Casual
Somehow, after him finally managing to write a letter to Rarity, we had started making small talk.
How?! How in the seven circles of Tartarus did we get to this point?
“The invention is a booming revolution. It’s opening up the skies to all races of ponies and non-ponies now, not just pegasi and griffins. Granted, hot air balloons were already doing that, but the level of control on airships takes the experience to a much higher level.”
Even more disturbing was the fact that this was actually a captivating conversation. For real!
Okay, it had a lot to do with flight and the sky itself, so maybe that was a biological compulsion in me, but still, what the hay?
“How widespread are those airships?” I asked, fighting a flutter in my wings. More ponies to like the sky…
That question seemed to have quite the effect on the prince. His growing confidence and general happiness faded rapidly, leaving him with a blush across his cheeks.
“N-not all that far…” He coughed. “Nobility is notably not keen on taking part in adventurous trips, even less so with prototypes.”
My own enthusiasm deflated at his words. I can imagine.
“I don’t suppose you’re amongst them?” I said casually, purposefully avoiding his gaze.
“Of course not!” He shouted. “My personal airship was already christened! It’s flying marvelously, but since there aren’t many ponies both interested and rich enough, the projects are stalling in development.”
His heartbreak was palpable, which brought some curious thoughts to the front of my mind.
“Forgive my confusion, Blueblood, but would it not have been easy to just… use your status and hasten that process?”
For a moment, he averted his gaze and fell into silence. His expression was pained, but its meaning seemed hidden quite well. It could have meant a number of thing, some as simple as him not being able to as interesting as him not wanting to.
However, I did remember him, alone on his balcony one night, looking at the sky longingly and cursing his own station. There had been desire and despair in the then adolescent pony’s eyes.
Now fully grown and considered the number one most eligible bachelor in Canterlot, Blueblood seemed ridiculously similar.
“No,” he whispered.
“Why? I could understand that you do not wish for this now, but before…” My voice trailed off.
Actually, I did understand, or rather, foresaw what it implied about him that he hadn’t abused his power or his connections to push forward a project he liked. But that still left me with some questions. If he already had that kind of character depths previously, what made it so hard for him to change for the better?
I was hesitant to ask, especially when he was already having such troubles finding the right path for him. The timing just wasn’t right for this.
Besides, my questioning seemed to have set him off, as he eyed me cautiously. The beginning of a frown had formed at the edge of his eyebrows. Easily, interrogations flew through the air between us, most of them coming directly from him.
“Do you know what this stands for?” He asked, turning around to give me a view of his flanks.
I made the most logical and less nauseating guess by default.
“Isn’t that the compass rose?” My eyes focused exclusively on the picture adorning his flanks.
Quickly enough, the absurd train of thought was cut off short as I tried to make sense of where he meant to go with this.
“Indeed. My cutie mark means I am exceptional when it comes to finding my way.” He could not help but puff his chest proudly. Some things… “However, I really prefer thinking about it being a sign of me being a good navigator.”
“I suppose that makes sense from a certain point of view.” I nodded. “While I’m not quite certain on how this link back to my previous question, it certainly is better for ponies to choose rather tha-”
The loud banging noise made me jolt.
“You don’t cheat about your cutie mark!” He yelled, his hooves firmly set against the table between us.
“I see…” I muttered, while internally feeling that no, I wasn’t seeing it. At all.
Huh… why does this surprise me so much? I’m knowledgeable, but pony mentalities certainly isn’t my area of expertise. If they value it so much more, then so be it. I’m not going to let myself be shackled by a pretty picture.
Subconsciously, my eyes darted to the mark magically tattooed on my butt. I hadn’t ever really taken time to think about this. My concerns hadn’t really been about my ‘destiny’, but the very concrete need to leave this place forever.
Still, warmth did spread in my chest at the sight of the waving symbols of wind.
Blueblood interrupted my thoughts softly.
“I… I… huh… don’t suppose you… would like to t-try boarding one of them?”
I need to think ahead. That’s too many times he’s said something I really didn’t see coming.
“I… I understand the… perhaps you could call it hypocrisy… of refusing to ask my aunts… for help, but then turn around and ask you…” He bit his lips harshly, searching for the correct way to express himself. There was a nervousness to his movement that had me believe he feared my reaction. “I am not asking you to back me up, but I would like to see what you do think of them. Perhaps a bit of sailing this evening w-would .”
