her round belly. ‘Mès’s child’ Twilight thought with a jolt.

“At least swear to respect her.”

“No.”

“How about not hating her.”

“No.”

“Never to hurt her?”

Mès hesitated for just a second, before answering bluntly. “Deal.”

Luna smiled warmly. “Very well. I now pronounce you a Knight of the Night’s Watch. It was time for me to reform the ranks of my personal guard anyway.” The tiny princess turned to her stunned sister. “You see, the old ways still have some uses.” She said jokingly. “Now let us go forth to the dining room, I am famished.”

The two alicorns went together, Celestia and Luna whispering to each other, while Mès, Aurora and Twilight followed. The man grabbed the handles behind his wife’s chair, pushing it despite the woman’s protest.

“I know you can move by yourself, just give me this pleasure.” Mès pleaded, intrigued by the wheelchair.

“Fine, just don’t try to push me off a cliff, it won’t work anyway. So what was that about? I thought you didn’t want to recognize anyone’s authority over you.”

“That little one is different, her aura is unbelievable. I will gladly follow her rule.” Mès said, completely serious. “Besides, if we are to stay in Equestria, I would prefer to be under the charge of Luna, not Celestia.”

“And what of your promise to fight for Equestria?”

“Ponies wage war with cakes and pies, I won’t have to hurt anyone.”

“All right, but don’t forget to whom you have pledged eternal fidelity first: me.”

“Yes, yes, I won’t forget.” Mès sighed, if only he didn’t love the possessive side of his wife so much.

Twilight trotted to his side. “I hope you won’t take your words lightly. Luna has given you a great honor: being the first Knight of the Night Watch in a thousand years means you will have to hold to a lot of regulations, etiquette, uniform, restrictions...”

“Yeah, yeah. Stop nagging me you two,” the man said in an exasperated tone.

When they got close to the dining room, Mès turned towards Twilight, his face scrunched in deep thought.

“Hey, Tali?” Mès called.

“Yes?”

“Oh, you have nicknames for each other too?” Aurora accused, feigning outrage. “I should have crushed your nuts harder.”

“Sush, you.” Mès patted Aurora’s head lovingly before turning to the unicorn once more. “Can you tell me something?”

“Sure.” She wondered what kind of question the crazy human could have after all he had done.

“What the heck is a knight exactly?”

---ΩΩΩ---

The royal dining room had never seen such a chaotic meal.

The two alicorns had taken the far ends of the great table, as they always did, while Aurora and Mès sat side by side in its center. Twilight chose a spot across the couple. The dishes on the table were numerous and varied, but the absence of sugary pastries had led Aurora to whine loudly. The wailing had persisted until Mès had stuffed a soufflé down her throat. The woman had then retaliated with the first dish she could get her hands onto, and Mès had been covered in spaghetti and tomato sauce for the rest of the day. The man himself had made a scene when he had demanded to have meat, even proclaiming that he would go to the kitchens to scavenge if he had to. He could not fathom having such a feast without meat, every high born in the empire gorged themselves on the stuff, and he could not wait to take advantage of his new position as a free man. He had looked at Twilight like she had punched him when she reminded him that he would not find meat on the menu of any equestrian household. Mès had then gone into a serious tirade about the tastiness of a juicy piece of meat, Aurora shouting ‘hear hear!’ whenever he stopped to take a breath. Dishes had started to fly down the table when Celestia had tried to explain why he didn’t need meat in his diet, the man outraged, the woman happy to spread some chaos. The white alicorn had ducked for cover, while Twilight tried to appease the humans, Luna dozing off at the other end of the table. When order had been finally restored, food plastered the walls, Celestia’s mane was covered in pickles, Luna was snoring lightly and Twilight was trying to get most of the vinaigrette out of her face. The unicorn didn’t know how Aurora could be so accurate despite her blindness: she didn’t have time to dodge when the woman had grabbed a handful of salad, throwing it to her face with expert precision. The humans had abandoned hostilities when Celestia and Twilight started stopping projectiles with magic.

Mès was now trying to fetch any dish he could find to give Aurora a taste of everything. He had even scraped some of them from the walls. He had just brought her a cheese cake plucked from the ground when Luna woke up with an adorable snort. The little princess looked at the disaster area with an uncertain expression.

