As Fluttershy and Discord approach their wedding date, a whole slue of things goes wrongs from jealous best friends, assassination attempts to ancient untold mystery. Fluttershy just wants to plan her wedding in peace!
The wedding was suppose to be perfect, pristine. Just how Fluttershy had imagined it, but at this rate it will be anything but that. Her friends are taking over her wedding celebration and one is visibly jealous of all the attention the yellow mare is getting. She also has to deal with an assassin attempting to kill her, her fiances tortured origins and a bunch of other things, will the day turn out alright? Or will it turn into the horrible disaster she knows it's going to become?
She's mad. No, angry....perhaps enraged? He truly doesn't understands his friends lack of admiration for his masterpiece. His Plan. The master piece in question, happened to be a giant horde of clouds in the shape of flowers floating over the center of town, throwing honey at people and animals alike below. "Really Fluttershy, you just don't get it" he said floating aimlessly around her.
"Don't get it? You're covering all those people AND defenseless animals in sticky honey" replied the yellow pegasus, giving the draconequus a stare.
He laughed as he moved closer to her. "Oh come now, I am sure they're fine, after all animals do like honey, besides you must admit it's a teeny bit funny" he said, placing his lion paw on on her shoulder.
"Oh Discord, you promised me you were going to behave" she said fluttering away from his grasp in the open blue sky.
"Oh but I am, my little pony" Fluttershy sighed.
"You promised" she restated, crossing her hooves across her front. Discord slithered closer to her and grasped her chin in his talons.
"I got an idea my dear, just say yes" he said softly. Fluttershy stared at him confusion, unsure what he meant. Before she could reply an angry scream came from below them. She quickly looked down and saw that her friends were below, covered in honey. Even though the situation was not funny, a small giggle ripped through her.
"Fluttershy, do something!" the angry voice came from none other than the assertive blue pegasus, Rainbow Dash, who was struggling to fly with all the honey in her wings
"Oh I'm trying Dashie" she replied softly, flying to her friends. "Well, try harder" snapped her friend. Fluttershy turned to Discord, who was flying directly above her.
"Discord please?" she asked pleadingly, hoping to get through to him. "Just say yes" he said in a sing song voice.
Fluttershy, at this point was starting to lose her everlasting patience.
"Yes? What is he even talking about?" asked Rarity, who was the most angry out of the group, after having had her favorite dress ruined.
"Oh really, you shouldn't poke your nose in other pony's business, my dear" said he draconequus.
"Discord!" At this point, Fluttershy's patience had broken.
"Don't make us go to Celestia!" piped up the recently turned alicorn princess, Twilight Sparkle.
"Oh now now, no need for that, after all I just need one little word" he said smugly.
"For what?!" Discord laughed and lowered himself to the yellow pony and whispered in her ear. Mild curiosity ripped through the groups of friends as Fluttershy's expression quickly changed. From anger to confusion to annoyed to flustered all in a matter of a few seconds.
"Well my dear?" he whispered softly. The pegasus anxiously looked around. She mumbled softly under her breath.
"Yes" she said, nuzzling him. Discord laughed triumphantly laughed. Spinning around, he snapped his claws and the clouds of honey, which were out of control disappeared, leaving a sticky town.
"Discord?" mumbled the pegasus. He rolled his eyes and repeated the motion, cleaning the town and people up. He gave a final laugh before disappearing, most likely to plan his next prank. The group of ponies were silent for a moment.
"What did he want you to say yes to?" asked asked the alicorn.
"He...he...a-asked me to mar-ry him" squeaked the pegasus.
"And you said yes?" asked Rainbow Dash in disbelief, throwing her hooves in the air.
"Oh congratulation, oh congrats, congrats, congrats. Oh this is so exciting, there hasn't been a wedding since Princess Cadance's and Shining Armour's. Oh this will be so fun, we get to wear dresses again, and do your makeup... OH AND CAKE, LOTS OF CAKE!" yelled the over excited earth pony, as the others looked on unsure.
"You do realize what you agreed to sugar cube, right?" spoke Applejack, with a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Oh yes... I... I'm getting married... I'M GETTING MARRIED!" The words slowly sunk fully into her head as pleasure and happiness swirled in her head.
"Yes, I will be fine" she said, smiling on, head filled with wedding preparations. ~ Note: The story I'm currently doing is clearly different from the tone in this little one shot. Why? I wanted drama and because the other members of the Mane Six are pretending to be happy for her. They aren't happy with the situation at all and that becomes apparent by the time Bridal Regrets begins but Fluttershy is not aware of just how unhappy her friends are.... at least not yet...
To say Fluttershy loved weddings would be a huge understatement. She absolutely adored them. Everything about a wedding was beautiful in her eyes, from the dresses to the ceremony to the first dance and of course, to the bride and groom. Fluttershy couldn't recall a time where she hadn't cried at a wedding. Sure she wasn't obsessed with them like her friend Rarity Fairheart was, but she still loved them. Except one small, little, itsy bitsy thing.
Her own wedding.
For most mares, their wedding day was something they dreamed about since they were fillies. Fluttershy was no different, she had dreamed about a lavish wedding where she married a dashing prince and became a princess, and like most girls, she even had a dress all picked out before she was even eleven years old. But make belief and reality are two very different things. The thought of her upcoming wedding sent her into a panic attack anytime she even thought of it, even now it was hard for her to calm herself mentally.
Most outsiders would assume her anxiety stemmed from marrying a monster like Discord and she knew there were a few rumors going around saying she was forced into it. In fact, it was far from the opposite. She had fallen in love with Discord over time, with his care free attitude and lust for chaos. It was hard not to laugh or giggle at his jokes or his pranks. Of course Fluttershy never expected to go anywhere, she was much to shy and well....Discord had barely begun to understand friendship, Fluttershy wasn't even sure if he had knew what love was. But of course that all changed when he demanded her hand in marriage in exchange for stopping his attack on town (which involved a lot of honey) on Ponyville. Fluttershy had agreed out of love and not cowardice. Yes, it was strange they hadn't even dated yet but there they were getting married.
Fluttershy sighed. The real reason for her anxiety had to due with her low self-esteem and social phobia. While Fluttershy had been a model, she still thought of her self as an ugly duckling; from years of torment at the hands of her peers. She chalked her model career up to to merely luck and the trick of the lens. As for her social phobia, it had gotten way better since Twilight had arrived in Ponyville but it was still mildly bad. She still couldn't handle positions where she was THE center of attention or when she was singing, even in a large group. She really had no idea why she was scared of people listening to her singing, probably because next to her ability to communicate with animals, it was her favorite talent and the fear of being mocked over it scared her.
Of course, there was one other reason why she was dreading her big day. Her friends. Yes, the ponies she cared about most, who had held her through tough times and had been with her through everything. Of course most would wonder why and it had both simple answer. Her friends over helping. Yes, there was such thing as over helping. For the past two weeks she had been dragged all over Equestria and beyond to look at possible wedding locations, discussing catering with renowned chef, sample and design the wedding cake. The only problem was most of her friends seem to be choosing what place to hold it at, or what food would be served and including that, they had basically snubbed Discord.
Despite the defeat of Tirek and the true reformation of Discord, they actually trusted him less then before. Her friends were trying to pretend they were okay with this whole situation, but both she and her fiance (Fluttershy giggled at the word) knew the truth. Discord of course waved it off, claiming that he was use to it by now. It hurt, that her friends couldn't trust her to trust him and even worse, that they would not try and include Discord into the decisions. Sure he was silly and turned Twilight's hair into cotton candy any chance he got, but he was still the groom!
She was frustrated beyond belief. She had attempted many times before the Tirek incident and after to try and get her friends to like her hubby-to-be but it was met with cold dinner conversations or awkward picnic lunches in the park. Of course she wasn't saying she didn't appreciate their help. Twilight had pretty much gotten instant approval from Princesses Luna and Celestia to fund the wedding with the royal trust fund. On the surface, the princesses claimed it was a monetary gift for her reformation of Discord. But in truth, they considered Fluttershy to be an extended part of the family like the other elements and were more then happy to make sure her wedding day was perfect.
Running her hooves through her hair, Fluttershy stretched and glanced at the clock above her mantle. The familiar kitty cat clock smiled back at her, it's mouth forever painted in a grin, one eye closed as if winking. In the one open eye, there was the clock, ticking away in a constant uninterrupted rhythm. The needles of the clock read 12:02 PM. Anxiety once more flared up inside the pegasus's stomach. Her friends would be arriving soon, leaving for a three day trip to Manehattan to look at dresses and other things. Dresses....
There had been one part the bride to be hadn't mentioned and that was Rarity was the worst in the department of over helping. No, she was beyond that, she was attempting to live through Fluttershy. She knew that Rarity was more then a little jealous that she was getting married. It wasn't about the groom, as she despised him, but had to do with the fact that she had expected to be engaged to somepony by now and the first of her friends. Knowing she wasn't that heartless to ruin the wedding, she decided to liv through her friend. Fluttershy, while she did try her best to give everypony the benefit of the doubt, was in fact not naive or stupid.
Years of breaking up fights between her animal friends and being their 'shrink' had taught her a lot about reading another's body language. Sure she wasn't a hundred percent accurate, but she knew how to detect when her friend was jealous. Usually her attitude gave her away, which was usually a lot smart comments and snappiness along with a lot of whining and pouting.
Despite protests and maybe some pleading, Rarity had created a wedding dress for the mare. Now usually Fluttershy wouldn't like this because she didn't want to be a burden on her friends, but this time it was because of the dress itself. It was horrid. Absolutely horrid. It was even worse then that outfit Rarity had made when she gained butterfly wings so she could watch Rainbow Dash in the youngest fliers competition. Just thinking of the dress made Fluttershy want to barf. And Fluttershy had one of the strongest stomachs around, believe it or not. She may cry and scream a lot but she rarely barfed when it came to gruesome things or anxiety related things. The only downside was telling Rarity the truth about her thoughts on the dress would break the mare's heart; Fluttershy knew that the dress was pretty much Rarity's dream wedding dress come to life.
Rarity had absolutely blown a gasket when Fluttershy timidly pepped up that she maybe try some other styles. She practically harassed the poor pegasus until finally Discord appeared and turned her coat to the most awful shade of yellow. After Rarity had run screaming home, a irritated Twilight suggested that they try on dresses instead. Which was a good idea, because Fluttershy knew that Rarity would probably not design another dress for her and would try her best to make her don that horrid dress on her wedding day.
Fluttershy's long trail of thought was cut off by a short series of knocks on the door. Based on the three gentle strikes, she instantly thought Rarity. Her assumption was proven correct when the familiar upper-class accent drifted in through the door.
“Fluttershy darling! Open up, I have your dress and I just know you are dying to try it on”
Fluttershy wanted to fake sickness or being unavailable but Rarity did know unlocking spells and when the pegasus didn't answer she would just let her self in. She had seen her do it before. Stomach churning, she got up from her armchair and made her way to the door of the cottage. She stood there for a moment, debating. She could just hop out the back window and maybe go see Discord, he was usually nearby. There was also the fact she felt guilty for wanting to ditch one of her friends. Her good nature winning out, she hesitantly opened the door. Rarity stood, a smile plastered on her face and a very large dry cleaning bag in her grip. Had it gotten bigger? Fluttershy was sure that bag was bigger from last time.