Well, now I’m a little stuck. Flying is… it i-isn’t…
“Y-you see…” I said, unable to prevent my ears from drooping. “T-the thing is…”
Picking up on it, the prince’s own dismay showed in his grimace. Dejectedly, he only let out a very bitter “Oh…”
Something inside me pushed me to at least elaborate. “You see, I am not very fond of the idea of flying…”
Quickly, Blueblood blinked, trying to process the admittance. Then, he scoffed, completely disbelieving what I had just admitted. “Now, that is a weak lie, Prince Ventus. The Alicorn of Wind does not like flying?”
I remained silent, which only served to aggravate him further.
“Next thing you’ll tell me, your brother doesn’t like to keep his hooves… on the… ground…” His voice trailed off, just as memories started to hit him.
My eyes were still on him, with just the level of intensity that begged him to keep thinking. The cogs of his mind were indeed turning behind his face. It was easy to see how he straightened out and how the derision faded from his features.
“Celestia’s beard, you’re not kidding,” he whispered, the shock still making his voice vibrate.
“I’m afraid not, Blueblood.” My tail twitched, even as my gaze went to the nearest window.
I don’t want to fly in the sky… Parts of my brain couldn’t even wrap themselves around the idea. Those wings of mine… they actually felt a little superfluous…
“H-how?!” The prince demanded. “This makes no sense!”
“Really?” I asked, legitimately surprised by his surprise. “I suppose it might be easier to illustrate it somewhat…”
“It might, yes,” the white stallion repeated derisively.
I paused, trying to articulate the right way to picture it for a normal pony. Blueblood, unfortunately, wasn’t feeling very patient as his frown deepened. “…Did Celestia – or Luna – ever explain to you what an alicorn is?”
Instantly, his head shook from right to left, though the movement also betrayed a rolling of eyes at my idiotic inquiry.
“Your aunt is physically the sun. It’s an integral part of her, just like the moon is part of Luna… or the air being part of me.”
His breath hitched and I felt a tug at the back of my mind in response. His voice came out weak, almost faint. “W-wait…”
“Would you feel comfortable taking a bath in your own blood? This is probably the best analogy I can use when somepony asks me to fly. It’s a part of me, why would I want to single myself out in myself and… Listen, this isn’t a pleasant sensation for me and that should be enough for you to understand.”
Slowly, he nodded, even if his grimace had deepened. “A-and what we’re breathing…”
“Yeah…”
Prince Blueblood could not suppress a shiver. Worse still, his eyes seemed a little unfocused, as if unable to quite accept the idea just yet.
“Calx certainly loves to fly. His presence is so easy for me to detect then, perhaps he knows that…” His assaults from above had been repeatedly foiled, but also relentless, as if he hadn’t needed to search for me. “I’d rather not make my visit more unpleasant and alien than it already feels like for me… so, yes, I do keep my hooves on the ground as much as possible.”
Even stone constructions, albeit hard on the hooves, were preferable to that unease that came from the idea of flying as a separate entity from my concept. It was easier to focus my mind on things as trivial as sound traveling the distance between ponies or the movement caused by a twitch of a muscle.
It could help detect unease, stress and restlessness. There was no doubt these adjectives applied to the prince in my presence.
“I… understand…” Blueblood whispered, regrets and sadness obvious in his tone. “I… would an apology be appropriate? I thought you wanted to… that perhaps it was just another ploy to undermine me.”
…The sad part is that it’s not completely untrue. However, I can’t let him know that…
With a chuckle, I offered him an encouraging smile. “Well, it would be the right thing to do, Prince Blueblood.”
Folding of one knee, he bowed, which had my eyes wide as saucers. Luckily, the stallion had lowered his head, ashamed.“T-then, you… you have my most sincere apology.”
My mind was a little blank at the stunt he had just pulled. I could only say, weakly, the first thing that came to mind. “I… I will board on one of these if you believe it could help…”
Crap… after I had just gotten out of it too!
Surprised, he stared at me for a second. “Didn’t you just say…?”
Too late for that now…
Hopefully not bitterly, I managed an indulgent snort, as if he had asked a grade-school level question. “Yes, I did say it was not something I would like to do, but you have come asking for my help, humbly might I add, and it is within my power to do so. Albeit not particularly pleasant for me, I will do what I can to help. Remember that doing what you know is the better choice might also be the hardest, Blueblood. You really ought to prepare yourself for this.”
For a moment, the stallion opened his mouth, but no sound would come out. A few hesitant steps backward and he really seemed to think he ought to stop now. His eyes almost screamed a plea that it wasn’t actually how he was supposed to act. Easily, I could imagine him thinking about bathing in his own blood.
