Chapter 1
One day had passed since the group had split in half.
Pi and Twilight returned to Ponyville, looking forward to see their friends again. Fortuna remained adamant in travelling, not seeing another way forward in her life other than that route.
But she was not alone this time.
A terracotta filly trotted beside her. The dark veil of night covered Equestria and the two were quiet, save from the occasional moan from Sen about how the material world was so… Different.
“...And this breathing thing, I’m glad that it happens on its own, I would have forgotten otherwise.”
Two days ago, the four adventurers quested to make a mirage into a real being. It was Fortune who started it and Fortune who convinced her to take the final step… And Fortune was not too sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. She was used to solitude.
But she smiled; she knew that this is what she needed, somepony to be with.
The twosome climbed over a hill and saw a magnificent sight. A town, illuminating like a beacon. Some lights were on; some lights twinkled in the night sky. Fortune smiled and faced her companion.
“Fortune… I feel funny.” Sen yawned, exhausted from all the walking.
“That is tiredness, and you will soon find one of the many pleasures of travelling… A nice warm bed!” Her voice cracked slightly towards the end of the sentence, she was just as tired as Sen was.
The two trotted down the town. The clopping of their hooves on the brickwork echoed through the sleeping village. The two entered an inn, surprisingly busy for this time of morning, and Fortune walked up to the innkeeper.
“Me and my friend would like to rent a room for the night.” She was not polite. If you are polite to the colt running the bar, they oft refuse to let you buy alcohol. That would be a problem later.
The stallion flipped back his red mane and sized up the travellers. “One bed or two?” He inquired, noting that the terracotta filly seemed… Out of place.
Fortune considered for a moment and then smiled, “Two beds please.” She had sized up this innkeeper enough to know that manners were now needed. It is an unwritten part of travelling, unexplainable under any circumstance.
She placed some bits on the counter, received the key and took Sen to the room. She was too tired to say anything and the two fell asleep almost instantly.
Sen woke up. The clock on the wall indicated that it was midday. She looked around the room, finding naught but a note and a pouch on the other bed. She went over to it and read it.
“Dear Sen, here are some bits. Have fun. I am exploring town for a bit.” She read aloud. She grabbed the pouch and placed it in a saddlebag, knowing that she would need them later. She trotted down the staircase, noting the jangle of the coins as she walked.
The bar area was deserted, not even the keeper was around. Sen trotted down the stairs, each clop against the old wood echoing throughout the hall. Sen’s tummy rumbled, according to Fortune, when that happened… She was hungry.
She left the inn and began to look around; she saw some stallions moving some equipment around but was too hungry to think about it. She entered a brightly coloured shop which named itself Calm Café; from which the smell of the sweets overwhelmed her.
She entered and sat at a table, the place had a few customers but not many. She noticed that there was a splat on the table, smelling suspiciously like a strawberry sundae. A cherry coloured Unicorn approached her, holding a notebook.
“What can I get you, sweetie?” The Unicorn smiled at her.
“I’ll have a…” She looked at the menu, not knowing what each of the items actually tasted like. She then remembered what Fortuna had said on their travels. “Strawberry Sundae please!”
The Unicorn looks at the terracotta filly. “Strange… Somepony else ordered the exact same thing less than an hour ago…” And trotted off to get the snack.
She was brought it a few minutes later and began to eat. It was delicious! It was exactly as Fortuna had described it earlier. A grey stallion with a mane of both black and white was looking at her while eating a fairy cake topped with vanilla.
At this point, Sen had a feeling engulf her. Shyness? Fear? Worry? None of these were correct. It was more a sense of… Destiny. The grey stallion blushed and turned away and muttered something to himself, to which the terracotta followed suit.
The black and white maned pony used some magic and then stood up with confidence, taking his fairy cake with him. He trotted over to Sen, acting bold and daring, pulling up the chair opposite and sitting on it.
“Hey, I’m Zen. What’s your name?” The way he was acting was different than how he was before but Sen sort of… Liked it.
“I’m Sen… Our names are similar… Weird.”
And so the two spoke for a while about what they lied and hated, about what they knew and had seen. They spoke for hours, having their snacks refilled every hour or so. Eventually, they paid the bill and left.
As the two trotted down the road, they noticed many colts and fillies hanging up banners and preparing a stage in the middle of town. Sen’s confusion got the better of her and she turned to Zen for answers.
“What’s all the commotion?” She asked sweetly.
“My cousin is getting married. We’re not close but Trips…” He began to explain but a red flash bumped into him, almost causing him to fall over. The flash flew back to him.
“Sorry Zen, this party’s gonna be rocking! Catch ya later!” Trips flew off, still in a hurry.
To his amazement, Zen felt embarrassed. Usually, he would not feel such a thing because this was how Trips normally acted but here, in front of Sen… Something was different.
“So, you know that colt?” Sen asked, blissfully unaware of how embarrassed her new friend was.
Zen felt his cheeks turning a bright crimson, so he began to cast his spell. The golden aura consumed him as he used it. When the spell was done, Zen was happy that he could think clearly.