Before Fluttershy could do her best to stop her friend or her remind her of today’s plans on visiting Bridal Mare Boutique, the unicorn had already whipped the dress out of it's bag. It had gotten bigger, the dress that is. The sheer weight of the dress had to be larger then her own weight. It was a giant ball gown, with large bows all over the dress. That wasn't the bad part, no the dress also covered it's wearer from the hooves to the top of the neck, covering everything completely. The dress also had extremely large puffed sleeves and an enormous train that was at least ten feet long. It was Rarity's worst dress design. Ever.
Her stomach lurched once more and she was sure this would be the time where it would decide to empty itself. “Something the matter darling? You seem a little green.” Fluttershy was at a loss for words. She loved her friend but this was too much, this is not the dressed she had envisioned on her wedding day. She imagined something light and airy with small flowers decorating the dress; not some abomination of a dress.
“Um...I.....”
Fluttershy stammered unable to find the ability to speak. Before she could get a chance to pass out from anxiety, a familiar flash appeared near the duo, scaring Rarity and bringing joy to the others heart. Once the light had died down, which took a mere second, Discord stood in it's place, hoovering slightly off the ground.
“Discord! What are you doing! You can't see the dress!” snapped Rarity, hiding it behind her back with her magic.
“Well good afternoon to you too, Miss Prissy” replied the dragonaquees sneering slightly at her and stroking his beard fondly. “You know your hair would look great in a mullet, don't you think?” He snapped his talons and in an instant, Rarity's usually pristine hair was turned into a what Rarity considered to be the devil of all hairstyles. She screamed and backed away, desperately trying change her hair back with her vast knowledge on hair styling spells. A glare from Fluttershy lead to a grumbling Discord to return the mares hair to normal.
“See? All better, still it was fun making you scream. It was even more fun then when I set a dozen animated cat toys into your house” Discord flipped onto his back midair, laughing loudly at the memory. Rarity merely seethed and Fluttershy merely stood tensely to the side.
“You.... LEAVE!” screamed the unicorn, to which Discord merely rolled his eyes and summoned one of Twilight's favorite books, one that had written and signed by the highly praised magician, Aurora Skies. Discord frowned and glanced the authors name. Hadn't that been one of Princess Celestia's cover names? He could never remember. Whatever. He opened the book and began eating pages.
“Why did you want me to leave again?” asked Discord, between bites. Rarity clenched her teeth and stamped her feet as a sign of intimidation, which failed.
“You can't see the dress!” reiterated Rarity, who was still attempting to hide the dress from the groom. Discord stroked his chin then snapped his fingers. The dress behind Rarity disappeared and reappeared in Discords hands. In a matter of five seconds, he was on the floor laughing at a speechless Rarity.
The mare stood there for a full minute before mentally shaking her self and standing tall. “Well you've doomed yourself to a broken marriage, I suppose I might as well as what's funny” demanded the alabaster unicorn. Discord held it up in his 'hands' and stopped laughing, though he kept letting out small giggles.
“My dear is this the dress you honestly expect her to wear?” he asked, highly amused, in turn Rarity huffed and grabbed the dress away from him.
“And what is wrong with this dress? Not chaosy enough for you? Needs buttons made of cheese or what? You'll be happy to know this is one of the most exquisite dresses around! Crafted by moi!” Discord snorted in reply and grabbed the dress again. He cleared his throat and rattled his head for a second before speaking.
“This is the most god awful dress I have never seen, and it has nothing to do with chaos. In fact it is an insult to chaos and an even bigger one to fashion. There are too many bows, the skirt of the dress is bigger then that fat rump of yours, the sleeves are enormous, it covers way to much and is absolutely unappealing on Fluttershy's figure” To make his point, he summoned his quiet lover to him and conjured up a measuring tape, measuring her slim waste. “She needs something more...fitted.”
Fluttershy squealed as her fiance grabbed her a little to tightly around the waist. Discord winced and uttered an apology. She merely smiled and nuzzled his side in return.
“What....do....YOU KNOW, YOU HIDEOUS BEAST!” The couple whipped their heads towards a momentarily forgotten Rarity, tears dripping from her eyes. Fluttershy's heart froze and her stomach once more was in knots. Fluttershy attempted to comfort her friend but was instead met with an icy response.
“What do you think Fluttershy?” The way she said it made her feel so cold inside, as if she was talking to ice. “You don't think it's horrible do you?” The second question was pretty much barked at her, and in return Fluttershy backed away a bit.
“Well it's....um... well it has.... um....yes?” If Rarity was sobbing before, she was now crying a river of tears.
“I thought you liked it?!?! You said so yourself” Fluttershy cringed and inwardly felt her anger bubbling. She knew that Rarity was trying to guilt her into wearing it. She didn't want to! It wasn't fair, this was her day and she should be able to wear what she wants, not this! She bit her lips and inwardly debated. Before she could answer though, a knock sounded on the door. Fluttershy pretty much lunged at the door, eager to evade the question. She through open the door with vigor and greeted the rest of her friends, Spike, Twilight, Dashie, Pinkie, Jacky and Cadence......Wait what? Cadence? Fluttershy quickly bowed, to the point where she was sure her head almost touched the ground. Cadence giggled and waved her away. “No need for that” she said, helping the mare up.
“Oh um...okay Princess.....But can I um....ask...why your....um...here?” she asked timidly, hoping she wouldn't be turned to dust for such a question. Cadence laughed. “Returning a flavor and helping a friend.” When Fluttershy merely stared at her in confusion, the alicorn explained. “You acted as a bridesmaid in my wedding, proven to be a loyal friend to my 'sister and helped save the Crystal Empire. It would be am honor if I could return the favor and serve as a bridesmaid in your wedding, hopefully though you'll see me as a friend and not one doing this out of debt.
Fluttershy blinked for a second, taking it all in. “Um...Okay...” she said meekly, fluttering her wings out of habit. Cadence smiled warmly at her and giggled slightly but stopped short of the sight of Rarity. The unicorns hair was in a mess and her mascara was smeared.
“Something wrong Rarity? You seem upset.” Rarity let out a fake sniffle and wiped her eyes with her handkerchief.
“Oh nothing dear, just found out my dear friend Fluttershy had the AUDACITY TO LIE TO MY FACE! You know just general stuff.” Discord, largely unnoticed by the group, piped up.
“No your faking crocodile tears because my beautiful little Pegasus does not want to wear your hideous abomination of a dress that looks like it should have been burned even before it was sewn together.” To emphasize the situation he created a bonfire with a large wooden pole in the middle, the dress tied to it. Rarity gasped and grabbing the dress and hugging it to herself.
“Discord!” snapped Twilight, annoyed with his actions. Discord merely petted her on the head and shoved the cover of once was Master Spells: Illusion into her hands. She snarled at the state of the book, but before she could power her horn for a nice hexing spell Applejack interrupted the group.
“Look, we're all under-stress, I'm sure Fluttershy doesn't hate your dress Sugarcube, she just wants to explore her options. Now we better skedaddle before the train leaves. Without us. “ She pointed to the cat clock which now read 1:21 PM. Fluttershy winced at the time. It was getting late, they should have left ten minutes ago.
“AppleJack is right, we should go” Rarity said, her voice still dripping with menace. Fluttershy suddenly had a bad feeling. She knew Rarity could get jealous, but she still wasn't sure what the other mares limits where. The group of ponies plus one baby dragon began to leave before Cadence stopped and turned around.
“Aren't you coming Discord? I mean I know you can't see the dress, but aren't we also doing other things?” The group turned to look at the draconequus and most stared hesitantly or even venomously at him. His ears flattened against his skull, and once again he could see was unwanted. He had tried, so very to befriend them but nothing worked. He was ready to say no before he saw that face. His Fluttershy. Her eyes were big and filled with hope and desire and at that moment, it didn't matter if the rest hated him. It was only she who mattered.
“Yes” ~
The walk to the train station, or flight in somepony's case was quiet and awkward. By the time they boarded the train and found their seats, most of the excitement for the trip a head had diminished. Fluttershy sighed heavily and allowed a tear to fall down her muzzle. Why wasn't this going as planned? Why couldn't it all just be liked she dreamed as she was small? Her friends there supporting her, surrounded by people she loved and adored. Instead she was getting a silent treatment from Rarity, a glare of disbelief from AppleJack and Rainbow Dash, an annoyed look from Twilight, whose hair was cotton candy. Again. The only ones not angry at her were a tense Pinkie Pie and Cadence. Fluttershy bit her lip and pressed her head against the creature next to her, enjoying his warmth and comfort. This was going to be a bad few days, she could just tell.
Dreaming for Discord was usually a rare thing. While he did sleep, more to pass time then anything, he rarely recalled his dreams. So it was a small surprise to him that he found himself stuck in some dark, dusty old cave. Discord knew it was a dream because even in dreamworld, he could feel Luna's magic at work. The first thing he noticed, aside from the strange setting around him was that he was in a body of a pony, a unicorn to be exact as he studied himself in a small pool of water. It was strange though, while he could make out the form of his body, his horn and the coloring of his fur, gray, he could not see his face.
The draconequus frowned and attempted to change back to his original form. Unfortunately, it seemed as though his chaotic powers were of no use to him in this realm, a new thing. Sighing, he glanced back at his surroundings. He was in fact in a cave of some sort, but it seemed like it had once been someones home. The place was large, stretching on for miles. The walls were engraved with pictures and foreign words alike. Statutes, all of unicorns, littered the place. The room Discord was currently in appeared to be the entry way from the cave to whatever place this was.
Discord briefly considered attempting to wake himself up, maybe by trying to summon Luna with his limited mundane Unicorn power or by seeing if he couldn't will himself awake. But something about this place seemed familiar and interesting. He debated quickly and decided it wouldn't hurt to take a peek around. He headed towards a large stone door at the opposite side of the room from him. As he approached it he noticed that there was a old, yellowing paper stuck to the door. While he couldn't place the era of the writing, it was definitely not modern Equestrian.
Next to the door and the note was a skeleton of a pegasus male. Around him was a large pool of dried blood and clutched in his mouth was an old feather, his own most likely. Discord regarded the note once more and briefly he considered turning around but decided against it. It was a dream after all, it wasn't like anything could actually hurt him here. Dropping the note he turned his attention back towards the door. Through the handles of the door was an old rotting piece of wood, no doubt the stallion was trying to make sure nothing got out. He levitated the board and tossed it over his shoulders and pushed on the door. It creaked as it swung open revealing a large hallway with more pictures and words carved into the walls. He took a step forward and slowly began trotting down the hall.
As he did, he tried to rack his brain and attempt to place the language on the walls. It was nothing like he had seen before, it didn't match Equestrian, Draconian, or any other language he knew. But...something about it was familiar, but he couldn't place it. Wait! Yes he could... It was...Discord
-
Discord jerked awake, hitting heads with a concerned Fluttershy. For a brief moment Discord was sure there was three Fluttershys in front of him instead of one. After a moment though, his head cleared and the three Fluttershys became one. Fluttershy was clutching her head and looking at him with concern. "Are you okay? If you, um, don't mind me asking that is....." she asked softly.