“N-no…” My jaw tightened, pain erupting in mad signals from the muscles in my cheeks. I was letting too much of my anger filter. “It isn’t so easy.”
I felt my mask slip. It had been an impulse, I knew, but a glimpse of my true feelings was visible at that moment. And Blueblood was staring right at me, with slightly wider eyes and perhaps a hint of fear again.
“Don’t expect to mean it at first. Make the idea ingrained in your mind before. Let time transform a forced action into a habit, and hopefully into something you will sincerely do.”
It’s like lying. You get used to it really quickly.
“Luckily, the end result is the same: you’ll have helped somepony even at the cost of yourself. With that, I can guarantee, lots of ponies will know you are good afterward.”
Or believe you are.
--
Her quill hovered shakily over the piece of parchment. Drops of ink almost glittered with the purple taint of her magic.
“Do I?” She asked, inching the quill closer.
“Or do I not?!” She threw herself away from it, droplets of black liquid staining the paper and her desk.
Princess Twilight Sparkle could feel the weight of her decision on her mind.
“I mean, he is attractive, physically, and for the love of Celestia, his voice!” The alicorn’s voice became raspy with the dilemma. “But there must be more to it than that! It’s not just physical! Otherwise I’d be on Big Mac like ink on a-”
Her scream startled Owlowicious off his perks, who proceeded to fly off a few feet away from his mistress. Few good things happened to the owl whenever Twilight Sparkle was screaming her frustration away or, incidentally, when she was so frantically quiet that her expression turned manic and deranged.
So far, the lavender alicorn had simply paced in the library crazily, trying and spectacularly failing to make a new checklist. The title at the top of the parchment, elegantly written, seemed perfectly inconspicuous to anypony but her. It read : ‘Do I like like Prince Ventus or not?’. So far, it remained perfectly blank.
“Just thinking about him makes me really, really nervous!” Twilight stared at her opened copy of ‘Love for the Neophytes’, regretting it now that her every interactions with him was coming back to her. Her cheeks were flushed a pleasant dark purple.
Her lips felt even hotter. Timidly, she brought a hoof to them, delicately stroking the bottom one and trying to summon that one moment where her world had turned upside down.
“And it felt really really good when he first kissed me! But it happened so quickly! I couldn’t place a word! It was too fast! W-what if he wants commitment?!” Breaking that dam with words had sent her brain into overdrive and had it assault her with a series of vivid images. “Marriage?! Foals?! I’M NOT READY TO HAVE FOALS! I’M STILL A VIRGIN!”
To make matters much worse for the distraught mare, she heard a juvenile boy’s voice behind her. “You’re still a what, Twilight?”
If there had been a spell in her arsenal that allowed her to disappear forever, she would have casted it.
As it unfortunately stood, Twilight had no such spell at her disposal and she was left staring madly into blank space, dots dancing in her vision. Completely immobile, her mind split in half and any possible rational explanation flew right out of the window.
“AAAAAH! SPIKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” She shouted, standing on her hind legs.
Used to these outbursts, the small dragon only flinched and jumped back a few inches, before getting his cool back.
“…I’m working; I’m your number one assistant. Didn’t you want me to clean the kitchen?” He raised the feather duster he was holding in his paw as proof. “I was going to sort the returned books now. But you still haven’t told me what’s a vir-”
“WELL, I can see you did a fantastic job, Spike!” She pointed out at the mess of books and scrolls he barely had the time to start picking up. “It’s marvelous as it is, you can go outside play with your friends!”
Blinking, Spike glanced at the incredibly messy amount of books before looking at her in confusion. “B-but, Twilight…”
“Tatatata! Owlowicious can do your share of chores today!” She smiled brightly, completely ignoring the cry of outrage from her pet bird. “It will do you a lot of good to just take some time for yourself, Spike!”
Without even waiting for an answer, she lit up her horn and engulfed him in a purple aura. Effortlessly, she escorted him out of the library. There, she gently dropped him in the grass and dashed inside muttering about ‘tooyoungtooyoungtooyoung!’. With a slam, the library was closed to the general public.
His jaw hanging in disbelief, the little dragon stared incredulously at the wooden door. Rapidly, he got to his feet and went to knock strongly against the obstacle between him and his big sister.
“Twilight, what’s wrong with you?!” His frown deepened. “Is this another deadline thing?”
“N-not at all, Spike!” Her voice trembled. “I just think you deserve a day off for doing such good work all the time! Go talk to the other foals your age. I’m sure your friends will be happy to play with you.”
The little dragon heart fell as he looked at the library.