“What did I miss?” She asked, not sure if she was still dreaming or not.

“Not much.” Twilight answered, a napkin scrubbing her face. “Just a chance to observe human behavior at the table.”

“We’ll have to do that again when we get home, that’ll be fun.” Mès said happily to Twilight.

“Spike will be thrilled.” The unicorn answered, laughing. She stopped when Aurora looked at her, eyebrows raised, mouth full of cheese cake.

The woman gulped down, putting down her leftovers. “What do you mean ‘home’?” She inquired, suspicious. She turned to Mès. “You don’t intend to go back to her house , do you?” She grabbed his right hand, rubbing his brand with her thumb. “I thought we would find a home for ourselves, we don’t want to be a burden, do we?” She asked nicely, her grip slowly crushing his hand.

“You didn’t tell her?” Twilight said, staring at Mès.

“Tell me what?”

“I didn’t want to ruin the mood...” Mès mumbled.

“Tell me what!”

“Because getting your testicles smashed is a good mood for you?” Twilight asked, disbelieving.

“Tell me WHAT!”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. It has been a while since I could relax with my loving wiiiiifffAAAAAH!”

Mès cried out as Aurora expertly crushed a pressure point in his wrist, making his body twist and fall from his chair. As the muscled man fell to the floor like a stringless puppet, the furious merchant glared blindly at Twilight.

“I won’t have you two ignore me.” She hissed, obviously besides herself. “What happened between you and Mès? No more games.”

Twilight took a bracing breath before answering. “The first thing you should know is that when I found Mès, he was hurt. Not as much as you, but he did have some minor burns all over his body.”

“You healed him.” Aurora guessed. Mès skin had been smooth to her touch. “So your magic works on him, Celestia’s didn’t work on me.”

“Mès told me that not all humans can use magic, I would think that you are completely insensitive to magical spells.” Twilight hesitated, she was close to the sensitive issue. “He also told me that humans that can use magic, sorcerers, are hunted for slavery in your world, with a curse to control them.”

“Branding, yes.” Aurora said curtly, her patience gone. “You are not teaching me anything.”

“In my world, we have a spell very similar to Branding. We call it the Familiar Spell.”

“What does this have to do with Mès!”

“That spell makes the victim very dependent on its master, the familiar has to stay close to the one that casted the spell, there is a distance limit for him not to cross or....”

“Stop wasting my time and... wait.” Aurora froze, remembering Celestia’s words when she had delivered Mès to her. ‘I know about the distance limit.’ and ‘We won’t get far. A terrible suspicion gripped the woman. “What did you do to him?”

“It was an accident!” Twilight pleaded. The woman had a scary expression, and the knife beside her plate seemed very sharp at that instant. “The Familiar Spell went off without my permission, I didn’t know the Branding curse would trigger itself...”

“You BRANDED my HUSBAND?!” Aurora yelled, horror stricken.

“Aurora, please be reasonable.” Celestia intervened, standing besides her student protectively. “Twilight could not have known.”

“SHE BRANDED HIM!” Aurora screamed, pure rage filling her usually calm mind. Her hand found the knife in a swift movement, and she brought her arm back, ready to fling it. The merchant knew there was only one way to free her husband. She tried to throw the knife at Twilight’s head, aiming for her voice, but her arm was gripped by a strong force, stopping her. She struggled, cursing. “Let got of me Celestia, neither your magic nor your friendship will stop me!”

“No. I can’t let you do that.” Mès said firmly, still holding onto her arm. “I won’t let you hurt her.”

Aurora sat baffled, staring with her dead eyes at her husband. “Is she controlling you?” She whispered, mad with grief. She turned towards Twilight, half crazed. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!” She tried futilely to free her right arm, her left hand searching madly for another weapon, but Mès moved in, kneeling to embrace her, immobilizing her completely. “How dare you...” She whispered, suddenly losing her strength. “We were finally free...” She slumped into her husband’s arms, apparently too shocked to cry.