Discord rubbed his bruised forehead from where his head has met hers. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he said while doing so. It was then when he noticed and remembered about the other people in the room. While the train car they were residing in was reserved for the group, it was an open concept car which looked like a miniature apartment more then a train car. Across the room, seated on one of the couches, Twilight spoke up.
"You were mumbling and making weird sounds in your sleep." she stated, briefly lowering her book before going back to it. An enthusiastic Pinkie Pie chimed in.
"Yeah, you were totally going on about some magical artifact and how you were going to "end them all", whatever the heck that means" Discord frowned at this news. Artifact? End them all? That didn't ring a bell, nor was there any indication he was searching for something. Though that might explain why he was in such a weird place in his dream, but it was just a dream so he really didn't think anything of it.
He stretched and got up from his seat. "No idea what you were talking about, I was dreaming about...What was I dreaming about? Huh" Twilight shared a look with Rainbow Dash, one that the draconaquus knew he was not suppose to see, and one he couldn't discern. Shaking off the sudden wave of uneasiness he decided to turn his attention else where.
"So Princess Sour-Star: When are we going to be there?" While her face was hidden by her book, Discord could see her jaw and could see it tighten at hearing that name. She quickly lowered her book again, agitation on her face.
"Within the hour and don't ever call me that again" Slamming her book close, she got up from her seat and exited the train cart. Fluttershy sighed at her friends slightly dramatic exit. She honestly wasn't sure why Twilight was so mad, after all Discord had called her worse things before....mind you most of them WERE behind her back...
But still, her friend has seemed antsy and agitated during the last six hours on the train. In fact all of them did. Fluttershy really didn't have to do rocket science to figure out why. She sighed for what seemed like the millionth time today and shook her head.
"Something wrong my dear?" Discord appeared behind her, wrapping his body around her. She snuggled into his embrace and smiled. "No, nothing, don't worry." At least she had Discord to make things better.
----
The size of Manehattan always managed to surprise Fluttershy. Every time she came here , she was sure it had gotten even bigger then last time. As she pressed her muzzle against the train window and watched the city begin to come into view, she couldn't help but wonder what would happen over the next few days. The tension between her friends and lover was already high and she have a fairly strong feeling it was going to be in close quarters. Still, perhaps being in such close quarters would do them all good; this could be the time where she could get them all to be friends. A small smile on her mouth, she left the window and made her way over to her friends. Her fiance was nowhere to be seen, probably annoying other guests on board.
Her friends where pored over a map of the city, excitingly talking about things they wanted to do and see. Even Rarity, who had been in a bad mood for the whole trip seemed to be in better spirits. "We simply MUST go back to the theatre. I hear they are putting on a performance of Sleeping Beauty this month. Oh what I wouldn't do girls, to have a knight come and rescue me and take me away" The white unicorn sighed happily as she entered dreamland. Fluttershy giggled at her friend. Always the dreamer.
"Well I wanna go see my Aunt and Uncle Orange if that's all right with y'all. I didn't have the time to see them the last time we were here and I'd like to see how they're doing." Fluttershy nodded in compliance.
"Oh I totally get it, I would take any chance myself to go visit my family if I had the chance" AppleJack smiled at the other mare.
"Thanks Fluttershy, you always are the most understanding mare." she said as she turned back to the map in front of them.
Next to Applejack a zoned out Twilight suddenly got a large frown on her face. She glanced up at Fluttershy and gave her a quick look over. "That reminds me, you've never told me, or any of us I think, about your family before" she stated inquiringly. Fluttershy blushed.
"Oh that's because there isn't much to say really, my family really isn't that- Her mom is some model and her father heads the Cloudsdale weather team" interrupted Rainbow Dash, a bored expression on her face. Rarity gasped and quickly pulled the shy mare towards her.
"Model? Your mother was a model?" she asked excitedly, gripping Fluttershy closely. Fluttershy squeaked as air left her lungs and she tried desperately to breath. Unfortunately, Rarity's current grip on her was not allowing that.
"Uh Rarity, I think your crushing her" spoke up a concerned Princess Cadence. Rarity blushed and quickly released the now completely frightened and lightheaded mare. Rainbow Dash, seeing that her friend was to busy attempting to put air in her lungs, decided to speak up.
"Yeah. Her name was...What was her name? Something Gem" Suddenly Rarity was in Rainbow's face, pulling her close to the point where there was a mere centimeter between their faces.
"AQUA GEM!?!?" she asked astounded and shocked. Rainbow Dash should have expected what would come next. The moment she nodded her head, the unicorn was jumping and squealing like a mad pony before tackling a barely recuperated Fluttershy once more.
"YOUR MOTHER IS... YOUR MOTHER IS AQUA GEM AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME! WHY WOULD YOU NOT TELL ME!" she shook the yellow pegasus with such vigor that the others thought for sure she would break poor Fluttershy in half. Fluttershy squealed out of fear and attempted to escape.
"What's so special about this... Aqua Gem?" Rarity stopped her assault and turned towards the voice, which happened to be Twilight Sparkle. Big mistake.
"What's so... She is one of THE biggest supermodels of the last three decades. She has been the cover girl for numerous magazines, She has won Ms. Equestria not once but twice! AND TO BOOT SHE HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST GROSSING MAKE UP LINES AROUND! WHICH I USE DAILY! AND MY BEST FRIEND COULDN'T EVEN MENTION SHE WAS RELATED TO HER!
Rarity whipped her head around and turned to stare at the trembling Fluttershy who was seriously hoping that Discord would reappear. "I....um......it didn't seem like a big deal.....she's just my mom......." Before Rarity could tackle her again, Twilight spoke up.
"I'm sure she didn't mean it personally Rarity, you know Fluttershy is a private person" the others nodded in agreement. Rarity opened her mouth then closed it. Without another word she stormed out of the room. Fluttershy started to go after her but Cadence stopped her, offering a warm smile.
"Give her time, I'm sure she's just excited that's all. Besides I think it would be best if Twilight or Spike talked to her." she suggested. Fluttershy bit her lip and sighed before nodding in agreement. Just then the crackling speakers turned on and the conductor began talking.
"We are arriving in Manehatten in a matter of minutes. Please gather your belongings.... Oh and whoever owns the draconequus and the pink pony jumping out at unsuspecting passengers, PLEASE COME GET THEM!
-
"We are arriving in Manehatten in a matter of minutes. Please gather your belongings.... Oh and whoever owns the draconequus and the pink pony jumping out at unsuspecting passengers, PLEASE COME GET THEM!
A stallion, with his face concealed by his hood, smirked as he watched the door to the private car open and close. Hiding behind a bush, he watched as a purple alicorn and a small dragon walked by, no doubt Princess Twilight and her assistant, Spike, in pursuit of their friend who had ran out just minutes ago. Before the door could close behind her, he quickly used his magic to keep it open. He waited a minute until he was sure the princess had left before quickly sliding up to the door. He quickly glanced around before taking a peek inside the compartment. Just as he hoped and expected, there was his target. A pegasus mare with pink hair and a butter yellow coat and a cutiemark that consisted of three butterflies. Of course most of her friends were with her, but along as that pesky draconequus was away, he should be fine.
-
The first thing Fluttershy noticed about the sudden stallion bursting into the room was his clothing. It was odd, like something out of a history book. He wore heavy black hooded robes with a strange spherical symbol on the front. His mane, which she could barely see since it was covered by his hood was a pale blue and his coat was a rusty orange.
The second thing she noticed was that he was staring at her. And in a not so good way too. What happened next was something she only read about in adventure books. He charged at her, using his magic to hold a small but nasty looking dagger, attempting to stab her. They struggled for a few seconds, as both tried to get the upper hand before he hit her upside the head, stunning her. Grinning, attempted to thrust down the dagger before he was thrown against the side of the room. He gasped in pain and stood up and looked at his assailants. Princess Cadence stood before him, venomously staring at him.
He snarled and lunged again, but this time at the princess. He was stopped by Rainbow Dash who jumped on him to stop him. "What the fuck is wrong with you!?!?" she asked as they struggled for dominance. As the stallion attempted to push himself away, the other two remaining friends joined in. In a matter of seconds, they had him pinned down, with a very pissed off Cadence staring at him.
"Who are you and what do you want" she asked through clenched teeth. The stallion merely spit in her face, which earned him a hard kick to the ribs from AppleJack.
"I'm not answering, you whore" Once again he earned a kick to the side, this time by a enraged Cadence.
"Call me a whore again and you won't live to see nightfall. Now I will ask you again, who are you and why did you attempt to kill my friend." Cadence used her magic to pull his face closer to hers. The stallion merely laughed in her face, which unsettled her.
"You want to know my dear? I am here to kill the hope" before Cadence could react the stallion headbutted her, making her drop him from his grasp. Instead of attacking Fluttershy again, he quickly ran through the open door. "I will be back, do not doubt that"
Rainbow Dash snarled and giving a look to AppleJack, flew after the assailant. "We're gonna go find this guy Sugarcube, we'll try to warn the others if we see them. Watch Fluttershy" said the earth pony running after the pegasus. Concerned for her friend, Cadence turned towards Fluttershy.
She was curled into a ball in the center of the room, tears were streaming down her face as she sobbed lightly. She approached the mare and pulled her to her. "Hey, it's okay. It's over now." They sat like that for a good while, Cadence cradling a distraught and frightened mare before Rainbow Dash and the others returned, Discord at the front. He practically grabbed Fluttershy from Cadence's hands, holding her close.
She cried into his fur, allowing him to hold her. Nearby Cadence, AppleJack and Rainbow Dash began to explain in detail to their friends what exactly had happened. ".....and then he said: You want to know my dear? I am here to kill the hope. Then he ran off." said Cadence.
Twilight frowned and began to pace on the spot. "This makes no sense, why or who would want to kill Fluttershy? She's the sweetest mare around! She's never done anything to hurt anyone.....We need to find out who this pony is. Did you find any trace of him?"
AppleJack and Rainbow Dash shook their heads. "We tried, but it's like he disappeared into thin air. We searched every car. There is no sign of this nutcase" said Rainbow Dash, glancing over at her friend, who was still crying into Discords fur, though she was starting to calm down.
"Should we head to Canterlot? This doesn't seem like some crazy pony or a random attack. This seems planned" spoke of Rarity, who was feeling incredibly guilty for having ditched her friend.
"....No...." Everyone jerked there heads towards the voice. Fluttershy pulled her face away from Discord and turned towards her friends. "No, I'm fine." she said softly. Her friends stared at her strangely for a few seconds. '
"Fine ? Some madpony just attempted to stab you!" yelled Discord. "This isn't something small, if there is even a chance he is going to come back, then-NO! " Fluttershy cringed at the volume of her voice.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell, but um. I don't want to ruin this trip for all of you. I mean AppleJack was going to see her aunt and uncle and Rarity wants to go to the theater. I'll be fine......" She wiped her face with her hoof and glanced at her friends. She could tell they did not like this. She could also tell Discord would have none of it.
"Well maybe if we are extra vigilant....." Before Twilight could finish her sentence, she found herself face to face with Discord.
"If you even t-" Fluttershy stopped him once more, pulling him towards her. She gently nuzzled him and smiled. He in turned sighed and hugged his counterpart. He was such a pushover!