“B-but I don’t have…”
--
The ground shook strongly, almost knocking her off balance.
“Discord?” She asked, half shocked, half groaning internally. “W-what are you doing?”
“Oh my, hello Fluttershy. Nice seeing you,” the draconequus greeted her, taking off his horns in lieu of a hat.
“Likewise…” The pegasus said quietly.
Hesitantly, her legs carried her closer to the scene, ignoring the beret and full body armor Discord had suddenly started wearing.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what is… this?”
“This, my dear, is a message.” He bragged, extending his arms wide as if to present the fruit of his seconds of labor.
“A message?” Fluttershy repeated, confused by the strange floral arrangement. “What kind of message? A-and for whom?”
“Oh, but it’s really easy to read, Fluttershy. Look.”
A blinding flash of light momentarily stunned the poor mare. Dots dancing before her eyes, she had to blink several time before regaining her sight.
She let out a squeak when she did.
The clouds floating lazily around her had told her everything she needed to know. In fright, her wings had closed against her body, but, luckily, her body did not obey the laws of gravity, instead being supported by her trickster friend.
“Please, Fluttershy, open your eyes or this was really all pointless.”
“S-sorry, this was just too sudden.” She sent a weak glare to him.
“Just look down,” he asked, rolling his eyes.
Obeying him, though not without suspicion, Fluttershy sent her gaze downward and immediately felt her eyes widen with surprise.
The field had been turned into a gigantic mosaic of dashing colors, through flowers of so many species she could not identify them all, even if she had had more time and been closer to the ground.
“You see, I have this old friend of mine and I wanted to communicate with him, but he lives a bit far away. I had to make it grand enough for him to see.”
The kind pegasus frowned. “The flowers here make a picture of your butt, with ‘bite this’ and an arrow next to it.”
“The poor dear doesn’t know what eating is like and I’ve been trying to get him to get more healthy. Since my body is perfection, I figured this might just do the trick.”
Her frown deepening, Fluttershy pointed at another flower patch with her hoof. “This one says ‘oh, it is good to be free to make the world a bit more chaotic’.”
“Well, he hasn’t gone out in eons!” The draconequus threw his arms upwards, dramatic lightning striking the ground below them, as his friend miraculously stayed afloat without anyone to hold her. “He needs to get on with the news and Celestia wanted me to use my powers for good, right?”
“…Right,” she said quietly, looking away.
Her gaze fell on the third message, though this one was strangely written with various appliances, including a toaster that spat out green fume.
“Take that stick out of your rump?” She quoted, her eyes narrowing threateningly at her eccentric friend. “Discord. That is not very nice!”
“Now, now, I believe it is my duty to inform you that that guy is a total bore. He can only go on and on about one thing! It’s just not healthy!”
Following his falsely exasperated tirade, she didn’t make a comment right away, her thoughts instead drifting toward her fellow Elements of Harmony and how this could easily apply to some of them…
“Take me, for example.” Discord’s tail whipped out, grabbing a big fat load of nothing and putting it in front of him. “Just now, you expected it to explode into a couple of streamers and then a human would pop out and say ‘Surprise’! and then-”
Fluttershy timidly rose her hoof to interrupt him. “A-actually, I thought you would mold it like cake mix and it would become a train.”
Yellow eyes blinked.
“Well, well, well,” he chuckled. “I am glad to see we are a good influence on one another. And glad to see I still got it.”
With a snap of his claws, he created a flash that displaced them from their peaking spot in the sky. The sudden change almost made the poor pegasus fall off her hooves.
“Now then, what did you want to ask me?” Discord said, while sitting down on a red and blue sofa, unfolding a parasol and drinking from an empty glass.
Unfazed, Fluttershy took a few small steps toward him and, full of defiance, deflated at the last second.
“W-well… it’s Mother’s Day tomorrow a-and… and I thought, if you’re not busy, and I’m sorry for assuming, that you’d like to spend it with somepony.”
The sofa flew away, taking with it any and all accessories Discord had on his person. Said ageless being proceeded to stare, making his friend shrink on herself.
“N-not, you know, all alone…”
Chirping crickets broke the silence, but the draconequus finally smiled.
“I would love to, my dear Fluttershy.”
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The entirety of the Discord part of this chapter had me smiling .24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5mqx9LjAQ1rn5zzvo1_500.gif
Damn that dumbass doesnt even know how bad he hurts Twilight >:-C And WTF ? Romance plot inside cartoon for little girls? Cmone T.T Someone(expect eric) should see there isnt something right
Assuming certain readers have "Newest First" selected, I have only the following to say:
ge just happened?
