Jokers Wild

by blowngasket

The Crazy Thing About The Test

Chapter 15: The Crazy Thing About The Test

Everyone had gathered in Twilight's library after the attack of the giant beast. There were questions, and lots of them. With both Celestia and Luna there, more than a good few of them could be answered. Twilight sat at her desk, quill and inkwell ready to record anything that could prove to be useful to her. Perry, and the now awake Fluttershy, sat on the couch, the former slightly irked by Rainbow Dash's insistence on sitting between the two. It didn't make it better that Rainbow constantly flashed him a cheeky smile that pretty much screamed 'What are you gonna do about it?' Pinkie and Spike were in the kitchen, preparing snacks for everyone who was there. Rarity and Applejack were sitting on the floor in front of the couch, Rarity needing at least three pillows to be comfortable. The two princesses remained standing in front of the group, feeling somewhat awkward about being put on the spot like this. With everyone ready, Twilight was the first to raise the question on everyone's mind.

"Ok, what happened to the golem?" Twilight wasn't an expert on magic for nothing. She had read up on all sorts of magical spells and abilities, and has yet to find a spell that causes destruction on that magnitude. "Things like that don't just disappear. I saw the princesses barrier around it, but what I can't figure out is that sudden darkness. Where did it come from and where did it go?" she asked the two of them.

"Well, Twilight, I guess it is beyond hiding now. Is this alright with you, Perry?" Celestia looked at Perry.

"I consider them all friends, and after an extensive amount of soul searching as of late, I have accepted that part of myself. I feel that they all deserve the truth as well. Good friends shouldn't hide secrets from one another, especially if they could put them at risk. I am not to pleased with it, but it is the right thing to do. I just ask all of you to not think any less of me once she tells you my not so grand tale," Perry said, hanging his head slightly.

"That was very well said, Perry. As you girls know, Equestria has been fairly peaceful for a very long time. Myself and Luna, save her thousand year..." Luna looked down slightly, Celestia deciding to quickly change the topic. "Anyways, we have done our best to preserving the peace. In many instances, the Elements of Harmony have been used to help fend off great threats to Equestria," the group listened in carefully to her words, including Pinkie and Spike, who walked out with several plates of cookies and glasses of milk. "Milk and cookies? Don't mind if I..." Luna grunted slightly, causing Celestia to reluctantly put down the glass and handful of cookies, and return to her stoic demeanor. "Sorry about that. Well, there are some situations that the Elements can't assist in, as powerful as they are. Some issues need to be as discreet as possible. A select group of individuals headed by Luna oversee these tasks."

"T.E.S.T., a group of people chosen on their individual talents take care of these tasks," Luna took the reigns here, being her creation. "The tactical equestrian specialist team handle the sneakier business of our country. This team of four people currently includes a master of disguise for information gathering and intelligence. Interestingly enough, he is a changeling as you all know them as," this gave way to some gasps from the group, as their recent encounter with changelings was anything than pleasant. "A specialty scryer who gathers the information that will not be given any other way."

"A what now?" Applejack asked Luna. Twilight looked up from her quill and paper and gave the answer Applejack requested.

"A scryer is someone who invades the minds of others, like a mind reader. It's a tricky kind of magic, and hard to master, as well as illegal and unethical," Luna nodded, satisfied with Twilights answer.

"The soldier in charge of defense tactics takes the third spot, as he is one of the members responsible for the use of given information and acting on it," Luna explained, Twilight raising her head slightly. "Yes Twilight, the one responsible for this is the only member to have a job in the Royal Guard. Your brother, Shining Armor," Luna told the surprised Twilight. Perry laughed, causing Twilight to give a look at him.

"We never did really get along. Shiny never liked me spending time with you, considered me a menace to society. Though to be fair, he never got along with any of us," everyone's eyes turned to Perry, who continued to talk. "The forth member is also responsible for using information given, but at a more personal level," he said to the group.

"The forth member, Perry here, performs covert assassination operations," Luna said to the group, causing a bunch of gasps. Rainbow was the first to react, deciding that maybe being next to Perry would be bad for her health. Perry sighed and stood up, most of them staring except Pinkie, who looked at Perry confused.