Twilight got to her hooves, ignored Celestia’s warning glance and came to Aurora’s side of the table. She walked slowly until she was next to the bound woman, then put a hoof on Mès shoulders. The man eyed her warily, then released his soul mate. Twilight got closer, putting herself in Aurora’s reach, less than a foot to her left wheel.

“I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am.” The unicorn spoke slowly, remorsefully. “If there was anything I could do to undo that spell...”

“There is something.” Aurora hissed. She tightened her grasp on the knife, Mès moving nearer as a precaution.

“Would you do it?” Twilight gently asked. “Could you kill me just to free Mès?”

“Yes.” Aurora responded without hesitation.

“I believe you. I believe you because Mès wanted to do the same for me once.” Twilight approached, putting her head on Aurora’s left arm. She was completely vulnerable, betting on Aurora’s compassion. This was the only way to make peace. She heard the man move in, no doubt to drag her away. “Mès, don’t intervene.” He grunted, paralyzed by the order.

“He protected you?” Aurora said, unbelieving. She turned to her husband. “Mès, do you care for her?”

“Tell the truth Mès.” Twilight ordered, her heart racing.

“Yes, she is dear to me.” Mès didn’t try to stop the flow of words, the order was absolute. “I would never forgive you if you hurt her.”

“I see.” Aurora toyed with the knife, her left arm could feel the strong pulse in the unicorns neck, sign of her wild heartbeat. She knew exactly where to strike. “You do realize, Twilight Sparkle, that this only makes me want to kill you more?” She felt Twilight gulping, no doubt regretting her order. They stayed in that position for what felt like an eternity, until a little voice broke the silence.

“If you guys are through with this melodrama, I would like to go back to my tower, my bed awaits.” Luna declared, stifling a yawn.

“Luna!” Celestia shot an alarmed glare at her sister, trying to shush her.

“Stop worrying sister.” Luna said nonchalantly as she fluttered towards the door. “Aurora has made her mind already, she is just torturing your student for pettiness sake.” She opened the door, and shot a last glance at the assembly. “Mès, you will come to me before departing for Ponyville, I will give you your armor and instruct you in your duties. Twilight, please keep in touch, I will wait for your letters eagerly. Aurora, please don’t come near me ever again.”

The little princess exited the room, leaving behind a shocked Celestia, two angry Mès and Twilight, and a grinning Aurora.

“I hate it when you do that.” Mès declared.

“Is he still obliged to tell the truth?” Aurora asked, highly amused.

“Yes, I would think so.” Twilight answered, ticked off. She took a step away from the merchant, trying to resist the urge of headbutting her. “When did you decide to spare me?”

“When Mès gave me a hug.” She said, grinning. “If you were truly controlling him he would not have been so gentle, a branded under orders is like a machine. I could never hurt someone he cares for enough to defy me.”

“So everything afterwards...”

“Was a way to get some information.” Aurora turned her wheelchair, facing her husband. “I won’t forget what you said, you’ll pay dearly for this. And you!” She added, pointing to Twilight. “Stay away from my husband.” Aurora huffed and rolled towards the exit, calling to Celestia as she went on. “Coming, Tia? You still have to show me around your castle. I can’t get downstairs without you.”

Celestia sighed before following the woman. “Do you take joy in chaos?” She asked as she joined her side.

“Yes I do. And I am sure you do too. Order is very boring on its own, don’t you think?”

“I knew someone just like you.” The alicorn smiled at the memory. “If you took away the fact that he loved to spread discord everywhere he went, he was a very good friend.”

“What happened to him?”

“He was too dangerous. I had to turn him into stone.” Celestia said darkly, shooting a warning glance at Mès as they crossed the door.

“Sounds neat. Can you show me to his statue?”

“I don’t think it would be a good idea.”

As Celestia and Aurora’s voices grew fainter, the pony and human left inside the room looked at each other.

“Your wife is scary.” Twilight said, matter of factly.

“Meh, she was tame this time, I’ve seen worse.” Mès scratched his chin distractedly.

“Worse than this? How?”

“Well...” Mès eyed the unicorn with a smile. “She didn’t stab you, did she?”

He laughed out loud at Twilight’s face, putting his hand on her head and leading her to the door.

“You mean... she could have...”

