Diprosopus

by WritingSpirit

Nigrum Radiis

"Just get 'em in here!"

"Shut it, Ollie! If they find out about this a second too early..."

"Hushy-hush hush everypony, for Pete's sake! You'll ruin the surprise! It'll be the best giggity goodity surprise ever!

"Question one, who's uh... Pete?"

"She's Pinkie Pie, Saturn. Best not to ask too many questions."

With a sigh and the help of the flickering flame on the tip of his tail, Phoenix glanced across the darkness of the room and at the glowing cracks of the door, waiting eagerly and impatiently for the expected return of Velvetine Willows and the Deuce twins. He knew the three of them wouldn't take long to come back from a small trip of window shopping around the white suburbs of Valewood; an errand that the latter two siblings didn't realize was actually a distraction.

It was the resulting machinations of Pinkie Pie, the mastermind who discovered the birth dates of Ganger and Dapple during a small talk with the leader of the caravan himself. Despite protests of her still being confined to crutches, she insisted on holding a party for the twins, even going as far as to order balloons from the local party store without telling anypony and baking an admittedly-scrumptious carrot cake for them. At least Saturn has the bits to afford it.

They were currently holed up in the living room, with every light flicked off and every curtain drawn shut, leaving only traces of the afternoon light sifting through a few cracks in the wooden walls. Even in the dimness, Phoenix could see Pinkie's growing smile underneath her cotton-candy mane; a rare sight to behold in recent days, thanks to her hoof. Then again, the caravan were never one keen on celebrating every single one of their birthdays, at least, not until a certain pink mare decided to tag along.

"They should be here any minute now," Pinkie whispered.

"I can feel it! I can feel it! My guts feeling all googly-woogly!"

"Always the one excah'ed on birthday parties, Pinkie," Ollivander remarked with a grin.

"Even if it ain't your birthday."

"She's been planning this whole party just for them, Ollie. I'd say she has every reason to be as excited," Selena stated, crouching next to the party hostess herself as they shuffled to the back of a couch, all eyes quietly glancing towards the door. It seemed pretty strange, for the usually serious bunch to simply huddle up together just for the sake of one's annual celebration for a friend becoming a year older. Much can change for the occasion, it seems.

Even as the rest contemplate of the situation they were tossed into, Pinkie could only grin at how everything was going so far. It feels like a long while since she held the last surprise birthday party; the previous one was for Selena three months ago during a picnic in a vast meadow of sorts, yet it somehow felt like forever, which only gave her ever the more reason to spur herself on to have a party. Of course, she'd be lying if she said that was the only reason she was doing as such.

There was her sneaky plan to figure out Brutus's small-ish secret back at the shrine of Princess Terra, which chances were bleaker than a sprig of green in the vastly desert seeing how he was always being preoccupied with his usual errands. Of the two things from a minotaur she learned about that were of major importance: one, minotaurs take long showers after hours of work and two, they never took showers during a party.

Great plan, Pinkie Pie. Great plan.

The second big thing was an apology to Velvet. She did pause to recite it a couple of times while rushing about to set the party up. Indeed, it sounded a little half-hearted, but that was the first draft; she had probably headed back to the drawing board a hundred times since. No pressure.

"He's just Velvet," she mumbled to herself, despite her parched grin.

"He'll understand... right?"

Some assassins-- cross that, former assassins, never seem to.

A soft brush against her cheek made her snort, the sight of Fleetywit hovering frantically and painlessly slapping her snout while making her blink with each flap of his dwarf-sized wings giving the warning. Almost immediately, she cringed down into a pink ball, hissing underneath her breath aloud:

"They're coming! Quick!!"

All at once, the mutters fell silent. The breaths held taut. The balloons Selena were tossing about like helium-filled beach balls out of complete boredom all bounced languidly to a halt. Again, all eyes fixated at the door, the temptation to jump out charging through their veins like a stampede once muffled hoofsteps came into the play. Slowly, they approached the doorway, the shadows of the bottom-most crack of the door dancing freely as they come closer.

"You think the rest'll be fine without the turnips?" came the familiar, muffled voice of Ganger Deuce.

Everypony felt that same tension pulling at the strings of their heart, whether by nervousness, excitement or an amalgam of both, they were never sure. Whatever it was, they could only pray for a fruitful result that everything would work out the way Pinkie imagined it to be. Oh, to be able to see a look of surprise on their faces... a hard temptation to resist!