"Fine! But you are not leaving my sight! And if this guy comes back, I'm turning him into a basket ball and Twilight Sparkle cannot stop me!" he said, trying to look macho, causing the group to roll his eyes. Rainbow Dash stretched her wings and spoke.
"Well guys, it looks like this is going to be one interesting trip. To think I thought it was going to be dull."
The first day in Manehattan started off rough. After departing their train the previous night, the group had decided to head to their hotel and rest for the night. Aside from Twilight sending out a letter to Celestia informing her of the situation and ordering in dinner from the hotels room service, the night had been quiet, with everyone on guard and quiet. For most it had been a restless night, especially for Fluttershy who for the first time in years found herself sleeping with the lights on.
Even with Discord wrapped around her like a dragon and its treasure, she still felt scared and paranoid. She did eventually fall asleep but for no more than an hour before she forced herself awake, from a nightmare involving her would-be killer.
When dawn finally rose, she couldn't be happier. She was still paranoid and scared of course, but something about the night made the whole situation scarier. The Pegasus feeling a little bit better since the day before and desperately needing a cup of coffee decided against her rational side and quietly, began removing herself from Discords embrace. It took a good ten minutes of shifting and moving, several times she was sure he was about to wake up. But eventually she was out and made her way to the dining and living area of the penthouse suite. She made her way to the coffee maker and began making a pot of coffee.
A few minutes later she had a steaming cup of black coffee. Her favorite. She sighed happily and made her way over to one of the couches. She chooses one that was right against a wall, in the corner of the room. It gave her a full on view of their spacious penthouse, allowing her to be able to see if anything or anypony decided to appear. She smiled. She really had to send a thank you to the Princesses soon.
As she sat and sipped her coffee, she allowed her eyes to sweep over the room, taking in all the details, subconsciously looking for anything of threat to her. The penthouse suite was, as mentioned before quite large. It had four spacious bedrooms, one which contained the master suite and the others which each contained two beds and the standard set of furniture for a hotel room. It had its own full sized kitchen, a dining room, a living room, three bathrooms and a Jacuzzi. Plus there was a very large and nice patio which overlooked Manehattan that contained a pool. Yes a pool. It wasn't an Equestria Games sized pool; it was actually on the small side but still! Fluttershy didn't even want to know how much this place cost. No doubt it was more then she made in a year.
She felt guilty, for taking the Princesses money. She tried to say no of course but by the fourth no thank you she could tell they were getting annoyed and Fluttershy had been too worried that they would vaporize her so she agreed. The rational part of her knew that Celestia and Luna were much too nice and benevolent to vaporize her, but still.
The sound of a door opening surprised her, causing her to nearly drop her coffee. She quickly whipped her head around and was relieved to see that it was just a very tired looking Applejack leaving her room, her mane and tail all tangled and frizzy. She giggled at the sight of her friend, who in turned raised her eyebrow at her and mumbled something about models. "Coffee?" she asked, inquisitively pointing at Fluttershy's mug; The Pegasus gestured to the kitchen off to the left.
At the mention of coffee and the sound of ponies moving about, Twilight poked her head out her door and like Applejack made her way to the coffee after Fluttershy had pointed the way. Within ten minutes, the group, sans Discord and Spike, were up and awake, most with coffee in their hooves. "Oh coffee, I love you so much" said Cadence rubbing her face against the warm mug. The others laughed and sipped their own drinks. The events of yesterday were forgotten temporarily as the girls all animatedly attempted to discuss what they would be doing that day. There was talks of going to the spa, Times Square, shopping, and other things.
"We totally gotta' go hit up some clubs" piped up the cyan Pegasus, who threw up her hooves for good measure. Twilight glared annoyed at her as she barely avoided a hot splash of coffee coming from the other mare’s cup.
"While I like the idea of sightseeing, I don't think clubbing is a good idea, unless we all want to end up on the cover of tabloid magazines or worse; have our drinks spiked and then be raped in some dark alleyway." exclaimed the unicorn, who at this point was ready to grab the mug away from Rainbow Dash as multiple splashes of coffee kept falling from her cup.
"Oh please? Us on tabloid covers? Raped in an alley way? Jeez, where do you come up this stuff?" Rainbow Dash once more flung her mug around, this time causing a large portion of it to fall on the pure white carpet. Twilight forcefully took the cup from her hooves and set it on the coffee table.
"Manehattan has one of the highest crime rates in Equestria and are you forgetting who we are? Two members of royalty, the elements of harmony, throw in a draconequus and an underage baby dragon? In a night club? This isn't Ponyville, tabloids would eat that up" Cadence nodded in agreement.
"While I do love nightclubs, though I highly doubt we'd be raped, I've lived in Manhattan before, back before me and Shining started dating, officially anyway. Despite being with undercover guards in highly protected penthouse, I ended up in the papers a number of times. The press is like snakes and its victims mice, in this city. They stalk your every move and no doubt they are aware of our presence in the city." Cadence shuddered and wrapped her wings around her.
"The press can't be that bad, can they?" asked Twilight.
"Oh no, they are. If you ever go to the library and look up old Manhattan newspapers and magazines you'll see headlines involving me. Everything from what I was wearing, to who I was dating, to what I was doing, to things completely made up. I cannot tell you how embarrassing it is to get a letter from your aunt asking what the hell you're doing and then confusingly opening the paper to read: Princess Cadence! Her secret harem of stallions and her kinky bedroom activity!" The group went all silent, staring at the pink alicorn. They all sat there for a good moment before they all burst out laughing, which increased as the mare blushed and faced hoof her self for having used that particular headline as an example.
Rudely awoken, Discord stumbled out of his room which he shared with his fiancé. "Why are you guys all laughing?" he asked, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision. The laughter only increased as the draconequus stood dumbfounded and confused.
"Why do I even bother? Mares!" -----
Fluttershy glanced, about her surroundings nervously. All around her carriages, ponies and other creatures move about, traveling about the city. She wanted nothing more than to be hiding in a corner, but she couldn't. If she had stayed back at the hotel, her friends would have too, and she didn't want to ruin this trip for them. Besides, she would be fine right? After all she had an amazing group of friends and a wonderful fiancé who would all protect her, she had no doubt. Besides there were now several invisible guards trailing the group.
Shortly after breakfast, which was more of a buffet then a breakfast, Celestia had returned Twilight's letter. It had been quite long, taking up both sides of the paper, but the gist of it was that Celestia understood that this week was special, yet she couldn't let anyone, especially Fluttershy go unguarded. She had informed the group that she had already sent a letter to the Mayor of Manehattan, and had him assign a group of guards to oversee them during their stay. She also advised for no one to do anything rash, and that she personally would be looking into this assassinated attack along with Luna. Still even, with the added protection, she was hiding in between her friends, constantly looking over her shoulder. Normally the others would tell her not to worry, but in this situation, it was warranted.
"So, before we split off, let's go over the plan just so we make sure we know what we'll all be doing, what we should do if this psycho reappears and where to meet" spoke the purple alicorn, whipping out her list from her saddle bags. She quickly glanced at the list then, over the group, pausing briefly on Discord with a small frown on her face.
"Pinkie, Spike and Rarity are all going to check out the Statue of Liberty and other landmarks, me and Cadence, are going to be meeting with the Mayor, for appearances and also to see if we can't find more information on our...situation. And um, the rest of you, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and....Discord will apparently being going to meet with Applejack’s family.
Discord was not unaware of the tone used by Twilight, or the annoyed glance from Applejack. No doubt she was worried that he would cause havoc for her and her relatives. A part of him wanted to scream, asking why they still didn't trust him, while a smaller part wanted to cause havoc, just to spite the group. Instead he chose to ignore it for now, and focus on other things.
“One half of the group of guards tailing us will be going with Applejack and the rest, as we all can assume that Fluttershy is the only target right now, and probably needs more protection. The other half will be divided between us. If any of us run into the nut case, and we get separated from the guards, use the emergency orb I gave each of you. It will signal the rest of us, and tell us where your location is.” The group nodded and quickly departed ways, excited but tense at the same time.
What they didn't know was that the unknown assassin had overheard their entire conversation, and was plotting to take down his target, hopeful of succeeding this time around. And this time he wasn't going to be easily thwarted; this time he brought friends.
Twisted Dagger was not a happy stallion. The only thing he hated more than failing was “them” also known as Seeping Cut and Precision Arrow, fraternal twins with the mentality and attitude of a pair of foals. Sure they were good at what they did but that barely made up for the fact that they were always pestering him with questions, or taunting him, or pulling pranks.
Seeping Cut, the eldest of the twins was slightly more insane then her brother. She was a Pegasus mare with bright red hair swept into a bun. Her eyes were the shade of violet and she had a light, orange colored coat. While she usually wore a set of robes with the councils’ symbol on it, as they were undercover, she was wearing nothing more than a pair of bronze horse shoes. Seeping Cut was a master a sword fighting and was also skilled in poisons and runes.
Her brother, the younger sibling, Precision Arrow was not a Pegasus like his sister, but rather a unicorn. This was due to their mother being a Pegasus and their father a unicorn. He shared his coat coloring with his sister but that was where the similarities ended. His mane was a deep brown and was wild and unruly. His eyes were a dark green which twinkled with malice. Precision Arrow was a skilled archer, having trained since a young age. He was also skilled at hoof to hoof combat and how to to blend in, even in broad daylight and being pursued. The only thing he wore was a fedora which looked stupid on him.
Now you're probably wondering why exactly Twisted Dagger disliked this pair so much, other than the fact that the acted like children. The answer is actually quite simple.
They were his cousins.
He loathed his cousins with a passion. Really, he didn’t even need his cousins with him. Of course his father thought otherwise and was convinced he was unable to take out the mare known as Fluttershy, the element of kindness and an animal caretaker, so he had sent his cousins to “help” him with his task. He had it under control, he had just forgotten to factor in and consider the strength of that stupid Pegasus’s friends. It was a mistake he would not make again.
“Oh, oh! Look at this, Twisty! There’s going to be a Fall Festival! “Twisted cringed at the nickname, his cousin obliviously pointed to a poster in the window of the café they were sitting outside of.
“For the last time, we are on an important mission, we do not have time to run around playing games like foals!” whispered the stallion aggressively, staring at his cousin with pure loathing. ‘How so very like her to want to shirk her duties’ thought Twisted Dagger. Seeping Cut pouted and let out a small frustrated whine. Twisted ignored her and turned his attention back to what really mattered; figuring out how to kill that damn mare. Currently the trio, sans Precision Arrow who was….somewhere, was holed up in a café next door the hotel, The Crowned Alicorn where the target was supposedly staying.
Normally, he wouldn’t care if his target was surrounded by other individuals however her fiancé was the fabled Discord of legend and had powers none could match. She was also protected by the other Elements of Harmony, one which was a princess, a dragon and another princess. Killing an Element of Harmony was one thing, but if he was to kill a member of royalty, the entire nation would be hunting him down. Besides, he couldn’t kill them because it would ruin the council’s plans. So he just had to wait until she was alone or surrounded by the weaker of her friends.
Suddenly, Precision Arrow appeared in Twisted’s peripheral vision, causing him to jump in fright. “Don’t do that, for Tourniquet’s sake! “Said the startled pony; his cousin merely rolled his eyes and pointed out the window. Frowning, followed the hoof with his gaze and promptly froze.