“He’s my best friend… But he can be a little rash. He insisted on us attending and… Well, here we are!” The clarity spell then Zen used was a lifesaver. All embarrassment had faded in a heartbeat.
The two walked, chatting about many things and watched some of the workers working on the preparations. Sen noticed a familiar pony looking around, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world. She noticed the couple and came dashing over.
A worker pony dropped a banner and it fell in front of Fortune, causing her to fall over and slide to just in front of the two. She picked herself up, smiling and shrugging off any wounds.
“Hey Sen. How are you?” She was all cheery, and seemed to be interested in the new face. “And who’s this?”
“Miss, are you alright?” Zen responded before Sen could react.
“It’s nothing new; Lady Luck is always throwing me around like a die. I’m Fortune.” She shook his hoof and turned to Sen. “So, you found yourself a Canterlotian gentlecolt. Lucky you.”
“I’m Zen… And how do you know I’m from Canterlot?” Zen was too perplexed not to respond, Sen becoming a little bit more confused with each word.
“The accent gives it away. And I can tell a lot more about you.” She began studying Zen, examining the tiniest details. “Hmm… You were raised by your mother, that’s certain. You seem to like sweet food, but not too sweet, so I doubt that you are living in Canterlot. And… You have an eye for the decent mares, so I’m guess that you’re smarter than average.” She said nearly effortlessly. Years of travelling had taught her to judge character.
Zen just stood there speechless. He had no idea about this mystery mare. “But… How did you?”
Fortune interrupted him. “Just because I’m not a Unicorn, it does not mean I’m not magic. See you guys later.” And with that, she was off.
Time flew by, the two new friends parted after a dinner of daffodil sandwiches that was delicious. Luna’s orb began to rise in the sky, and the sunset was beautiful. Sen found herself sitting on a bench overlooking the countryside watching the sun set… Next to Fortune, who had perchanced upon a book of poems she loved.
The blue earth pony placed the book back in her saddlebag and turned to Sen. “If there’s a wedding tomorrow, that means a hen night and a stag night is going to go on. Wanna go?” She posed to her friend.
“I… I guess I will.” Sen was not sure about this… Simply because she knew how Fortuna could be at times.
The two made their way to the town hall, where all the mares were partying. They got in easily, as the whole town was invited to the parties. Fortune instantly headed to the bar, while Sen looked around the room, a little bit nervous due to the many ponies talking.
Zen was in the inn with all the colts; everypony else was getting drunk and singing and dancing, despite the fact that nightfall had not even set yet. One stallion was pacing back and forth, the organiser. Zen hated the atmosphere, and if it was not for Trips, he would be far away from this place.
The door opened and in stepped a mare, her long hair swaying as she entered. She seemed a little angry. Everypony turned to face her.
“Miss, are you lost?” One of the colts asked, Fortune shook her head.
“No. There’s no alcohol, no gambling, no excitement… It’s boring.” She looked around the room for a bit. “Speaking of which, where’s the dancer?”
The worried pony quickly faced her. “She couldn’t make it. We need to find a replacement that’s willing to dance for us…” He exchanged a glance with Fortune, who smirked.
“100 Bits.” She said with a smirk.
“50 Bits.” The organiser bartered.
“75 Bits and a bottle of Butterbeer.” She retaliated.
“Done.” It was cheaper than he expected to pay.
She jumped atop the tables, creating a makeshift stage and began to dance around a pole. She had done this before, regrettably. But she cast these memories from her mind.
Zen, however, had enough. Trips was too distracted by the dancing mare on the table to notice him leave. He walked around the deserted town; the décor above him hanging like rainbows that shine in the glorious sky. The sky had finally turned black, the light and aura radiating from the stars and moon a magnificent wonder in the sky forever black.
He found his way to the very bench that Sen and Fortune were sitting on not so long ago, the dark wood blending with the sky and creating a feeling of peace in mere seconds. He looked over the hills and admired the beauty around him.
He heard the clopping of hooves behind him and heard a familiar voice calling out to him. “Zen? What are you doing out here?”
He turned to face Sen, who sat on the dark bench beside him. Her bicoloured green hair seemed magical in the moonlight, and he found himself being struck by the same feeling that had engulfed him when they first met. “It wasn’t my kind of place.” He said, still stricken by her beauty.
Sen nodded in agreement. “I didn’t like the noise much. And it just felt wrong being there.”
The two just sat there, watching the world around them for what seemed like hours. The clock tower struck eleven, the sound of the bells echoing in the silent town. It was harmonic unto itself.
The two ponies suddenly faced each other, looked all flustered and recoiled away from each other. Something was going on that neither could understand. They could feel their hearts beating rapidly, but had no idea why. Zen contemplated using his spell but refrained from doing so, deciding to overcome this the natural way.
He suddenly felt something warm and soft touch his cheek. A spark of joy shivered throughout his entire body, the feeling was only for an instant but it was full of wonder beyond measure. He faced Sen, who had backed away and began to blush.
He looked into her eyes and the two of them shared a connection. Words cannot describe what they felt. They slowly leaned in towards each other, eyes closing and without a second thought.
They kissed under the moonlit sky, the stars themselves smiling at such an event.