"What's an assassinamatchacallit?" Pinkie asked, getting a slight chuckle from Perry for the awkwardly cute mispronunciation of his unofficial title. He looked over the rest of the group, every single one of them silent. Unlike Pinkie, he could tell that they all knew what he meant. Looking over to Fluttershy, she gave Perry a reassuring nod, which helped ease the tension building up inside of him.

"To be simple, Pinkie, I make the people who threaten Equestria go away...forever," Perry said, no remorse in his tone.

"Make them...go away, like on a trip?" Pinkie asked, while everyone only stared at Perry intently. She was really that dense, and it made Perry sad that he would have to shatter that viewpoint of hers.

"No, go away, as take away their life and lay them to rest," Pinkie gasped, finally understanding what he meant. Perry looked down slightly before turning to the princesses. "I am sorry...I need to be alone for a bit, and this is probably a lot to take in for them," Celestia and Luna nodded. Perry turned around towards the group. "I don't expect you all to accept me right away, or even ever, so I won't be upset if you do avoid me. I just hope that even so we can still be friends, eventually," Perry walked out of the Library, leaving the group speechless.

"Perry's vacation, though somewhat fake, was so that he could get a chance to interact with more people. The other reason he is here is to keep watch over the town, as we have caught wind of a dark presence in the Everfree Forest," Celestia told them. They remained silent.

"Our scryer, as good as he is, can't view the forest with his ability. It is being blocked out by a tremendous growing dark energy," Luna began to explain. "We personally didn't approve, but Celestia thought it would be wise to send someone who could handle that kind of energy. Normally we would have sent Shining Armor, but he and Princess Cadence are currently working on hosting the Equestrian Games, so we reluctantly agreed to sending that clown..." she sighed.

"Anyways, contact Perry if there is any need to. Otherwise, I would ask all of you to please try and be accepting of him. He hasn't exactly had it easy in his life. I know it may seem as if I am making excuses for his choices, and that isn't a good reason for what he does. He has kept us all safe on more than one occasion. I ask you, please be a bit forgiving," Celestia said to the group. "Luna and I have to go now, so I wish you a good night, and please try to help him out. He is going through a rough time right now and definitely needs good friends, now more than ever."

"Twilight, it is always a pleasure. You all have a good night. Though we do dislike Perry, it is simply because it is hard to work with him, so please do give him a chance. Good friends helped us out, didn't they?" she said. Both Celestia and Luna made there way outside, before teleporting away to the castle.

They all just sat there, a bit silent at the news of what there newest friend does for a living. No one knew what to say, except Fluttershy. "Perry isn't someone who we need to be afraid of. It's the bad people in the world who create a need for such a person," all eyes turned to Fluttershy, which made her nervous. Still she needed to be strong for the one she cared for in his time of need. "Perry told me most of this before. He is a sensitive man, despite what he acts like. He has done terrible things, but it's not like he doesn't feel upset about it. Just give him a chance, for me. I will continue to stand by him. Please, all of you, stand by me, because I couldn't be who I am now without you all either, and I don't want to do this by myself," tears were starting to form in her eyes, as everyone listened and watched her. She has never been one for speeches, yet she forced herself to stand tall. Twilight was the first to speak, prompting everyone's gaze to shift.

"Fluttershy is right," she said confidently. "It would be wrong of us to judge him based on his actions alone. I have known him for longer than all of you, and though apparently his original job was just a cover, he really did enjoy his work in making people laugh, and feel better when they were sad. He has always treated me like the sister he has never had."

"He isn't without his faults," Rainbow started, looking over the group. "I have seen the uglier side of him, and he has also seen mine. Still, he showed kindness when he didn't have to, and in the end he has become an awesome friend worth getting to know. He is someone I am willing to put my trust in as well, and besides, being best friends with an assassin, ya have to admit is kinda cool," she smiled proudly at her statement.

"Perry is definitely a mystery, but he is also a gentleman, and acts like it...most of the time anyways," Rarity spoke, grabbing everyone's attention. "He was willing to help out my sister and her friends when they needed it. Even when I so rudely pushed him into a fountain, he didn't get upset. He acted nicely towards me, and in the end, even trusted me on making that fantastic suit...that...oh my, I almost forgot that he was covered in dirt! I have to get that washed!" everyone stared at Rarity, causing her to calm down from her near fashion frenzy. "Pardon me for thinking he has an excellent fashion sense...when he wants to..."