"I don't think they would want any of those rotten things in the first place," his twin sister replied.

"Plus, Phoenix will probably burn them all down to Tartarus with that darn tail of his."

"I would not!"

"Don't lie, Finn! Yer never go well with turnips!"

Pinkie hushed both stallion and gryphon, ears straining as Velvet spoke, muffled by the old walls:

"I don't think turnips would really matter for today's lunch. Saturn did say he would prepare lunch for all of us. If I'm correct, it was something along the lines of Salad Niçoise or some other exotic dish."

"Really? Huh... and I thought he was a gullible one when it comes to cooking."

"Think again, Ganger Deuce," Saturn Lithehoof muttered with a triumphant grin.

"Think again."

"Shh!"

For the love of Celestia's horn, these ponies don't know how to stop yapping when it comes to preparing a surprise. Every single time! Every. Single. Time. There would be somepony in the room just wanting to cause a little squeak that could probably tear her mood up into shreds.

"They'll come in any second now," Pinkie mumbled to the rest.

"Get ready, guys. It'll be one doozy of a surprise~!"

Almost as if on cue, the door swung open. The familiar faces of Velvet, Dapple and Ganger stared into the room, silhouetted in the blinding light, enticing the pink mare to take a peek. Slowly, they walked in, the twins glancing about the darkness, unaware of the many hiding between wrapped pieces of furniture and one or two musty cobwebs. Before Dapple could begin to ask why, Velvet couldn't help but chuckle, almost tripping over with laughter as his horn lit up a fiery orb that zipped in a zigzagged path to the ceiling and lit every candle on the overhead chandelier.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"

A single blast of a party horn blared through the air and with the flicker of the light, wave after wave of balloons and streamers in every imaginable color fell from the ceiling, showering upon the smiling faces of everypony in the room. Grabbing the corner of the bump-riddled tablecloth, Ollivander soon jerked it off, revealing the bountiful dishes of pastries, a crystalline tub of grape juice and most importantly, the chocolate cake in the center, its articulate swirls of red cream spelling out their respective names. Loud cheers filled the room, the applause for both brother and sister echoing throughout the room as they slowly stepped inside, receiving the surprising welcome with featherweight glee.

"Good golly Grazenburg berries," Ganger gasped out, prompting everyone else to laugh. Dapple could only nod along, eyes dilating brighter than a field of quartz crystals under the summer sunlight. Never had the Deuce twins been the focus of any party, at least not any large ones such as this.

Well, there's always a first time for everything.

"Happy BIRTHDAY, G and D!!" screeched the cheerful Pinkie Pie, popping in between the twins.

"I got everything ready while you guys are, well, looking for turnips!" she paused to giggle at her white lie, "So, didja guys like it? Didja? Didja? DIDJA?"

The two simultaneously gave her blank nods, making the pink mare leap with such excitement, they could've sworn they heard a loud firework burst through the room. All of them chuckled as she dived down into the couch, smiling happily at her easiest achievement. The rest, however, required time; a luxury she was always unaccustomed to.

"First of all," her thoughts said, reminding her of the plan.

"Talking to Brutus."

Brutus the minotaur. The shadiest of the shady shiddytwits, or at least that's how her head phrased it. Pinkie wasn't surprised that none of the caravan, especially his close associate Velvet, had ever considered learning about his past, being the big hunk of beef he was, not to mention a minotaur's natural obstinacy. Even so, she wasn't going to let something simple such as that to stop her!

Slowly and quietly, Pinkie slid across the room just as the joined hooves of both Ganger and Dapple pressed down the handle of a silver knife, cleaving into the exquisite indulgence of layered chocolate and cuing a small celebratory applause from the rest. Brutus, as usual, was never part of it, instead just leaning against the table with nothing but a grunt to spare at all the bubbly decorations. It seemed as though nothing could make him happy...

Impossible. There must be that special something that could lighten his mood.

"Let's see..." Pinkie mused to herself, observing the minotaur's miscellaneous, if not boring, actions.

"What would make Bruty smile? What could make... balloons? No... birthday cakes? No..."

"Pinkie."

The hairs on her skin stood up immediately once she heard the voice. Hesitantly, Pinkie turned around, patching back her smile at the sight of Velvet staring back at her, stifling a meek grin. This wasn't part of the plan, her head screamed. Talking to him comes after her little interrogation, not the other way around!

"Listen, Pinkie," he began before she could say anything.