There she was! His target, leaving the hotel surrounded by her friends and four other ponies that he didn’t recognize; He racked his brain for a moment to try and figure out who these ponies were when it hit him. “Fuck” he said out loud.
Those weren’t normal ponies, they were guards. It looked like his mission got a hell of a lot harder. -
Discord hated this form; it was much too simple and plain for his tastes. The ancient being was disguised as a middle-aged stallion. His antlers were gone, replaced by the standard unicorn horn. His wings were also gone, replaced by nothing (apparently a sudden, new male Alicorn would raise draw attention, according to Egghead Sparkle) and his eye color had changed from red to violet. His coat had gone from mixed match to a bluish grey. On his flank was a swirl with an unfamiliar shape, some sort symbol, in the middle. The only thing that remained was his long, scraggly white beard. Honestly, he didn’t know why he chose such a boring form. Then again, it had been at the suggestion of Fluttershy, (well actually Swift Sword, one of the undercover guards following them suggested it, but Fluttershy had encouraged him) and well, he would do anything for her, even though he would never admit it to anypony.
The purpose of the disguise was mostly to stop the locals from panicking. Not many were aware of the fact that Discord had been reformed. Many assumed he was still a statue in the Canterlot Royal gardens. There was also the fact that after Discord had caused chaos to the city, the mayor had declared him a menace and encouraged her citizens to call the guard immediately if they saw him. Many Manehattan natives were unconvinced that Discord had even been turned back to stone, many though he fled, waiting for the chance to attack. In fact, when they had checked into the hotel the receptionist had started screaming and calling for the guard.
The guards assigned to them weren’t any less happy, as well as the mayor. They didn’t trust Discord. When Mayor Sunshine Smiles had heard about Discord being in town, she had immediately sent word to Celestia. Apparently it has taken a dozen letters back and forth to Celestia to convince the mayor not to declare war on Discord. Really, he didn’t know why she was making such a big deal out of the situation. He had done worse things to Canterlot and Ponyville during his hostile takeover. The most he did to Manehattan was summon a chocolate tornado and maybe a few other things. The draconaquuas laughed as he recalled the life-sized cheese dogs failing from the sky.
As Discord laughed, he casually allowed his eyes to shift over the carriage he was sitting in, out towards the city. Their carriage was headed towards East Manehattan, from what the Element of Honesty said, it was where most rich ponies lived. The mare looked quite nervous and out of place, largely so. She had done herself up, curling her hair and putting on make-up. She didn’t wear any fancy clothes, but she had put on a pearl necklace and donned a pair of bronze plated horseshoes. Honestly she looked odd, the makeup and pearl necklace did nothing to suit her.
Discord also looked out of place, as did everyone else. When Applejack had decided to visit her Aunt and Uncle, and had realized Discord and Fluttershy would be tagging along, she forced them both to dress up and demanded that Discord behave. While he would normally ignore her threats and be absolutely against dressing up, it was the looks from his fiancé that made him keep his mouth shut and go along. With his magic, he dressed himself in a Tuxedo jacket, a bright white linen shirt underneath and for extra classiness, donned a top hat and a monocle. Fluttershy wore just a wide, brimmed hat with an elegant silk green bow tied around its base as well as another bow around her neck. Discord offered to summon her up something more “snobby” but the mare refused.
As the carriage passed through streets, Discord could tell that they were nearing their destination. The stores they were currently passing were filled with elegant, expensive looking stuff in the windows such as several mannequins which were donned in expensive looking dresses and tuxedos, covered in crystals and silk. There was also the fact that the ponies walking the streets were dressed as well, rich ponies. They wore silk garments, gold plated horseshoes, elegant hats and coats as well as things like boas or high-end saddles. Their expressions and posture screamed: I’m rich and you’re not, so bow to me peasant! Discord could already tell that while these were the most fun ponies to mess with, he was not going to have a fun time.
Finally the carriage stopped outside a large, upscale apartment building. Discord, Fluttershy and Applejack slowly got out of the cart and after paying the quite, stocky carriage puller slowly made their way towards the pair of ponies outside the doors. They were doorcolts, though they also served a bit as guards, making sure no rift-raft got inside to harass the tenants or to rob apartments, or anything else for that matter. Instantly, the disguised draconaquuas could tell that they were going to have an issue when he saw the heavier colt, a unicorn, slowly move his eyes over Fluttershy’s flank and licked his lips. He growled softly and shot a look towards the stallion. The doorcolt was unfazed and only gave him a sneer. Before Discord could transform him into a toad, or something else that was befitting of him, Applejack stepped forward and spoke with the stallions.
“Hello, I am here to see Mr. and Mrs. Orange. Would you happen to know if they are at all perhaps home?” said Applejack, tapping into her inner-snob by ditching her usual way of speaking for one that gave the sense of superiority and money in every word. The other stallion, a Pegasus, merely glanced them over and frowned.
“What business do you have here?” asked the stallion, suspicious of the group of ponies, especially the ones that were behind the trio, glancing around and studying every passing pony with extreme detail.
“I am Valencia and Mosely’s niece, Lady Applejack of Ponyville, and these are my companions, Lady Fluttershy of Ponyville and….er…Duke….Duke Disc of Ponyville. “ said the earth pony, a look of uneasiness on her face.
“And those other ponies with you?”
“Their escort and body guards; We are here to insure that they are safe and secure and that no low-class ruffians come near them” said Swift Sword, stepping forward, her wild silver mane swishing behind her. The guards grunted for a moment before gesturing them to go in. As they passed, Discord spied the guard from earlier attempting to brush his hoof over Fluttershy’s flank as they passed. Calmly and quietly, the draconaquuas summoned up a bucket of water and had it fall on top of the stallion.
The stallion sputtered and gasped as the cold water hit him, soaking him to the bone. Thankfully, the rest of the group was already half way inside and too distracted to notice. Discord grinned and followed after his fiancé, shooting a smug look back at the stallion who was trying to figure out where the bucket of water had come from.
Finding the apartment unit of Mr. and Mrs. Orange was not hard. Applejack knew exactly where it was; having spent two months living there. It was located on the third floor, two doors down from the elevator on the right-hoof side. As they approached the familiar door that lead to her Aunt and Uncle's loft apartment, Applejack felt a bit of tension in her stomach. She hadn't exactly sent word before hoof that she would be visiting and she hadn't visited with them in a long while. Plus, she hadn't replied to one of her aunts letters in a long time; not out of hatred or disain but mostly due to the her hectic life of running the family farm and being a Saviour of Equestria. Applejack really wanted to visit her aunt and uncle but at the same time she was unsure on whether or not they would be welcome. And she was worried what HE would do.
Applejack glanced back at Discord who looked at her with boredom and a bit of agitation; he was clearly perplexed why they were just standing in the hallway. Fluttershy seemed to not care; she appeared to be somewhere else mentally, glancing over her shoulder occasionally. The orange mare sighed and then straightened her back and then gave a final look towards Discord which said: Behave or else. After all the only reason he was here was because of Fluttershy. Stepping forward, she elegantly knocked on the door to the apartment. Applejack waited for several moments for a sign of life but none came. Applejack frowned and knocked again.
“Aunt Valencia? Uncle Mosley?” asked the earth pony mare, starting to get nervous. Were they asleep? Fluttershy stepped forward a bit.
“Maybe they're out?” she suggested, glancing down the hallway towards the guards who were standing by, looking for some sort of threat. Applejack considered it but then again, wouldn't the apartment's security have told her? Then again, they didn't seem like the type who paid much to details. Maybe they should come back; it didn't seem as though her family was home. Before she could walk away, the door opened slightly and from the crack, a heavy scent of what smelled like a mixture of urine and rotting trash hit Applejack in the nose, causing her and the others to gag.
“Yes?” A soft, strained voice came from behind the door and from the small crack from where the smell was coming from, Applejack saw a blue iris staring back at her.
“Aunt Valencia?” it didn't sound like her aunt but the voice was clearly female and who else would be here? The door opened the rest of way and in the doorway, stood the remains of the mare Applejack knew. She was no longer wearing fancy jewelry or accessories; she only wore a faded, torn bathrobe that was stained with as series of odd stains and clearly hadn't been washed in a while. Her hair, usually done up in an elaborate hairdo with her favorite golden hair clip was now limp, tangled and greasy. Her fur which was a lovely light orange-yellow was now starting to look a bit gray and bags upon bags were under her eyes. Applejack's eyes moved beyond Valencia to look at her apartment. She couldn't see much with her aunt in the way but she caught the sight of a pile of dirty dishes and what appeared to be garbage strewn upon the floor.
“Jacquelin....what are you doing here?....who are these people?” asked the mare, who was confused and sounded tired. Her light blue eyes swept over the group, frowning at the weird gray stallion who seemed to be....juggling glasses of chocolate milk? The disguised draconequus grinned but quickly stopped his act when Applejack turned around to see why her aunt had suddenly turned alarmed. Discord pouted but complied. Applejack turned back to her aunt and looked at her with concern.
“Aunt Valencia.....are you okay?” asked the younger mare. The older mare just ignored her question and repeated her own.
“What are you doing here Jacqueline?” this time more firmly and aggressive. Applejack stuttered for a moment before answering; her voice returning to her true, country accent.
“I'm here visitin' with my friends. My friend here, Fluttershy is getting' married to her fiancée, and we're 'err to check out some caterers and meet with some dress designers...I thought I'd visit you and 'ncle Mosley while I was in town.” answered Applejack, pointing to Fluttershy and Discord when she brought them up in conversation.
At the mention of “Uncle” Mosley, Valencia began tearing up. “I'm sorry, did I say somethin' 'rong? What's going on Auntie? You look like a 'train wreck and you smell like Big Joe the Pig when he got caught out in the rainstorm last summer and we found him the next day stuck in a sewage pipe....wait, where's Uncle Mosley?”
Valencia had now entered in a full mode crying session. She tried to say something but with her crying it wasn't possible to decipher. Something about a theft? Or left? She rubbed her snotty nose on her bathrobe which earned a few looks from a few neighbors passing by her door. Valencia paid them no heed though Applejack did feel a little self conscious standing there in the hallway.
“W...Can we come in Auntie? I feel right silly standin' here.” Valencia seemed conflicted but after a moment, she allowed the group to come inside. Once they were, Applejack could really see how bad the dishes and garbage were. As Applejack passed by the kitchen she saw piles upon piles of dishes covered in dirt and larva sat all over them. The garbage was all over the floor and looked and smelled that maybe her aunt had decided to let her precious Siamese cat, Cleopawtra to use the floors as a bathroom. Which come to think about it, that cat was no where to be seen. Usually she was near her mistress yet she seemed to be gone. The smell and sight made the mares stomach roll and bile began to rise. Something was wrong, very wrong.
“What. Happened? Where is Uncle Mosley and what in Tarnation happened to your apartment?” Applejack asked once they had reached the sitting room which was surprisingly clean compared to the rest of the place. The place was still how Applejack remembered it; a thick old worn carpet covered the floor, large, old styled couches were pushed against the wall and in the corner of a room was a worn oak desk and in the other there was a painting easel with half finished painting of a waterfront. Valencia opened her mouth to reply but quickly looked passed Applejack and at her “friends” and gave her niece a look that read: Family matter.