"It does make me sad knowing Perry isn't a real jester, but he is still really nice to me," Pinkie said, being her turn now. "He loved to party, and people who love to party can't be bad people. It is a law of the party itself, and I will stand by that law!" she said. Applejack stood up and headed into the kitchen, as everyone watched.

"I'll just be a minute. I have an idea..." she said and disappeared into the kitchen.

"I hope he is alright," Fluttershy said to the others. Spike got up and sighed slightly.

"I feel so jealous of you all! Everyone has such cool stories about Perry except for me! We should find him. He has got to be upset at everything, and wandering around in the middle of the night has got to be depressing," Spike told the girls. They all nodded, and got themselves ready to leave.

"Spike, ya mind comin here for a second?" Applejack called the young boy. He walked in to find Applejack holding an unbaked pie in her hands. "Need a little dragon magic here, think ya can help?" she smiled lightly. "Actions do speak louder than words after all."

Spike smiled and took the pie. Using his magical fire breath, he cooked the pie fully within seconds. Being no slouch at using himself as a portable oven, he made sure it came out perfectly. He smiled, as he could now say he had somewhat of a story to tell as well. He left the pie on the counter to cool.

"Let's go Applejack, we got a friend in need out there," Spike said as he got his jacket on. Applejack nodded and followed him out, everyone waiting for them.

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Perry sat by the water fountain, staring into his reflection in the water. He wondered how all the girls were taking it right now. He needed some air, and knew they would need time to digest the new information. At the best, they accept him. The worst, he goes into hiding and does his job like he normally would have if not for the silly vacation trickery Celestia pulled on him. Either way, he was happy with the outcome. If not for himself being able to find solace in the fact that he supports Equestria to the best of his abilities, but for his newfound romance he was hoping would lead to something greater. Though he stared into the liquid mirror at himself, he was still able to notice a group of girls walking towards him.

"I guess they finally made their decision," Perry said to himself, turning his head to face them. Spike was the first one to run up to him. Perry looked down at the boy.

"Hey, Perry! How's it going?" Spike asked, trying to make small talk.

"It's turned into a nice looking night. Besides that, mainly reflecting on things," he responded. He turned to the others who walked towards him. He remained silent, waiting for their judgment. Twilight was the first to speak, with a look of agitation on her face.

"Perry, I only have one question, and it has been bothering me for the entire day..." she said to him.

"And what would that be, Twilight?" Perry responded, unsure of what kind of question he would have to answer, or even if he actually wanted to.

"Seriously...what the hell happened to that thing out there tonight. I kept asking, and the question got avoided so many times it's ridiculous," Perry chuckled lightly.

"Of all the questions you could ask, that is what you wish to know?" Perry asked.

"Yes! Seriously, what did you two do to that thing? I have never seen anything like that!" she yelled, getting furious and thinking he was going to dodge the question again.

"Fine. I opened a black hole, nothing more. Next question," Perry said to the others in a nonchalant way. Twilight just stood there in a slight bit of shock before flailing about.

"Wait WHAT?!" she yelled to Perry. "You don't just make holes in the fabric of space. That is dangerous! How?! What?! Why?!" Twilight started to babble on. Perry sighed.

"Twilight, I will assure you it was under control, Princess Celestia kept up the barrier to withstand the gravitational forces. As the how, I would rather not divulge anything about the spell to you. You might actually go and try it for yourself. I would rather not feel responsible for an apocalypse," Perry laughed at the thought of Twilight ending the world. "Is that all?" Perry asked. Twilight sighed in defeat stepping back towards the rest of the group. Fluttershy walked towards Perry slowly, looking into his eyes, she simply smiled.

"Perry, we all want you to know, that we still think of you as a friend...so if you want to... please don't go away yet," Fluttershy blushed slightly. Perry stood up and bowed to her and the entire group.