"For the past few days, we...... well, we haven't really... got along well with each other and I thought maybe... maybe we could start over, y'know? It has been a tad while since we spoke and I... I don't think either of us want that."

"Uh... I-I would love to talk!" she exclaimed nervously.

"It's just... I h-have a... uh... party! Yes! Party to manage! I have a party to manage now! No time! Yes-- I mean, no! Time! No time at all!"

"But Pinkie, I--"

"Ooh! L-Look, Velvet! They're opening the presents! I w-wonder what's inside them! Heh!"

A very bad lie. That was all Pinkie could ruefully think of her actions once she clumsily skipped back to the center of the room where the rest had huddled up, watching the two siblings unwrapping their gifts. She knew Velvet would never buy an excuse as lame as that. Adding to that, her chance to have a little chat with Brutus was lost, as he had apparently joined the group, staring reservedly at the exciting spectacle. There goes her perfect plan.

"Dammit, Velvet," she grumbled, clenching her hooves.

"Of all the times..."

"No way!" Ganger hooted suddenly, his voice crashing into her thoughts.

"Of all the sensational gifts you could ever think of, Ollie, you gave me a cookbook?"

"I ain't keen on mushrooms and turnips every day. A gryphon likes some spot o' variety once in a while."

"Well, it's about time then, isn't it?" Phoenix piped in, Fleetywit chirping amiably above. The rest of them could only chuckle at the pouting chef, their gaze this time turning to Dapple, who was just beginning to undo her wrapped present. Despite still holding up her usually glum facade, Pinkie knew it seemed brighter, as if it was glowing and sharing twice the excitement that the rest were displaying. Eagerly, they closed in at the gift, holding their breaths as the mare pulled the ribbon, the paper shedding off almost immediately.

Loud gasps of disbelief filled the room, yet none were louder than that of Dapple Deuce herself. Inside the opened present in her hooves, a heart-shaped ruby pendant stared back at her, glistening and delicately cut with the finesse and essence of a perfectionist. Her crimson-tinted reflection mirrored her wide eyes and dropped jaw, for the mare had never had such a priceless present in her life. Even her brother would've seethed green with envy if he wasn't so entranced by its glamour and surreal beauty.

"Who gave you this present?"

Selena's brilliant question piqued all of their interest. Immediately, a multitude of stares went around in a flurry of white accusations, all wondering the whodunit of this 'crime'. Dapple finally broke her gaze from the pendant, her cheeks somewhat turning a deep hue of red that almost outmatched that of the ruby's. Her cheeks were bulging now, her forehead wrinkled as she glared at every single face in the room.

"W-Who gave me this?" she yelled sternly, much to the surprise of everypony else.

"Answer me! Who gave me this?!"

"Calm down, Sis--"

"DON'T YOU DARE ASK ME TO CALM DOWN, GANGER!!"

A tense silence flooded the room, yet it only served to incite Dapple's anger than quell it. A howl and a loud crash later, the mare stomped angrily out of the room, the rest only able to stare at her seething figure marching down the hallway. The present she had was now on the floor, surprisingly free of any scratches despite being thrown onto the floor, luckily for the customer who purchased it. Pinkie just bit her lip; she knew how Dapple was when it comes to relationships, and the results... she never talked to her about love ever again.

"Did we say something?" Ollivander asked.

"Just leave her alone for now," Ganger replied. From his stern tone, which was a rare case for the cook, no doubt he already had a hunch on whatever was happening.

"She'll be fine once she lets out some steam."

The gathered caravan started to split, being in too somber of a mood to continue the party. To Pinkie, it was an utter disappointment. Here she was, standing in the middle of what probably was a great celebration only to see them all trot away in a sullen mood. Parties were suppose to be places where everyone would be smiling and have fun and where presents would bring them closer together, not drift them away. That does it: one of her friends were responsible for the gift and in turn, responsible for ruining a worthwhile day.

"Question is..." she muttered inquisitively to herself, staring down at the discarded present.

"Who could it be?"

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"...and then he came towards the tent. All of us were standing on that gate thing, just waiting for him to charge inside. Just when I thought he'll get us, BAM!! We're in Canterlot!"

"Really?" was the appalled response of Inkie Pie.

"You mean we just barely managed to escape Cirrus Deep?"

"Quite so, darling," Rarity affirmed, albeit grimly.

"Suffice to say, it was too close for comfort. I wouldn't want to visit another place ever again if it meant meeting Janus once more. It was truly terrifying, if you ask me."