“We'll just.. um...be out in the...um hallway....” said Fluttershy, picking up the vibe that this was a private matter and ushering Discord and the guards out into the hallway. Once they were alone, the orange mare gave her aunt a glare that meant business. Valencia sobbed quietly for a few minutes before speaking, though she did not stop crying.
“Mosley....He...He...he left m-me” admitted Valencia, her tears beginning to fall harder. Applejack was shocked. Left? But Mosley and Valencia were the perfect couple, they never fought and were a couple that gave off the vibe of being newlyweds despite the fact that they had been married for a little over a decade.
“When...Why?” asked the souther pony. Valencia sobbed for a moment before continuing on.
“H-He found a yo-younger m-mare, some little slut from C-Canterlot. I g-guess younger and prettier are better.....he left over f-four months ago” Her sobs were now completely out of control, the older mare slid to the floor and onto the faded plush rug that covered the floor of the sitting room.
“What happened to your apartment?” Valencia didn't respond, instead her sobs decreased to light sniffles and she seemed to enter a state of absent mindedness, not paying her niece any attention.
“I just couldn't...I couldn't be bothered to do house work or chores, not after he left. I just....I can't bring myself. I know it's pitiful and disgusting but I just can't.” she said after a while, looking around the sitting room.
“Except this room, I don't know why but I feel safe and happy here. Maybe because it's the one part of the apartment I had free rein to design the way I liked. No need for expensive foreign rugs or uncomfortable sofas like the ones that Mosley had in the living room. You know the ones he would get so in a rage about if Cleopawtra or anypony with a smudge of dirt on them got anywhere near them. He choose pretty much everything in this place you know? From the colors to the furniture, and I never liked any of it but he refused to budge. But here....here was mine. “ Valencia paused to look around the room, taking in the smell of paint and the light aqua walls that surrounded him.
“He met her at some Coffee Shop, some university student who was trying to pay her way through college; a wannabe actress. At first I ignored it; denial because I couldn't take the truth, I passed it off as being paranoid but then one day, I woke up and found him and her in the living room, waiting for me. He tried to throw me out. Me. She, the little slut who had slept with my husband, even had the audacity to blame me by claiming that I hadn't done my wifely duties.
I've never hit somepony so hard. The...the guards came and then they tried to pin me as some crazy mare. The guards got them to leave but Mosley promised to get everything in the divorce. I didn't believe him, until the mare that I thought was my best friend, the lawyer friend you met a few times when you lived here, decided to represent him in court. Can you believe it? I know he will win, she's only had a few handfuls of failure in her career.”
“Oh don't you see Jacqueline, I'm going to lose everything so why bother to even take care of the apartment?” The older mare was beginning to tear up again, sobbing into her hooves. Applejack's gut filled with disbelief and anger. While her aunt was her biological relative, being her mother's sister and Granny Smith's daughter, Mosley still felt like family. He was family. Or at least he had been; she had no idea how to feel about the situation. Angry? Sad? Confused? All? What she did know is that as she held her crying at, that she was going to need her.
As much as she loved her friends and wanted to protect them, Applejack would willingly admit that family came first. So she made the tough choice of staying behind with her aunt while Fluttershy and Discord left, thought the yellow mare didn’t particularly mind leaving her friend behind. She understood Applejack’s fierce desire to protect the one’s she loved, especially her family members. Once Fluttershy was gone with her fiancé and “entourage” in hoof, Applejack set about helping her aunt.
She mopped floors, cleaned dishes, tossed piles of garbage and Celestia’s knows what else in to the buildings garbage chutes. She did absolutely everything and would have bathed the older mare had she not protested and nearly slapped her. “I can wash myself Jacquelyn” the mare had said, though Applejack did have to force her to take a shower at all. Once she was done cleaning the apartment and had located her Aunt’s missing cat [Whom she discovered was not missing but instead just hiding behind the washing machine of all places] the sun which had been high in the sky when she arrived at her aunt’s apartment was beginning to set.
Applejack sighed as she finished putting a clean set of blankets and sheets on her Aunt’s bed. Her back ached; while the mare was used to hard labor she did occasionally have her off days where her back would start hurting from strenuous activity. They were rare but they did happen on occasion. It was probably best if she saw Dr. Stable when she went back to Ponyville, they were starting to become a little bit more frequent.
The orange mare stretched and made her way out of her aunt’s room. As she left, the door to the main bathroom opened and Valencia stepped out, her hair and waist covered in towels. Steam from the bathroom filled the hallway and the yellow mare sighed happily as she ran a hoof over her face, enjoying the clean feeling. Oh how long had it been since she had bathed? At least a week.
“Oh I feel so much better Jacquelyn. Amazing what a shower can do.”
“Glad t'see you feelin' better. It's mighty fine t'see you clean an' all smiles.” Said the country mare, smiling at her aunt. Valencia nodded but as they stood there in the hallway, she remembered just why she was sad in the first place. The mare sighed and dragged herself to the sitting room and flopped down on the couch; Applejack frowned and silently followed after her.
“You okay Auntie?” asked Applejack as she approached the other mare. Valencia merely sighed again.
“No…Yes…I’m just unsure. I don’t know what I’m going to do Jacquelyn. Do I try to fight Mosley in court or should I just move on? I’m just so unsure”
“You could come home with me. Ah’m shure everyone would love to have ya’ around!” There was a brief awkward silence that filled the area as soon as those words left Applejacks mouth. Valencia gave her niece a forced smile.
“As much as I appreciate that little Jacquelyn, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” The mare pushed herself off her couch and out of habit began fussing with the books on the tables.
“Ashamed of the farm life?” That came out a little harder than she intended and Applejack berated herself. She really shouldn’t try and judge her aunt for giving up on the country life and becoming a posh, Manehattatian. She was never one for judging ponies on how they lived their lives and she wasn’t going to start now. Valencia glanced at her niece and a mixture of anger and sadness passed over the mare’s face.
“No, no. Mother….Your grandmother has disowned me.”
-
Fluttershy didn’t like Manehattan. Well not to say she hated it but she didn’t like large crowds, always pushing against her as she moved through the streets as well as the crowded, condensed buildings that were taller than Canterlot castle, making her feel a bit anxious. True she wasn’t the strongest of fliers but like most Pegasus’s, she had an inborn desire to seek open air and tended to dislike small cramped places. Canterlot and Ponyville weren’t perfect, they had their own share of problems but Manehattan made the yellow Pegasus feel cramped, by the sheer number of buildings and ponies all around.
It also didn’t help that a physcopath had attempted to kill her which was another reason why she felt anxious as she’d rather be inside instead of in the open. Still, it was a beautiful day and she wasn’t exactly alone. Fluttershy trotted down the streets of Manehattan, her disguised lover by her side. After leaving Applejack to tend to her aunt, the pair decided to just wander down the streets instead of taking a cab back to the hotel. Actually, Discord wanted to lock her away inside where she was safe and a part of her wanted to hide as well but for some reason, she was feeling brave. Usually in this situation she would hide; hide and not come out for weeks or months but for months she had been feeling more courageous.
She didn’t know why, maybe because she was gaining confidence in herself, maybe it was because of falling in love with Discord but something inside her was changing. Not just her anxiety either, she was starting to find herself more forceful and stubborn. In recent days she found it harder to give in to Angel’s demands or even her friends. Like Rarity; half a year ago she would have just given in and worn that horrid dress but she found herself standing up for herself. And while somepony’s might see that as a good thing, while it was, the mare found herself…angrier; especially towards her friends.
The “bat’s” incident was a good indication; the fact that her friends only listened to her after she turned into a bat-pony and completely disregarded her advice on the matter. She, who was a licensed veterinary and animal behaviorist; whose special talent was dealing with animals. Even now, Fluttershy felt her jaw clenching. Just because she was-No…No. She wasn’t going to go there, she loved her friends and she knew they weren’t perfect, besides it wasn’t intentional; she knew her friends weren’t going out of the way to ignore her advice or opinions even if it still hurt.
Fluttershy sighed and decided to focus her attention on Discord. The draconequus was still in disguise and was surprisingly quiet and behaved, just staring ahead as they walked down the streets of Manehattan. Odd, he was usually loud and always trying to cause chaos. Immediately a red flag went up in the back of her mind.
“Discord?” The “unicorn” turned his attention towards her slowly, a small look of confudlment on his face. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk which earned a few nasty looks for ponies passing by. For a moment he stood there looking blankly at her before responding.
“Yes, my dear Fluttershy?”
“Are you…um..okay?” asked the mare, worried. This was absolutely not like him and she felt anxiety building up with in her. Discord snorted and laughed.
“Oh my dear, dear Fluttershy. Is this about the spacing out? You must forgive an old spirit of Chaos like me. I was just imagining what you’ll look like on our wedding night when I take you to bed.” Anxiety left her stomach and was instead filled with embarrassment.
“D-Discord!” shouted the mare, looking around to see if anyone had overheard him. Discord chuckled and without hesitation he pulled her against him.
“Now, now my little Pegasus. Nothing to be embarrassed about, I’m sure you’ll look beautiful just as you always do.” Fluttershy pushed him away and sighed.
“Tha-at’s not the prob-blem.” Inside Discord squealed, though he would never admit it out loud; he had always found her occasional stutters to be quite cute and endearing. The way she would glance at the ground, her cheeks would grow red and she would mumble words. Which was one of the reason why he enjoyed embarrassing her as it was a chance to see her in that state.
“Oh and what is. Are you worried about not having a little ensemble picked out? Not to worry, because I do enjoy your natural look.” If Fluttershy’s face was burning before, then now it was completely on fire. The mare sputtered and tried to hide herself behind her hair, an old habit of hers.
“D-Discord! We’re in p-public!” Discord barely heard her due to the sound of Manehattan life all around them and the low volume of Fluttershy’s voice. He merely laughed in response and pulled her back against him.
“Oh no need to be bashful. I’m sure nopony heard me at all” Discord was proven wrong as Nightblade, one of the guards coughed and glanced at the ground which earned her a glare from her superior, an earth pony stallion with a beefy build and a rugged, scarred face that indicated that he had seen some shit in his time. The mare merely looked away and tried to feign innocence. Swift Sword giggled at the situation but she quickly tried to cover it up by biting her lip.
“I’m surrounded by foals. We’re supposed to be inconspicuous and silent. Not paying attention to things that don’t involve us.” The silver haired mare sighed as she was chewed out by her colleague. He could be such a party pooper at times, even over the smallest of things.
“Oh no, it’s okay. Really it’s our fault for discussing this in public….I don’t think we’ve been properly acquainted have we? I mean we know each other’s names but I don’t think we really know each other.” Said Fluttershy, apologizing on behalf of herself and soon-to-be husband. The earth pony, known as Dented Steel shook his head.
“No need Ma’am, our duty is to guard you on behalf of Mayor Sunny Smiles and by extension, their royal highnesses Princess Luna and Celestia. Small talk is not needed."
“Oh but you've been following us around all day and I just feel awful…Say, I got an idea. Why don’t we have lunch? That way we can really get to know each other. My treat.” Fluttershy ignored Discords small whines of unhappiness; it wouldn’t kill him to share her or to interact with the ponies that were guarding them…her, it really didn't matter.