For what seemed to be an eternity, the two held each other in that position, the embrace of destiny itself. Eventually, they parted; Sen blushing. Neither one of them had a clue what to do.
“Well, this was fun.” Sen finally said, shattering silence. “But I think Fortune is expecting me back at the inn.” She left, but not before committing the moment to her greatest memories.
She arrived back in the room, the same one as from the night before. Fortune was there, sitting next to at least three empty bottles of Butterbeer and counting a pile of money of significant height.
“…348, 349, 350. There. 350 Bits and not a single one spent. Thank you Lady Luck for giving me drunken opponents.” She turned to face her friend. “Hey Sen, you’re back. Had fun?” She sounded surprising sober for somepony who had drunk as much as she had, which was at least twice as much as the average mare can handle before throwing up.
Sen blushed for an unknown reason. “I’ve… Had fun.” She was lost for words.
“I noticed Zen leave soon after I arrived, have you been seeing him?” Fortune enquired, already suspicious of her friend.
“No… Well, yes. But it was only a short kiss.” She blurted out, regretting what she had said even before Fortune had a chance to respond.
“Ooh, a kiss. How exciting. Was it good?” Fortune’s drunken side was showing at this point.
“Err…” Sen hesitated, “I haven’t really had anything else to compare it to.” She admitted. This was true, less than a week ago she did not even have form.
Fortune looked shocked. “Well then, let me give you a demonstration.” She grabbed the terracotta filly and planted their lips together, acting with much passion as their lips locked.
Morning came. Sen was confused on what had happened last night… Until she heard snoring coming from a very tired mare that had her arms wrapped around her. The mare woke up, groaning.
“Sweet poison, why do I keep using you to numb the pain?” She groaned.
“Err, what did we do last night?” Sen asked her companion.
“Well, when two ponies love eachother very much…” Fortune began, before hopping out of bed and taking a swig from a light blue concoction in her saddlebags. “I love alchemists!” The pain was leaving her head quickly. “Well, we’ve got a wedding to attend.”
The two got ready and left to attend the wedding. The town was beautiful, covered in flowers (Which made the two quite hungry) and everypony was standing in a crowd. The main ceremony was only moments away, but luck was on their side, for it had not started yet.
They stood next to Zen throughout the ceremony, watching the wedding of Candy Cane and Heart. Upon hearing the name Heart, Fortune smiled and thought of somepony she loved more than anypony else in the world. Much celebrating was done, and much cake was eaten.
The bouquet of flowers was thrown and was caught by some unknown stranger. The crowd then began talking amongst each other. Fortune noticed some stallions from the night before watching her and she decided to join them.
A rather posh pony approached Sen and Zen, Zen’s eyes widened as he saw her. The two hugged for a bit before parting.
“It’s nice to see you, my son.” Luv said, mother of Zen.
“It’s so nice to see you mother. This is my friend Sen.” He gestured to Sen, who looked a little shy.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, miss.” Sen said, shaking the hoof of the respectable mare in front of her.
“Charmed. She seems like a nice mare. Well done.” She winked at the two, causing them to blush. Well, I best go with your cousin congratulations. And with that, she disappeared into the crowd.
Now, time flies when you’re partying. What happened in the next few hours was a blur for most. Fortune remembers falling over at least 15 times and having cake land on her twice. Sen and Zen never left each other’s side, however.
The time where darkness takes over the sky came once more. Everypony was singing and dancing and generally having a good time. Zen was busy getting Sen some more refreshments, and Fortune approached her.
“Listen, if you return to the room alone tonight, we will repeat what we did last night and then go travelling together… But I want you to go with Zen. Don’t worry; I have a plan for that as well.”
And with that, she disappeared, emerging on the dance floor dancing with one of the many wonderful colts she had met and taken money from less than twenty four hours ago.
Zen returned and the night went on, after the little fillies had gone to bed, somepony blue had suggested and brought out copious amounts of alcohol. It was at this point that the pair decided to leave.
They arrived at the inn, deserted just like the rest of the town. Their hearts were racing, and they faced each other once more.
“Are you sure you want to do this? We barely know each other.” Zen asked, but the green haired beauty beside him only smiled.
“The decision was made from the moment we met. I could just feel it.” She kissed him and led him back to the room, preparing herself for what happens next.
She woke up happy, very happy. She felt like it was the best choice she had ever made. The Monday morning light was seeping through the windows. She looked around the room, and noticed something missing. The other bed was perfectly made and had something on it.
She got out of bed and trotted over to the other bed, ignoring the snoring stallion she had woken up next to. She noticed a small brown pouch and a note reading:
“Dear Sen,
I wish you two a happy life together.
Lots of love,
Fortuna Mooncross.
PS. Zen, here’s 100 bits. Don’t ever let her cry.”
She turned to face the town, now little more than a dot in the distance. Her green eyes watered as she thought of the friends she had left there. Sen deserved so much more than she could ever give her. Her tears fell to the ground as she shook her head.
“No Fortune. You must go on. That is your destiny. You must find him, and to do so… You must make sacrifices.”
She continued trotting, her saddlebags shaking as she walked along the road. The town faded away from her view, but the memories lingered.
Memories she would cherish.