"But the ponies of Cirrus Deep! Did any of them make it out alive?"

Both dragon and unicorn could only shrug. Inkie could only glance down at the bed, clutching tightly on her sheets, her face shrouded in a veil of doubt. She had called the northern city her second home ever since the family home was razed down. To lose it again was like losing her sisters, especially when she had just began to warm up to its citizens.

"Here's hoping they made it..." she muttered quietly, clutching both hooves in prayer and bringing them to her bandaged head. Even with the tea soothing her plagued soul, the ache in her heart blossomed; a parasite clinging onto her nerves, leeching the Pie family's cheerful spirit away. It reminded Rarity of Pinkie's chagrin state, albeit a lot more gloomier than usual, yet -- no offense to Pinkie -- less frightening.

Spike leaned in from her side, whispering suddenly: "You think we should give her some alone time?"

"For civility's sake, it's best to do so."

Stifling a weak smile, both of them strode out of the room, leaving her to her contemplation. Just as Spike opened his mouth to speak, the even hoofsteps of Princess Luna garnering their surprise and attention. Her smile was amicably warm when the couple gave their bows, to which she then asked:

"Do the both of you have the knowledge of Miss Pie's location?"

"From where we came, Your Highness."

With a nod for a 'thank you', the alicorn strode into the room, leaving the bewildered couple to stare at her as she closed the double doors. Rarity was the one that urged Spike to march away, the two only deciding to speak up when they were convinced they were out of earshot from the doorway.

"Why does she need to see her for?" the unicorn asked in a hushed tone; walls still have ears, after all.

"Couldn't they have the decency to let her have a little rest of sorts?"

"Maybe it was about something important?" Spike said with a shrug.

"Inkie might probably know a thing or two about Janus, especially the part about them rock farming."

It was almost like a decade since anypony, or any dragon for that matter, had brought up the Pie family's job of lithic agriculture. Rarity knew Janus demanded the perplexing task to be done, for whatever inhumane reason she had no clue. What was the connection between a rock farm and total world domination anyway?

"Perhaps so," she mused thoughtfully.

"I still do have this feeling that Princess Celestia and Luna know more than they were telling us, however. Almost as if they had something to hide..."

"You're lucky Twilight ain't here to hear this."

"I concur. She would probably have my head for heresy when I'm simply giving my opinions."

The two quietly snickered at their bookish friend, striding side by side down the hallway. Even as the rays fall through the stained-glass windows and shower them in the sunlight, their minds were still preoccupied on the churning, growing storm that is the threat of Janus, reaching out like a flooding, bubbling broth in a black cauldron, smelling of war and famine. Of suffering. All they could do was hope it ceases to be a reality.

Silently, Rarity strode to the front, her hoof still clutched in Spike's claw. She suddenly yanked him forward, managing to wheel him up to the front. The dragon almost stumbled, voicing out his concerns and particularly his confusion at her sudden burst of joy. Whatever euphoria she was immersed into was certainly leaving him in bewilderment, with the unicorn giggling and chuckling shyly.

"Woah! Calm down, Rarity," he said after nearly tripping over.

"What's gotten into you all of the sudden?"

"Oh nothing," the unicorn hummed playfully with another twirl.

"But it's just the most wonderful news~!"

"Okay, what was it? Was it Sweetie Belle winning the competition?"

Before Rarity could reply, the faint, creaky sound of rattling filled the air, let out by the rusting spokes of a pair of wheels scraping against the scarlet carpet. Both of their heads turned towards the end of the corridor, though only her eyes narrowed menacingly at the figure on the wheelchair. As he approached, his face darkened, almost matching the mare's as if stemming from a fierce rivalry.

To Spike, it almost looked like he was watching a sizzling tango, with the wrathful flame of anger replacing that of passion and sensuality. Even their eyes met ferociously, waiting patiently for the other pony to pounce upon them. The dragon would've stepped in between them, though the fear of being targeted by both only froze his legs in place.

"You," the mare uttered with a grimace.

"You."

Rarity glanced away grudgingly. Of all the things that would spoil her expectations of a great day... of every single wretched thing that could go wrong, it had to be this one. It had to be that one, utmost thing that she had regretted and loathed ever since that night where her dreams were crushed and ground into dust.

"What do you want..." she paused, mustering her confidence to say that venomous name.

"Blueblood?"

"Nothing worth of your sympathy," was the prince's cold reply.