“That would be inappropriate, it’s our job to protect. you not abandon our posts.”
“Surely though you’re hungry? It’s almost one in the afternoon, I mean you must be starving and I would just feel awful if you had to follow me around on an empty stomach.”
“Well…” started Swift Sword before she was interrupted by Dented Steel.
“No, we shall not abandon our post.”
“Fluttershy-“ The mare in question ignored her fiancé and chose to speek over him. Which was a little off because she wasn't usually so forward.
“Please? I mean it wouldn’t really be abandoning your post if we’re all together now would it? It would honestly make my day to get to know you all.”
Dented Steel sighed and removed his helmet so he could rub his temples with his hooves.
“You’re not going to give in, are you?”
“Nope.”
Begrudgingly, the Dented Steel relented and allowed himself along with his colleagues to be dragged off in search of a place to eat. Swift Sword and Nightblade, seemed to be quite happy to be able to have a break from their post and have lunch. The reclusive and silent forth member of their quartet, Soft Blows was unphased and as usual showed no outward disdain or happiness, merely following along. No one noticed the trio of ponies following them, stalking them. Waiting for the perfect moment.
"Disowned? Now hold up Auntie. You sure we're talkin' about the same mare? I know you and granny aren't on the best of terms but I know that mare better then the back of my hoof and I know she ain't one to cut off family. And I know she would have told me even if it was true." Applejack stared at her aunt like a pony would at somepony else with two heads. Valencia sighed and rubbed her temples.
"I know she raised you since Ari...your mother and father died, but your grandmother also has her own secrets and tends to keep stuff like this to herself." explained the older mare, running her hoof through her hair and shifting awkwardly on the couch.
"I don't believe that for a moment. Granny is the most honest pony I know!" stated Applejack, her anger bubbling and beginning to surface. Valencia snorted at Applejack's statement.
"Honesty? No, she cares more about appearances than honesty. She'd rather be viewed as a perfect family then admit to her shortcomings or just how unperfect the apple family really is. "
"How dare you talk about my granny like that! She is nothing like that!" Applejack growled and stomped her hoof on the ground. Valencia merely shook her head at her niece and sighed.
"You may have been raised by her and she is your grandmother Jacqueline but I know my mother better then you do and I know that she is more self-centered then you can ever believe. Your entire upbringing is a direct reflection of that."
"And what in Tarnation is that supposed to mean?" By now Applejack was in a full seething rage, immensely regretting coming to see her aunt in the first place and wishing she had just stayed away. How dare she talk about her granny like that? Even if she was her granny, in the Apple Family you didn't talk bad about your kin. If you had problems you took them aside and spoke to them one on one, not bad mouth them behind their backs! Valencia didn't reply at first she merely swept her eyes of Jacqueline and a look passed over he face. It left as quickly as it came but Applejack was nearly positive that the mare looked both sad and angry.
"Nothing little Jacqueline. I'm sorry, I'm...it's....Come, let's forget this. It's not important and it's best to leave this stuff to the past. Your granny is a good pony even if I don't agree with every thing she's done. " Applejack cursed under her breath. On one hoof she wanted to storm out of here but on the other one Valencia was still family. She debated internally for a moment before she begrudgingly sat down next to her aunt, letting the matter drop for the time being. -
....It was....Centaurian? Yes! The language of the centaurs, a loyal proud race that had been driven to extinction over the centuries due to unknown causes. Well not completely wiped out; Tirek who had recently been imprisoned by the recently crowned Princesses Luna and Celestia, was the last centaur left or as far as reports went. No other centaur had been spotted in over two hundred years. ! What a foal he was to not recognize it sooner! He had stu....studied...recently imprisoned?
Discord shook his head. No, that wasn't right. He wasn't imprisoned by Celestia and Luna, he had been imprisoned by his fiance and her friends. Well he supposed Twilight Book-Horse did most of the work but still. He knew Celestia and Luna had originally imprisoned Tirek, he had heard about it but he wasn't around during that time. Wait, wasn't he? Discord suddenly found himself struggling to recall. Truth retold he really didn't think about his past as he preferred to spend time in the present and spread chaos rather then reminiscing like some pansy. But now that he was thinking, what was his first memory? How old was he when he said his first word? Had he ever been a foal? Had a childhood, parents?
Fear gripped the draconaquuas/unicorn. He couldn't place any of these things, yes he was the spirit of chaos but everyone had a beginning, even if he didn't have a family. It was so odd, he couldn't remember! He struggled but eventually he gave up. Perhaps he was overthinking this, it probably wasn't important...was it?
Discord turned his attention back to the carvings before him. It was odd that he recognized Centuarian despite not having seen the language before as far as he knew. What was even odder was this entire hallway seemed to have centaur statues but the room previous all had statues of unicorns. He glanced at the writing and realized he understood. Well not well but he was able to pick a few words out of the carving as he read over a section: Sealed....beware....fear and one word that stood out above all: run. This all made him think back to the note he found with the skeleton. Something about a "She" that was inside this place apparently, was it connected to the writing on the walls? Even more confused he decided to continue forward. Besides, nothing scared the Spirit of Discord. Discord continued down the hallway. The hallway was long and filled with more carvings and and writing and also a few stone busts of various random centaurs. Upon reaching the end of the hallway he discovered another door.
The door which was eighteen by eighteen feet tall [Give or take a foot or two.] was actually two connected doors made of some sort of metal of which Discord could determine; a black metal. On each door there was a circle of six prongs which were out of place but gave Discord the impression that something went there; some sort of key. The door was obviously locked; there were six locks that went up the seam that the two doors shared. If he were to guess, the key or rather keys since he assumed he needed would needed to be placed on their appropriate prongs and then turned or something. This would most likely lead to the door being unlocked.
Lazily, Discord attempted to open the door with his magic but to his disappointment the door did not unlock. In fact the unicorn spell he cast at the door actually rebounded off of it and hit a statue behind him, shattering into pieces. The door clearly had some sort of enhancement on it to prevent a magic user like a unicorn from opening it. Discord then tried melting the door but again nothing happened other then the fact that he nearly set himself on fire as it once again rebounded. Frustrated he attempted to tap into his magic and ditch the inferior unicorn magic but found he couldn't. He cursed Faust under his breath. It seemed he would need to find those keys. Wait, clearly whatever the stallion outside had mentioned was not in this hallway so that had to mean whatever it was he had ran from was beyond these doors. And that meant he had to have gone in there, meaning he probably had the keys.
Discord was right, he went back and found the keys under a loose rock near the stallion, his crude attempt to hide them to no avail. The keys were two large golden disks with holes that were clearly cut out for the prongs. Discord brought the keys back to the door and placed them on the doors. Once they were on, he used his magic to turn the keys. At first they didn't turn however he realized from the large ornate carving on the door that he had overlooked that they needed to be turned in a pattern. The left one three full turns clockwise, once counter clockwise then halfway clockwise. The right one followed the pattern in the opposite direction. Once Discord finished turning the right key, the locks began releasing themselves. The sound of ancient locks opening was loud and made Discord cover his ears with his hooves. When the final lock clicked and released, the door opened a smudge.
He stepped forward and using his magic, he opened the door and almost instantly was hit with old, stale air and dust. He was sent into a coughing fit, forcing him to kneel over as the coughs racked his body. Faust, what he would do for water. Subconsciously perhaps, he found himself reaching behind him to his side and to his surprise he discovered saddlebags which he hadn't noticed before. When did those bags get there? Had they always been there? How come he didn't feel them before or notice them when he was staring into the pond? Discord removed the bags and tossed it's contents onto the cavern floor, still coughing and trying his best to breath.
A heap of items was tossed to the ground, the amount of stuff far larger then the bags themselves. Probably expanded on the inside, not exactly a rare enchantment. The items that had once been inside his bag consisted of a camping set; a pan made of stone which was cracked and clearly old, a bedroll made of some fur as well as a folded up matching tent, a few books, a large supply of food mostly consisting of pickled or dried items such as fruit, a small, homemade first aid kit that consisted of bandages and whatnot, a fire making kit and the most important item; a old wooden canteen that was filled with water, or so Discord realized when he sloshed it around. Discord struggled with the cork in the canteen before he managed to pry it free with his magic, sending the canteen flying, spilling most of it's contents. He growled in frustration as he picked it off the floor from where it had landed and surveyed what was left.
There seemed to be still some water inside so he quickly downed what was left; a few mouthfuls. His coughs subsided a tad after being drowned by cold water but still persisted to an extent. He would need to refill it somewhere....or perhaps? Discord concentrated on the canteen and attempted to summon water to fill it. He struggled for a few minutes but eventually he was able to summon a small torrent of water which he eagerly put in the canteen by picking it up with his magic and then drank it's contents. He did this a few times before he could take it no more and was sure his stomach would burst from the amount of water inside. He took the canteen and everything else which was still on the floor and put it back into his bags save for one of the books that stood out. It was a worn leather book which seemed to be empty of any writing except for a few pages. Discord started to read them but decided it could wait, his curiosity was getting the best of him and he wanted to know what was beyond the door. He put it away and opened the partially opened door and stepped through. Once more he was greeted by a hallway, which was dark and foreboding. However this one merely featured normal cave walls and was not inscribed with pictures or writing and it descended.
He walked down this new hallway, using his unicorn horn to illuminate the way. It was a long hallway, long. He spent over an hour walking deeper and deeper to the point he starting to wonder just how deep this hall went and when it ended. As he walked he came to realized he could hear water. Frowning he picked up his pace, it seemed to be coming ahead. When he reached the end of the long hall instead of another door he was greeted by a large opening. As he stood on a large stone platform he could only stare in bewilderment as he looked upon an underground city.
The cave which was larger then he had ever seen was illuminated by various enormously large crystals that hung from the ceiling, glowing a strange green. Below the platform was a large city made of what appeared to be stone. Stone buildings of various sizes, small and big littered the streets paved with a similar crystal as the one that hung from the "Sky." Statues of centaurs littered the streets, at almost every street corner. A large run down stone castle sat in the middle of city and surrounding the city on three sides a large lake stood with a few waterfalls running, bringing water from a nearby lake. The entire city looked to be slightly bigger then the City of The Royal Pony Sisters which was home to sixty thousand individuals. The cascading waterfall, the glowing crystals, the ancient castle that stood tall, all would have been beautiful to marvel at if Discord was a prissy person. And if wasn't for the fact that high on the platform, he could see nothing but skeletons lining streets, weapons scattered and the remains of an ancient battle.
Discord lifted a hoof to descend the stone stairway that descended down towards the city in the bottom of the cavern and then....
"DISCORD!"
-
Fluttershy chose a small cafe with Prench influences. She chose it because it looked so quaint and homey as well she liked the name of it. Cafe Aurora. Outside the cafe, there was a large chalk board with a list of various daily specials as well as a few patio seats and tables for those who wanted to eat outside. The building which was shoved between a grocery shop and an apartment building was a small two story building with white stucco walls with ivy growing up and down the building. Stepping inside, the group was greeted by a small waiting area filled with plush looking rose colored couches, various potted plants like ferns and a large wooden host podium. The walls were covered in a light pink wallpaper which featured silver roses with wood paneling along the bottom. The floors was marble, done in a Single Herringbone pattern and from the ceiling hung beautifully crafted lamps that were made of colored glass.