What the f
I'm pretty sure I got the irony in which Ventus (the wind) prefers the ground while Calx (the earth) prefers the sky.
Heck, I was even on board with the concept of Twilight letting loose adult ideas and then shoving Spike out of the room.
I wasn't even surprised at Fluttershy's thought process regarding what she thought Discord would do next.
But... spending Mother's Day with him? I'm sorry, but... what?!
Discord knows of humans? Fluttershy isn't phased by this word, too? I have no idea what the consequences of this are supposed to be, but I have a feeling that this isn't part of the show.
2876202
Probably not. But who knows, Sam keeps on spinning his own fandom and forcefully dragging the show along with him.
Let's just hope he doesn't meet Lyra and spouts some nonsense about how she's a "human fetishist", since it would a) create the concept in Equestria and b) make her one...
Huh.....is it wrong to think of this as a transitional chapter? Because it feels like one.....
Ventus warming up to Blueblood? Wow......if it wasn't for your "foreshadowing" earlier, I would have thought Ventus might have a chance to knock out his dark side for a spell at this point. But of course, that doesn't make dramatic sense, so likely not.
Also, bringing out the airships? Hmm.......I sense a major part of the arsenal needed against Nightmare Ventus has just been highlighted....maybe?
Eh, one can hope....
Poor Twilight......even Celestia wouldn't be able to help her here, even IF Twi asked.
And poor Spike.......he really doesn't have much interaction beyond the Mane Six and the occasional CMC run....
Friends, Twilight? Really? 
And of course, Discord.
That's a nice bulls-eye you've painted there, Discord; is it for Jucidium? At first I thought he was trying to send something to Ventus, but once the actual description of the message began, well.....either another Chaos being or Jucidium; I'm thinking the so-called arch-rival though. Either way.....
Pure Discord.
And....Mother's Day?! MOTHER'S DAY?!?!?!?!?!
Cue Sam and Tom being homesick (with the former worrying just how much trouble both sets of parents have fallen into), possible Mane Six mothers (and CMC mothers maybe?) appearing, and, well.....a certain Renascentia Ignis will probably make an appearance too.....if only to Celestia and/or Luna.....maybe?
2870979
That.....that makes too much sense.
From what is implied, Ventus (alicorn side) is a reincarnation of Luna's old flame, who went Nightmare (or something similar) and was affiliated with the sky; however, I doubt ALL of the Nightmare (or whatever) was purged before Ventus was born....hence the sociopathy....
I would've thought that fluttershy would make a comment about the human thing???? and the part with Twi's Tirade... was hilarious hahaha
2875641 Well, that's one mission accomplished.
2876162 Now, now, it's been stated a few times now that not everything in the fic is in the show. Plus, you're mistaken, Sam does know it is hurting Twilight but he keeps doing it, out of... well, something like misplaced feelings.
2876172 Well, the whole concept discussed at the end is simply a holiday celebrating family. The reasoning behind Fluttershy's invitation is that she is his only friend, right? There's nobody else for him to share the moment with.
2876202 2879344 Eh, you wouldn't be phased after spending that much time with Discord either. Besides, after the Zerg and the Smurf, she stopped asking questions.
2876737 Right, because a) Sam must share that fanon, b) he hasn't done everything he could to hide the fact that they are humans.
2877383 It is indeed a transitional chapter, but you could argue the other thing too, this is supposed to be Slice of Life anyway.
Ventus and Blueblood? Eh, it feels like kind of an evil mentor thing, except without the teaching of evil.
Airships? ...Against the one that controls the wind? Maaaaaaaaaaaybe.
About Spike, well, my first thought was like "okay, I'll just have him go to one of his friends like... ...
...darn."
2879912
Actually, that was an attempt at humour on my part...
2879934 Sarcasm and humor translate horribly through text alone
Sorry if that sounded sharp.
... I wonder if this means that Twilight is friendship now.
Or perhaps that is something specific to astral alicorns.
2879912 I don't remember any smurfs??? Zerg?? They must be in other stories... In this one if that is what you speak of. I cant remember them being said... hmmm?? *thinking*
2881053 Technically... she's the element of Magic
2881053
I'd refer yo to the title of the show.
Friendship is Magic
AKA
Friendship = Magic
Therefore the element of Magic could mean the element of Friendship.
I would say that she is the princes of magic, not the princess of Friendship, at least when it comes to quasi divine affinities.
It could have meant a number of things
Same for my OC.