“Oh yes, by all means. I was sure she was going to do it. But I guess she likes you too.” Mès saw Twilight briefly looking up at him, before she avoided his gaze. “Which reminds me...” He slapped her head playfully, Twilight crying out in surprise. “Don’t ever use your orders on me like that, especially with Aurora around.”

They started bickering as they exited the room, leaving the disaster area behind. If the room could talk, it would have screamed in relief. Truly, the royal dining room had never seen such a chaotic meal.

---ΩΩΩ---

“Do we have to do this?” Mès grumbled as he eyed his surroundings unhappily. “This city reminds me too much of the big Empire towns... I don’t like it.” He spat on the paved ground, making the onlooking ponies gasp.

“I was born in Canterlot, can you please stop bad mouthing my home?” Twilight didn’t care about the whispers coming from the posh ponies surrounding them, but the way Mès was acting irked her. He stared at every building like it had personally insulted him, growling whenever they crossed a statue. Especially the ones representing Celestia.

“I don’t like the way the air smells in here.” He sniffed at a passing couple of noble ponies, retching and spitting once more as they hurried away. “The people here stink of arrogance. And why are they all clothed?”

“It’s the Canterlot way.” Twilight answered, urging Mès along as he stopped to glower at a statue of Celestia. “Most ponies only dress for formal occasions, but here, every day is formal.”

“They look ridiculous.” Mès declared, oblivious to how his table cloth toga looked on him, the red food stains completing his uncouth ensemble. They entered a small deserted alley, Twilight knowing every shortcut between the castle and her old house. “I feel like the walls are closing in around me...” Mès grumbled, tapping the stone walls surrounding them.

“Just please bear with it just a little longer, my old house is just ahead.” Twilight was eager to see her parents again, as it had been months since she had moved to Ponyville. “My parents will be home at this hour.” The afternoon was about to turn into night, dusk less than an hour away.

“What do you want to tell them about us.” He sighed when Twilight looked back at him with wide eyes. “About this.” He showed his right palm, Twilight’s cutie mark clear even in the alley gloom.

“Oh, that. I think the truth would be best. I’m done hiding my mistakes like a little filly.”

“As you like.” Mès and Twilight went along the corridor silently, until the man saw the unicorn shivering. He patted her head gently, before adding in a friendly tone. “I’ll be there, they will understand that you didn’t want to do this.”

“Even so.” Twilight took comfort in his contact. “Using the Familiar Spell is a big deal for unicorns. I don’t even know how Celestia will punish me for it.”

“If you were not so insistent on having a real sentence, she would have just given you a warning.”

“I can’t let my position influence her judgment.” The unicorn explained stubbornly. “On the contrary: my case is setting up a precedent for the modern use of this awful spell. I can’t let the jurisprudence on this case be lenient!”

“Gods you are such a self-righteous woman, aren’t you.”

“It’s ‘mare’, and thank you.” She said happily, not hearing the insult. They exited the small alley, finding themselves in a calm street, the houses smaller than in the higher districts.

Mès stared at her with an incredulous expression. “I wish Aurora was here, she would know how to put some sense into you.” The merchant had declined the polite if forced invitation to visit Twilight’s old house. She had instead selected to follow Celestia to her personal library, where the princess had promised to find a way for her to read books, despite her blindness.

“Too late now. We are here.” She stopped in front of a quaint two story house made out of timber and clay, a curiosity for Canterlot. Twilight shot a curious glance at Mès, finding the man smiling at the construction, visibly pleased.

“Now this, this I like.” Mès ran a hand on the rough walls, grinning with satisfaction.

Twilight tried to hide her pleasure at Mès’s reaction. The house was definitely apart from the other Canterlot buildings. For one, it was not made of stone, the roof made of plain wood and not polished and painted slate, the windows were simple and inviting. It was a common house in a city full of frenzied grandeur. She was proud of this simplicity.

She pressed the doorbell, perking up when the familiar tune sounded. She turned to Mès, the man standing to her side. “Now please be good, don’t do anything to scare them off.”

“What do you mean, I’m an example of well behavior.” He gave her crooked smile, revealing his frightful canines. Twilight was now used to his predatory grins, but she wondered how her parents would react.