"It would be an honor to continue to be your friend if you're willing to accept me," Perry said, smiling happily behind the mask. "Promise me that you won't talk about my other job though..." he said seriously towards the group. "If you do...it will be hard to perform my duties if people know who to expect."

"No that is not how you do it!" Rainbow Dash started to yell at Perry. "You're supposed to be all 'If you do, I will have to kill you', not like that! Here you could have looked so cool!"

"I beg your pardon, but why exactly would you want me to kill you? I thought we were friends, and as far as I know, friends don't kill friends," Perry asked, slightly confused. Rainbow just stared at him in disbelief and grumbled. Everyone else started laughing at the comment. Perry looked back to Fluttershy, and grabbed her hand. She squeaked slightly at the sudden contact, before easing up and gripping his hand with hers. "It has been a long day, so how about we all go home and rest up," Perry said to everyone.

"Well could ya at least come back with us to Twilight's?" Applejack asked. "Me and Spike here made a pie for ya, as a token of appreciation for all the nasty work ya had to do for us all," Perry looked at them all and grinned under the mask.

"I certainly am not the one to say no to pie. Oh, I am going to get so fat here," Perry said to them all. He followed them to the library, getting a few nice laughs, some delicious pie and overall enjoying the company of his friends. He was glad to have met people like them. If he could have known people like that when he was younger, maybe things would have been different, but the winding road of fate is very fickle, and no matter what, he was satisfied with himself.

---------- ---------- ----------

Perry and Fluttershy left Twilight's library after enjoying the company of everyone. Rarity kept insisting on making him a secret agent outfit for his job, but Perry politely declined, kind of afraid on what a 'fashionable assassination suit' would look like. Rainbow Dash wanted him to teach her his ways, which he also declined, stating that she was a death hazard already. Everyone had to decline when Pinkie wanted to host a 'my friend is a contract killer' party. She sincerely didn't know why that was a bad thing, but as they say, Pinkie is Pinkie.

Perry walked Fluttershy home, talking lightly with her along the way about the days events, and mainly about them. It was a nice way to end the evening, though Perry couldn't help but be worried for Fluttershy's safety. If he was meant to be a target, then when that robed man had seen her with him, he could try and use her against him. "Fluttershy, I don't mean this as trying to be forward, but would you mind if I spent the night?" he asked, causing her to stop dead in her tracks and just look at him, blushing heavily. Perry chuckled slightly, looking at her shocked reaction.

"Umm...I...well...umm..." Fluttershy tried to get the words out, but was failing miserably. Perry grinned and started to walk forward.

"Well I didn't hear a no. I will stay on the couch, so don't worry about your privacy. It will be safe with me, I can assure you," Perry laughed lightly peeking back at Fluttershy, who just nodded slightly, her face as red as an apple. She quickly followed him as they arrived at her house. Perry stared at his old nemesis yet again, watching as it quickly moved out of his way with such little effort. All it took this time was Fluttershy to unlock and open it. Perry gave a smug, self satisfied grin towards it before walking in. Once inside, Perry stood there. Unsure of what to do, he stayed in one spot, just looking around. This was much easier in his head, and now that he was inside, he was actually quite nervous.

"Umm...would you like...something to drink? Tea, maybe?" Fluttershy asked him shyly, hiding her blush as best as she could with her hair. Perry scratched the back of his head awkwardly, looking at her.

"Sure...tea would be nice," he said, still standing in the same spot he was in. Before, it was so easy to move about, but now it was almost like he was frozen in place, as if moving would cause him to fall into an endless void. Fluttershy walked into the kitchen and started to boil the water. Using this time, he found himself able to slowly and carefully make his way to the couch. Taking a seat on the soft furniture, Perry sat there quietly. Fluttershy soon walked out with two cups of tea. She handed him one before taking a seat next to him. They sipped their tea quietly, Perry lifting his mask up slightly. He was alright with taking the thing off around Fluttershy, but he felt even more self conscious now than ever. As they finished, Perry got up and brought the cups into the kitchen. Fluttershy got up as well, standing there, more nervous than she has ever been ever. She gulped slightly as she watched Perry come out of the kitchen.