"What a surprise. I thought you told me you never wanted to see me again."

"Fate can be cruel, yet its vile actions never outmatched yours."

"Oof~! Such treacherous words, and all from a lady."

"Hey!" Spike snarled, pointing a finger at Blueblood. If it wasn't for Rarity holding him back, he knew for sure he'll tear the snobbish unicorn to shreds in a split second.

"You take that back right now!"

The prince just smirked in amusement, even more so when he noticed Rarity clinging onto the dragon's arm. His lips remained tight, however: even though there was a thrill in what he was doing, he had a clear enough mind to know that a dragon's temper is not to be messed with.

"The both of us," he grimly spoke.

"United by my aunts to fight against a common enemy. Perhaps it is fated, for our string of lives to be entwined once more without tending to our protests. Callous indeed."

"So what are you implying?" Rarity spitefully asked.

"That we're allies? That we will fight side by side on the battlefield?"

"A lady does not dally on the frontier, Miss Rarity. She would be pushing the daisies if ever so."

The mare just scoffed, wanting so badly to just break him in his crippling state already. Just because she was a lady doesn't mean she couldn't pack a punch or use her horn for its most primal of ways. She'd just preferred not to. For somepony like... like Blueblood... to tell her place is travesty.

"It seems we'll be seeing more of each other again," he stated simply.

"Not that I'm looking forward to it, of course."

Rarity said nothing. With a shrug, Blueblood just wheeled himself down the hallway, the eyes of the pair watching him intently and coldly with only hate to spare. She never thought of it, to have a chance encounter with the snobbiest, vainest bachelor in Equestria yet again. Rotten luck.

"Let's go Spike," she muttered, grabbing his arm.

"Spike?"

The voice was too meek for him to hear, having been caught in a swirling inferno of rage roaring in his head. His lips were widening, his fangs jutting out menacingly as he eyed at the prince in the distance. His hands were clenched into fists, his claws garishly sharp like throwing knives. The prey was waddling further away, not knowing that he could just charge down the hallway and tackle him down, wrapping his claws around his neck until he squeals with regret... his tongue slithered at that thought. Such a temptation...

One loud "Spike!" shooed everything away. Blinking hastily, he turned to the mare, who gave him a nervous stare. Her horn was tingling again like before, yet she couldn't bring herself to step back. It took her a minute to recompose herself and strut forward, with Spike bumbling after only a few seconds later.

"Look, Rare," he began quietly after they turned a corner.

"I'm sorry about--"

"Don't call me Rare."

"Rarity. I'm sorry if I... scared you."

"Just..." Rarity paused with a sigh.

"Try to control your temper. I couldn't fathom what might happen if it gets out of control..."

Spike just gulped silently. He had always reserved his doubts about a dragon's temper ever since his outburst to Princess Celestia that day. Even a small consultation with Twilight proved fruitless. Having read on dragon behaviors before, if there was one thing a dragon would gain power from instead of greed, it was rage.

"I wish I could..." he muttered softly, claws clenched. Hopefully, he could control it. Hopefully, he could retain his temper before somepony gets hurt.

Somepony like Rarity.

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"So we decided to auction it off, Persimmon and I. In the end, we each earned about seventy thousand bits each."

"Really?" Jovern asked, intrigued.

"All that for a pair of copper bowls? Was it really worth that much?"

"Apparently so. From what some experts said, when these bowls were made, copper was considered something of a relic in those days. Back then, most of ponykind had not discovered metal yet."

Fun fact of the day, Caduceus said to himself. On the other hoof, seventy grand was a worthy fortune, though it was a shame he spent it all on a set of antique pocketwatches. He always did love those timepieces. What else would he do instead of galloping back home when he saw them being displayed in the red cushions of a black leather case when he passed by the clockwork shop that day?

Seventy grand was enough for Persimmon to pay her debts off as well, though her husband's desire to drink and gamble proved otherwise. Their trio of daughters, Dahlia, Tulip and Ivy, if he could recall correctly, were currently living in Manehatten, yet with the recent attack, he wasn't sure if they were even alive anymore.

"If copper could sell for that much back then," the butler stopped to think.

"Could you imagine how much steel would be priced? I would've earned a damned million from all the silverware I collected when we traveled about."

"You mean you stole them."

"I was the avid collector," he replied his friend sharply.

"Sidus was the one with the sneaky hooves. He's just that one step I need to finish the job. Plus, the restaurants and cafes wouldn't even bother to know how many spoons they were lacking."