Just on cue, the door opened slowly, her father peeking to see who might call at this hour. Night Light looked at Mès with alarm, the man smiling his biggest carnivorous smile. He was about to close the door and bolt the securities when he saw his daughter, small in comparison to the scary creature.

“Twilight!” He threw the door wide open and embraced his daughter. “You should have warned us, we would have thrown a party for your return! Velvet! Guess who it is?”

Mès stood by as Twilight was ushered inside, leaving him alone on the doorstep. He wondered if he should close the door and find a soft spot to wait, but the azure older unicorn called over his shoulder.

“Are you going to to just stand there? Come in, come in!” Night Light said happily.

The man shook his head, angry at himself. Canterlot was definitely messing with his head. For an instant he had forgotten he was no longer a slave in the Roman Empire, where branded were expected to wait for their master outside at social visits. The stone city made him uneasy, he could not wait to return to Ponyville. He realized with humor that he considered the tree library as his home, but it was not surprising: it was the first place he had ever felt welcome.

The house was as inviting on the inside than on the outside. Mès sniffed with satisfaction, looking everywhere: the corridor behind the entrance was lit by soft amber lamps, a couple of doors to each side, and he could also spy the foot of a staircase at its end. The parquet floor was spotted with soft rugs, photographs covering the flowered wallpaper. Mès tried to look at all of them, he still marveled at the pictures, even after Twilight had explained how they worked. Most seemed to represent the family; he could recognize Spike, Twilight and her father amongst the unicorns in the frames. One particular photo attracted his attention, and he had to call upon all of his self control not to ‘daaaaw’. The little purple filly was unbearably cute, asleep in her bed, clutching a strange doll.

A female voice made him jump. “Sweetie!” Mès looked around. Twilight and her father had entered a door ahead, he hurried to catch up to them, not wanting to be caught snooping around. He entered a brightly lit lounge, low long chairs surrounding small round tables. There was no sign of luxury anywhere, the furniture spartan but comfortable. Mès decided that he loved this house.

In the middle of the room Twilight was being hugged by a light grey unicorn, her mane striped purple and white. The older mare tilted her head when she saw him enter, and Mès decided to make an effort to be polite.

“Greetings, I am Mès of Alexandria.” He smiled, doing his best not to reveal his teeth. He knew they made ponies uncomfortable, and something about Velvet appealed to him. “If I may be so bold, you have a lovely home, I thank you for letting me intrude.” The words were not in his usual vocabulary, and he hoped he had used them well enough. He had heard Aurora speaking fancy many times after all.

“Why, hello.” Velvet eyed him critically, and Mès remembered that his toga was covered in crimson stains. No wonder Night Light had looked so frightened. The older mare looked from him to Twilight, before adding. “This is the first time Twilight has ever brought a male home, now I know why. She always was one for unusual tastes after all.” She released her daughter, taking a seat in one of the long chairs.

The lavender unicorn went redder than his toga, but Mès knew when someone was teasing him, courtesy of his life with Aurora. He decided to play her game. “I should say so, your daughter has a very open mind.” He followed Velvet with a smile, making himself comfortable next to the grey unicorn. As he had expected, the chairs were not overly soft, but rather firm and agreeable as he laid on his side. “She is not afraid of experimenting. Shall I tell you about the things she did to me in her basement?” Twilight stared at him, before leaping on top of the grinning man to silence him before he could say anymore. “See what I mean?” He added, laughing as the lavender unicorn tried covered his mouth.

“Traitor!” Twilight shot, trying not to laugh. Being home with her parents made her feel like a filly once more, this was the one place she could afford to be silly. “You promised to behave!” She started to jab him in the ribs playfully.

The doorbell rang, Night Light left to get it as Velvet chuckled at them. “Glad to see you are making friends, sweetie,” she said, beaming. She bursted laughing when Mès started to tickle Twilight into submission. “What about you Mès?” Velvet added, as her daughter giggled, Mès trapping her in his arms. “You seem to be very close with my dear daughter.”

Mès immobilized the unicorn with a bear hug, it felt good to let loose and have fun. “Well, I do live with her, so...”