Behind the podium, a middle-aged pegasus mare with a beautiful silver mane swept up into a bun and a soft orange coat, donned in a white jacket suit and matching sandals, smiled as the group entered the building. Her attitude was cheery and bubbly and the small name tag on her breast pocket read: Silver Carafe. As the group of six ponies crowded into the waiting area, the mare came from behind the podium and approached them.
"Ello! Welcomez to ze Cafe Aurora! Table for six?" asked the mare, in a thick Prench accent. Fluttershy smiled back at the mare and nodded.
"Yes please. Um...c-could we get a win-window table? I mean if it's okay with you other wise I'm good." Out of habit and due to her social anxiety, Fluttershy looked away and kicked the floor. She hoped she wasn't being too rude to ask for a window seat. Oh! What if someone else wanted to sit in a window seat and there was only one window seat or one left? Suddenly Fluttershy felt very guilty and selfish. She opened her mouth to retract her request but before she could Silver Carafe was already speaking and pulling menus from behind the podium.
"Oui, Madame. Follow me." Fluttershy and the rest of the group followed, allowing themselves to be lead to a booth near the back. The group sat with Fluttershy and Discord on one side and the guards in the middle and on the other side. The situation soon became awkward as the hostess handed out menus and left briefly to attend to another group that had came in, telling them that a waiter would be along. It was awkward because no one knew what to say.
"So..uh...um...h-how long are you in town?" said Nightblade. Nightblade was a young pony mare who couldn't be much older then Fluttershy. She had a deep grey coat as well as a dark red mane and tail, both of which she kept in straight styled ponytails. Her eyes were a light fuchsia color. She was incognito as well as her colleagues, all dressed in dark navy suits. If anyone were to ask just how the guards were to defend themselves they would tell them the truth, or so Dented Steel had earlier that morning when everyone went their own way. The suits were enchanted with an armor spell.
Usually when guards were provided as an entourage to an individual of high status, they were typically in their normal city guard uniform. However in this case because they didn't want to draw attention, the enchantment had been chosen instead. It was a hard spell to cast and lasted only twenty four hours before the spell on the item [In this case clothes] that was enchanted faded. That meant to avoid having the enchantment fail at an inappropriate time, the guards were instructed to be in their normal garb only when at the hotel. Otherwise, for good measure they recasted the spell in the morning to ensure it didn't run out during the day when they were out.
Twilight had been quite excited when the guards had first explained this to her but became disappointed when she realized it was temporary. Of course this lead her to go into a rant on how enchantment worked. The art of permanent enchantment was lost; since before the Heartwarming Spell. These weren't normal weapons either, even with the magic attached. They were rumored to be made of an unknown material and superior to many of the common day metals like platinum. Sure you could put enchantments that could last for months, maybe even years but eventually they all faded away. Unicorns and magic researchers had studied for years to try and determine how they could get them to stick permanently but nothing worked. One researcher, Open Grave, theorized that only a special type of metal could hold a permanent magical effect and that the weapon would need to be shaped a certain way before being enchanted. He had apparently spent nearly his entire life trying to figure it out before he died three decades ago at the age of sixty-nine.
To many other ponies, those who were not magical enthusiasts or what not it would seem like a pointless thing to research. What's the difference if you need to recast the spell? Why bother with enchantments? Can't unicorn magic do whatever it pleases? The answer was difficult to explain. Usually, the things you enchanted would start to degrade.
Actually not usually, always. Maybe not at first but with each time an item had magic reapplied, it was more likely to cause the item to break or heck, there had been reports that things even disintegrated. That could lead to a problem, especially if you were in a situation that was life or death. There was also the fact that enchanted swords could be good for pegasi and earth ponies or other races that couldn't outwardly access their magic. A unicorn could summon fire in a battle to kill enemies as could a dragon or but what about those who didn't have magic or magical abilities? Instead of going against some unicorn with just a normal sword, they could go against a unicorn with a sword that had a fire enchantment that would set the person on fire every time it made contact.
Or perhaps a pair of gauntlets that could give one the ability to see in the dark when put on. There was also the fact that modern day enchantments were quite weak and it was believed their ancient counterparts were far superior. The final thing was, unicorn magic wasn't as awesome as others thought. Yes, unicorns once controlled the celestial bodies before Celestia and Luna took over, yes they could change an apple to an orange but everything had it's limits. The orange in most cases would turn back as it took a very skilled individual like Twilight Sparkle or the late Starswirl The Bearded to make an apple stay as an orange. It just wasn't as easy as others made it seem. Fluttershy shook her head, realizing she had internally went into a tangent as she recalled how her friend tried to explain enchantments to her and their other friends. Honestly she got the gist of it but it still confused her a bit.
"Oh...um... are you okay? You've been staring into space for a while." Fluttershy let out a small 'eep' and blushed furiously, how rude of her!
"Oh-h...um...sorry, I-I was just...um...thinking. How long are we in town-n? Oh just a few days, we're looking at venues and caterers for my wedding as well as dresses." explained Fluttershy, opening up her menu and glancing at it's contents.
"Aren't you from Ponyville and isn't your friend a seamstress?" said Swift Sword, speaking up and grabbing a roll from the basket that had seemed to have suddenly appeared. How long was she staring into space. Fluttershy glanced at Discord who seemed to be uninterested in the conversation and in fact was not even paying attention. He was looking around the small dining room, perhaps looking for somepony he could release chaos on. Fluttershy chose to ignore it for the moment to continue her conversation.
"Oh well, I wanted it in Ponyville. We were actually going to go for a little wedding in the garden with a 'touch of chaos', as Discord put it even get a local bakery in my town, Sugarcube Corner, to cater but everypony keeps saying I should have a big giant, expensive wedding, that it's the only one I'll ever have. In truth I think they want me to have a huge wedding because they feel it would making marrying Discord more bearable." Fluttershy paused to glance at her fiance who met her gaze, turning away from the ponies at the nearby table he had been staring at. Fluttershy opened her mouth to say anything but he merely patted her on the head like you would a dog and smiled, trying to give the impression that it didn't bother him. But she knew it did. A lot.
"Truth is I don't want a large wedding and a large wedding wouldn't make up for marrying Discord because I'm marrying out of my own freewill and I'd rather be surrounded by trees, animals and flora rather then a wedding in an old chapel or an expensive wedding hall. So we came here because Ponyville has nothing like that." said Fluttershy continuing on. She paused again briefly to look at Discord and frowned. From the way he kept lifting his head up and the way his eyes kept closing, she could tell that he was falling asleep. Was this boring him...or....how long had he stayed up during the night before, wrapped around her? Protecting her? Fluttershy felt super guilty as she watched him slowly fall asleep.
"And your dress? Your friend....Charity? No, Rarity? Why don't you get her to make your dress?" said Dented Steel, drawing Fluttershy back into the conversation.
"I did. She made me a dress that doesn't fit what I want." explained Fluttershy sighing and glancing at her menu, finally deciding on a light Cesar Salad with a side of fries and a lemonade.
"Why not get her to make another one?"
"Well, I don't think she would and I would feel rude to expect her to make me another one. She is quite determined to have me wear the dress she made even though I've stated my displeasure with it."
"Why does she want you to wear it so badly?" Fluttershy paused at this question. On one hand while she suspected it was jealousy, she didn't have solid evidence and she also didn't want to bad mouth her friend.
"She's pretty determined in her fashion tastes." said Fluttershy, becoming uncomfortable with the conversation. She really didn't want to talk about her friend or any of them behind her back even though she admitted she had a bit. Thankfully none of the guards pressed the matter and a few minutes later the waiter arrived to take their order.
"I will have....the stuffed bell peppers with a salad on the side...Oh and a soda" said Silver Sword, tucking a strand of dark grey hair behind her ear as she used her lilac colored wings to hand over her menu to the server. The server, Belle Beauty smiled and wrote down the order in her notepad before turning to Dented Steel to take his order.
"Oh, uh just get me a hay slider and some fries, soda is fine so long as it isn't Dr. Peppermare"
"Same, what about you Soft Blows?" The stallion in question who was a pegasus with a very short, messy white mane and tail with a soft green coat merely grumbled and pointed out the things he wanted on the menu to Belle. The mare smiled, not caring that her customer was speaking physically instead of verbally and politely smiled, adding it to the notepad.
Following that, Fluttershy gave her order to the waitress; Belle Beauty inquired about Discord who was now snoozing. It really wasn't against the rules to have customers fall asleep if they were with other customers but she still thought it would be rude to not take his order. Fluttershy pondered her decision and decided to let him sleep and in his place ordered him a slice of Triple Chocolate Walnut Cake with a side of chocolate milk and another slice of cake. Belle merely raised an eyebrow but said nothing; it wasn't her business. After she left and the group waited for their food, Fluttershy decided to ask about her guards.
"So...um...if-f you don't mind me asking....how long have you been guards?" asked Fluttershy, trying to stop herself from hiding; She usually wasn't one to start conversations or ask personal questions due to her social anxiety but she felt like being brave. Still, she found herself avoiding contact and trying to make herself as small as possible, worried that she had said something wrong.
"You're quite shy and timid, ain't ye? Ha! You and Soft Blows would be the best of friends!" The ponies in question glanced at each other awkwardly. You would think that it would be easy for two social rejects to click together yet both felt awkward with the idea, barely knowing each other.
"Maybe." mumbled the stallion, the first thing he had said in the company of Fluttershy and his group all day. Fluttershy mumbled something of her own but it was indescribable.
"Uh....well, yeah how long have we been guards? Well Nightblade here is a recent graduate of the Manehattan Training Program; been on the job less then a year. Ol' Denty here has been with the guard for twelve years, would have been higher rank by now if it wasn't for the fact that he is just so loved by the Captain of our precinct." said Swift Sword, giving Dented Steel a jab which earned her a glare and a snort.
"Don't listen to her; I'm still hanging around with these greenhorns because somepony has to keep them in check. I've been offered promotions numerous times." Swift Sword just laughed and stuffed a bread roll into her mouth. In response, Dented Steel snatched the rest of the bread roll basket, causing the mare to whine.
"But...But, I want more bread...." she said as she tried to reach for the bread basket. Dented pushed her away as he held the basket in the other hoof. Swift Sword attempt to grab it but Dented Steel was quicker, managing to keep it away from her.
"As your superior, and for your lack of decency I have the right to stop you from pigging out on bread rolls. Seriously, you've eaten four of them already." For several moments Swift Sword tried to get the rolls before she both gave up and decided the stares and annoyed complaints from other guests was not worth it. Still, she gazed longingly at the rolls and plotted a way to steal them.
"Um wel.....Um....hi?" Fluttershy paused mid sentence, just about to ask the jobs more about their jobs when the trio of ponies from the table next to them rose from their table and approached theirs. Their faces were covered by the hoods of their sweaters, which was a little odd given that they were inside. When Fluttershy first saw them, she chalked it up to some fashion fad; she actually saw teenagers around Ponyville wear their hoods in doors. But as they approached, she realized that from their size they weren't teens, they were full grown ponies and the stallion in the middle was familiar. More then that, she recognized his face. Fluttershy wasn't sure what happened next but she could feel liquid running down her neck and as she lost consciousness, she felt the need to scream and scream one name.