Jovern let out a booming chuckle, joining with the two old friends in their hearty laughter. Harmony, however, was more focused on where they were heading. Forget the laughter and memories; they were still searching for the needle in a subterranean haystack, and they didn't even know what it was.

Clambering up the clustered remains of old buildings, she raised her blade warily as she peered down at the desolate valley. She suddenly raised her hoof up, stopping the remaining ponies and dragon in their tracks, their chatter dropping into a long silence and their attention pressed towards a small cluster of tents in the center.

"Are those..." Caduceus began quietly.

"They were here before you, looking for the same thing that the Palgiots supposedly left behind."

"And do you have any idea what would that be?" Stellar asked.

"I have no clue," the mare said, much to their slight disappointment.

"But whatever it is, it must be something important. Something more important than their Dreamscape technology... that they desperately tried to hide..."

"There is no such thing."

It was a bold declaration, even for somepony such as Stellar. Even his friend was convinced that Winter, the most lenient head of the family, would've strangled him. Despite that, he couldn't help but feel that there is a sense of truth in that statement; what could possibly be more precious than the Dreamscape essence itself?

"If the Palgiots had another treasure, they would usually keep them in the records, which would've been managed by the family archives keeper, which was, until her untimely death..."

"Persimmon," Caduceus finished the sentence.

"She would update the records every year by tracking across all past entries. Had she stumbled upon something valuable, she would notify us about it for security reasons. As far as we know, the Dreamscape essence is the most expensive, if not most sought after, item in the whole of Pendant Lakes, but presuming that Janus already has it..."

"If it wasn't the Dreamscape, what else could it be?"

"Well, let's find out then, shall we?"

Within a split second, Harmony leaped from where they were perching, sliding down the rocky cliff on her hind hooves with her pair of blades raised up to her chin, chains flying in the wind. The rest followed behind except for Jovern, who gingerly stepped over it instead.

The mare was a quick sprinter; in only a few seconds she was already storming into the closest tent, even as Stellar and Caduceus were trying their best to catch their breath. There was, however, something wrong about this place. The silence was dreadfully overwhelming; the air was thicker here with death and despair; their spirits were being drained constantly, taken away by something and lured like fish into the gaping cracks around. Immediately as she went in, Harmony marched out, panting with eyes widened.

"There's no one here."

"What?" Caduceus asked in disbelief.

"What do you mean there's no one here?"

"The tents are empty," Stellar muttered, sheathing the rapier.

"No... don't tell me..."

With an unnervingly loud roar, Harmony swung her blade, ripping the tarp of the tent apart and watching it with glaring hatred as it collapsed with a loud, echoing clatter. They could only watched as she stomped further in, wrecking through the large campsite and ripping tent after tent like a savage whirlwind. She let out one more howl before slashing down the last tent with vehemence.

A loud scream broke the forsaken silence, prompting the rest to gallop and find her sitting there, her rage conforming into a paled expression of horror at the sight before her: a mountain of heads, freshly decapitated with blood flowing out in masses. Every eye was white, every mouth leaking in a putrid mixture of red, green and other indiscernible colors. The sickening smell made all their stomachs gurgle, their instincts forcing them to turn away with hooves cupped over their snouts.

The ghastly sight was enough even for Caduceus (who had his penchant of looking at dead bodies in his line of profession) to gag. It was cannibalistic... it was abhorrent... it was beyond the realm of ponykind. No, this was not the work of Janus; this was the work of a demon.

The loud sobs from Harmony was proof enough. It was one of the few times where he actually saw the mare cry, much less let loose a tear. The doctor darted his eyes around as he drew his flintlock pistol, scanning the empty wasteland carefully. Something else was definitely dwelling here; something that feasted upon them and devoured their bodies mercilessly. Whatever they were searching for was still here, no doubt, yet from what they've discovered...

"Certainly these were Janus's forces," he concluded with a grimace.

"At least, what's left of them."

"But what could've done this?"

There was only one answer Stellar could think of to answer Jovern's question. He was, at first, skeptical or even afraid to admit it, but from every crude ordeal that they've been through so far, there was no other option but to believe it.

"The living dead."

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"I don't think this is a great idea..."

"I knew you'll say it is a great idea!" Fluttershy exclaimed happily, apparently blind to the doubts of her friend, Rainbow Dash. It was a lackluster five percent chance that Fluttershy would have more confidence in something than her. This was certainly the five percent, not to mention that she was still guilt-ridden about their recent altercation...