“You WHAT?” A voice rang from the door leading to the corridor, and Mès glanced at the new comer. The white unicorn had a two toned blue mane, his body broader than the usual pony. Mès noticed that he was obviously muscled, his heavy chest huffing as he stared at the human holding his little sister in his arms.

Mès remembered him from the photographs, and a name came to him. “Hi,” he said politely, tightening his grasp as Twilight tried to escape. “You are Oiled Breastplate, right?”

The big unicorn seemed to swell with anger, and a small laugh came behind him. Spike made his way around the outraged stallion, cackling, but as he saw Twilight and Mès he gagged, looking away. “Not again!” The little dragon protested.

“AGAIN?!” Shining Armor shouted, ready to explode.

“Yeah, I can’t even begin to tell you all the gross things they were doing back in Ponyville.” Spike shook his head, trying to get the images out of his head. “I’m too young for this...”

“Shining, this isn’t what it looks like!” Twilight reflected that she had said that phrase more often in the last few days than in her whole life. She blushed even more as her father peaked curiously around her brother’s shoulders.

“Explain what’s going on then!” The captain of Celestia’s royal guard pawed at the ground, furious at the way Mès was smiling. The man was enjoying the situation way too much for his taste. “What going on between you two?”

“I’m curious too, actually.” Velvet exchanged a collusive glance with Mès, grinning all the way to her ears. “Are you two just friends or...”

The man winked at the grey mare, before ruffling Twilight’s mane. “C’mon Tali.” Shining Armor seemed to grow angrier as he heard the nickname. “Tell them the truth!”

Mane sticking out at random places, Twilight looked from Mès to her mother, hiding a smile behind a hoof, from Velvet to her brother, who seemed about to burst into flames, and from Shining Armor to the man holding her, wearing a satisfied expression. Panic impaired her usual quick mind, and no words came to her. She looked for help in her father, but Night Light seemed to be very interested in a speck on the ceiling, and Spike was looking accusingly at her. There was no escape.

She shuddered as Mès whispered in her ear, the warm breath tickling her. “Not very nice to be forced to reveal your feelings, is it.” The man squeezed her to him, she could feel his heartbeat on her back. “I like my vengeance served cold, with a nice glass of wine.” He murmured.

Mès’s words jolted her, outrage replacing panic. Her mind settled, and the calm analytical unicorn realized she had one way to exit the situation, and take Mès down a peg at the same time. She grabbed the arms surrounding her, preparing her spell. The man felt the power building, but it was too late for him to release the unicorn. Just before casting her spell, Twilight heard Mès whisper urgently. “Don’t you dare...” She grinned at the uneasiness in his voice, selected her destination and casted her spell. In a blinding flash of light, both unicorn and human disappeared, leaving a very startled family behind.

“Well, that was fun.” Velvet declared, very pleased. No one in the room shared her sentiment, but they were not about to contradict the mistress of the house.

---ΩΩΩ---

“This is all your fault...”

“My fault? You are the one who made the jump! I didn’t ask to be brought here!”

“I miscalculated, okay? It’s pretty hard to concentrate with you breathing down my neck.”

“I’m glad we didn’t end up inside a boulder at least. And we are not on fire, that’s a plus too.”

“This roof is pretty narrow though... I hope the wind doesn't pick up.”

“I could try to blink us to the ground.”

“And set my native city on fire? No, thank you. We’ll just have to wait for my magic to come back, I should be rested enough in just a bit. Then I’ll teleport us both back to my parent’s.”

“Or we’ll end up on the moon. Why don’t we ask for help?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, we are too high for anypony to hear us.”

“I could make some signals...”

“NO FIRE!”

Night settled over Canterlot, the peaceful silence disturbed as the two figures stranded on a tower argued loudly, bickering until the stars shone overhead. Their quarrel only stopped when they disappeared in a bright flash, leaving the city finally at peace.

Author's Note:

This was the chapter with the most errors by far, thankfully Zobeib was there to catch the slack. I'm learning a lot thanks to him.

Comments

[Ghost-091]

This entire chapter had me lawling. First time that's happened in a long time. Congrats.

[bocaj518]

Me Gusta!

[redstone]

2625359
Well thanks! I had fun writing it, glad it translates to the reader