"Perry..." Fluttershy started to speak, her voice was quiet and hard to hear, but Perry was well trained in listening for the slightest of noises, but he couldn't help but be on edge as well. "If...you want to...you know...I don't mind you ...umm spending the night with me..." she blushed heavily, finishing that last part. Perry froze in place, finding the response to such an offer hard to find. Sure they have slept together, sort of. This was different though. "If...you don't want to...I understand..." she said quietly, looking down.

"Fluttershy...I would love to...but it would be quite inappropriate of me to do so," Perry said, almost wanting to kick himself hard in the face, but at the same time not wanting to come on too strong.

"...I don't mind, really. I trust you, Perry," she lifted her head and smiled towards him. He sighed. He might as well give up. It would be hard for him to complain, but it was still awkward.

"If you are alright with it, but..." Perry started." ...I snore, so don't feel bad about kicking me off the bed if I annoy you," Perry tried to lessen the tension with a bit of humor, which ended up working. Fluttershy giggled slightly, helping Perry relax from his present situation as well. They slowly headed upstairs and towards Fluttershy's bedroom. Perry waited outside for her to change out of her dress and into something more comfortable to sleep in. He considered himself a person of decency at the very least, but that did not stop him from wondering about beyond the door. Perry made a mental note that all doors in this building were evil now, as they caused him to think unclean thoughts as well as preventing, or at least delaying, his entrance. Fluttershy opened the door finally, Perry's jaw dropping. She wore a simple night gown, a subtle shade of yellow. Its silky material gracefully flowed down to the floor. The thing he admired most was that her wings were once again in view, as he couldn't help but stare at them.

"Is...everything alright?" Fluttershy asked. He chuckled as he removed his mask, revealing his heavily blushing face and an awkward smile.

"I am just staring at your wings...that's all," Perry said honestly. "They really are quite beautiful," her wings almost looked like they puffed up a little with pride at the compliment.

"Thank you...umm you can come in now...if you want to," she said sheepishly. He walked in and took his jacket and dress shirt off, leaving him in just his dress pants. They were comfy enough to sleep in, so he wasn't all that concerned, at least for that. Fluttershy gently got under the covers, Perry nervously following as he laid down next to her.

"If at any time I bother you, feel free to ask me to leave," Perry said as he looked at her, still finding it hard to believe where he was to begin with.

"I am sure you won't be a bother," she said, moving to get a bit closer to Perry. After some fidgeting, Perry felt her gently snuggling against him. He froze, unsure of what to do here. Moving slowly, he wrapped his arm around her and just held her gently.The effect of his warmth was almost instantaneous as she started to snore lightly, smiling as she buried her face into his chest. He didn't mind though, as he felt almost like this was right. He slowly began to close his eyes as well, giving Fluttershy a soft kiss on her head before. He could die right now and still be happy.

"Good night, Fluttershy. Sweet dreams, my love..."

Comments

[Midnight Blues]

Good stuff!
Couple things though.
1: Don't forget about saying sorry to Zecora (Also, she might know about the mysterious evil in the forest)
2: Everyone loves a good snuggle just don't move to fast lover boy.

[doctor_n]

when AJ wanted her pie baked she said "Need a little dragon magic here, think ya can help?"
OBJECTION!!! spike is not a dragon. he is a human like everyone else in the story!

[blowngasket]

2262530 in different myths and circles humans can have draconic bloodlines, granting them several traits of the dominant parent. Even more so powerful dragons could use transformation magic to mingle within lesser societies, but up for interpretation. Some people like their dragons plain and simple and to each their own

2261164 moving too fast isn't my style. And Zecora isn't forgotten, so don't you worry.

[doctor_n]

2262646
ahh yes, sorry I just had to say it also if I want to bring the geek in I gould go into dragonborns from D&D and have him be a decendant of someone of said race ( which you stated in your comment) so all round point well taken. by the way out of

[blowngasket]

2263945 Geeking it out FTW indeed. Thanks for your moustaches and I hope I can earn many more. Or a pie. I do like pie.

[doctor_n]

2264416
MMMMMMMM piiiiiii
theotherdayatportrait.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/pi7.jpg

[Doctor REDACTED]

2264471 you forgot the other one *hands pi pie* there you go