A meek yawn from Mayfly turned their attention back, her mother chuckling at those innocent green eyes staring back at her. Nuzzling the filly's cheek, Rainbow continued her stroll with Fluttershy down the hallway, stifling smiles when Mayfly started mewling happily in her mother's hooves, her minuscule wings flapping eagerly with 'goohs' and 'gahs' of excitement that warmed the heart of both mares.

"We're almost there, Mayfly," Rainbow gently whispered.

"Just a little more..."

A cooing sound welcomed them in as they stepped into a bedroom, wearing benign smiles at the sight of Soarin' raising the giggling Firefly into the air, her wings flapping excitedly in a frenzy. Her twin sister was already amazed at the sight of her flying out and about in their father's hooves as if she was a toy airplane. With a chuckle, Rainbow stepped in, placing Mayfly down onto the bed and watching as she climbed up to her father's side.

"You're back!" Soarin' cried gleefully as Rainbow carefully placed Mayfly onto the bed, reuniting the twins.

"So, how did the trip with Mommy go, May?"

Mayfly just laughed, too young to understand her father's words. Rainbow just chuckled, sharing a small kiss with Soarin' and snuggling both of her daughters as she settled down onto the bed, staying there for now. A part of her still wanted to spend time with them, yet she knew this has to be settled first. For Soarin', and for her daughters.

"Remember," her husband reminded, giving a hug before she rose from her bed.

"Just keep calm. Whatever issues you have, just get them off your chest, got that?"

"I will."

Stern nods exchanged, Rainbow gave another farewell, following Fluttershy as they headed out of the room. Slowly, the two friends strode down the mundane hallways, their minds focusing on their task at hand. She wasn't confident about any of this, yet she was the one that made the decision to talk. There's no turning back now.

"Rainbow? Um... I had to ask... um... if you don't mind..."

"What is it, Flutters?"

"About... Soarin' and... well, you," her friend stammered.

"How... how are the both of you coming along?"

"We're cool," was her nonchalant reply.

"Why'tcha ask?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just want to know how you're both doing."

"What about you and Big Mac? The both of you doing good?"

There was a brief silence, yet however short it may be, a gazillion thoughts have already flooded Rainbow's mind. Was she just simply mulling over it, or was she about to burst out in an outrage again, just like last time? She was fearful of angering her as much as she was of hurting her, knowing how sensitive she was and what she had been through, but she couldn't blame her. They were childhood friends, after all.

"You don't have to answer that if you don't want to," she added as a safety measure.

"Oh! Um... sorry..." Fluttershy meekly spoke, snapping out from her reverie.

"We're fine, even though we were... that we can't really see each other everyday anymore."

"Just hold on, Flutters," Rainbow assured with one hoof around her friend's shoulder.

"It's just two more weeks."

"Two weeks..."

Two weeks. Two more weeks before the judge's order can be revoked. Two more weeks before she can be reunited with Big Macintosh and Amber Rose. Fluttershy could feel her anxiety and impatience growing with every passing day, yet she knew she has to wait.

"Hold on Amber..." she muttered softly.

"Mommy's coming......"

The vast gardens of Canterlot ushered them with their beauty, though however lustrous the spirits of the inhabiting fauna or however entrancing the flora were, nothing waned them from their objective. With each stride across the trimmed grass and flap of her fervent wings, a flicker of confidence sparked in Rainbow Dash as she and Fluttershy ventured deeper into the undergrowth, where a certain figure had been seeking for solace for too long now.

Fluttershy knew it was time he stopped groveling in the corner, not that he was, at least. She could, however, still see the guilt he had every time they met up and converse at the same spot. She helped Rainbow get rid of her guilt; now it will be his turn. No matter what.

"Fluttershy!"

Eccentric as it may be, the said mare greeted his voice every time with her smile, teeming with the warmth of a friend. It was Rainbow stepping out from behind that washed his optimism away in a tidal wave. Biting the tips of his mismatched talon nervously as if it was a corn cob, the figure she narrowed her eyes upon stuttered to speak, before he finally managed to let out a meek, wavering...

"H-Hi, Rainbow Dash! H-How's... uh, th-the weather today?"

"Pretty fine..." Rainbow rasped with a glower.

"Discord."

"Now, now," the mediator of the three said sternly, her yellow hooves raised and stopping both of them in their tracks. Fluttershy glanced at Rainbow, who was pretty much kicking back the dust and about to charge at the paling draconequus who, on the other hoof, looked as if he would've bolted if not for her presence.

"We're here to make sure that the both of you get along, alright?" she affirmed.

"Now, anyone of you can start. Oh, and try not to be too mean, if that is okay..."

Rainbow just watched sternly with crossed hooves as Discord fumbled about, picking for whatever phrase to form an apology. Her eyes darted to Fluttershy, who could only shrug at the awkward situation before them. She sighed gruffly; one of them has to make the first move, and if it wasn't the two of them, she'll do it herself.

"The last time we've met," she began, starting to glower.

"You've mentioned something about attacking my daughters."

"I-er... um... I-I-I can... I can explain..."

"Explain? Fine. Explain it then."

Discord let out a heavy sigh, his head hanging dejectedly low. Rare, for the mischievous deity of Chaos to seem somber and apologetic, yet expected all the same.

"I admit, I was a tad rather contemptuous when I said that," he spoke breathily.

"There are sometimes where I myself believe I've brought my mischief a little too far. It... It's like a prank gone horribly wrong, except with words, if you understand."

Pranks gone wrong... Rainbow Dash was no stranger to pranks, having done countless of them a long time ago. She had seen some of them ending quite in not the way she expected, though fortunately there wasn't any resulting harm so far. For somepony to get hurt from something fun... she couldn't imagine the weight of the guilt she would bear.

"I've actually wanted to, well, get to know each of you a little more," the draconequus continued.

"And I believed that joining you lot for dinner would be a good opportunity, but... you saw how that turned out."

"Maybe it wasn't entirely your fault..."

"Pardon?"

"What I meant was..." Rainbow began, unable to believe what she was going to say. She gave a flitting glance at Fluttershy, who just nodded undoubtedly with a smile. It's just Discord, she nervously told herself, clenching her eyes shut. What could possibly go wrong?

"If... if I had given you a chance to join us instead, maybe... maybe all of this wouldn't have happened. Maybe Fluttershy wouldn't... y'know and maybe... maybe the both of us could get what we wanted."

"Perhaps," was his single reply.

"Still, I was really hurt when you talked about my daughters that way," she admitted, feeling a tingle in her gut. The word 'hurt' was certainly an understatement to what she actually felt. Soarin' did tell her to get everything off her chest, though knowing what Discord was doing now and knowing how Fluttershy might strangle her if she did (which was a one in a millionth chance, albeit still a chance too risky to take), it seemed better to have leniency.

"They were my children, Discord. I don't wanna get you down or anything, but Firefly and Mayfly... they mean so much to me. I would give my life if I knew they were in danger. Do you... do you know how that feels? When somepony just simply says that your children will be in danger? Do you know how I, as their mother, would feel?"

As rare as it seems for Discord to be gloomy, it is also rare to see Rainbow being so vulnerable. Fluttershy knew her two friends long enough, though from the unfolding conversation before her, it only tells her that there is more to learn. All she could do now was smile.

"Even for an old deity like me," Discord quietly stated with a sigh after Rainbow's long lecture.

"I still have so much more to learn."

"We really gotten off the wrong hoof," the cyan mare answered sheepishly, sticking out a hoof.

"So whadaya say? Friends?"

Discord just turned away, much to their surprise. Before the two mares could scowl however, he gave them his cheeky little grin, cackling like a witch as he stepped towards them, sticking out his talons instead.

"I was thinking we should probably start over as... associates or... acquaintances," he suggested.

"Companions fighting a common enemy, hmm? Start over?"

Both Fluttershy and Rainbow just chuckled.

"Yeah," the latter mare said happily, hoof to talon finally shaking.

"Start over..."

Author's Note:

Finally!
That took way too long to finish!

Sorry guys for the epic tardiness! Life's been tossing me around lately.

Comments

[Saphkey]

3323324 Actually no! I didn't. I haven't actually gotten farther than a few chapters in in this yet because of little time to spare. But I would love to read the prequel first. Please link it :)

[WritingSpirit]

3393556
Link's in the description...

Or you can click here!

[Saphkey]

3397721 Thank you!

[Fury of the Tempest]

Sorry for taking so long. But a very good chapter, developing several storylines... its crushing to see Pinkie's party to fall apart so quickly from one thing... one act...

And Spike... Spike... oh boy, I am afraid...