Chapters I'm not a religious man. Yes, I believe in the afterlife, but I'm not religious. At least, I don't think I am. None of them really appealed to me, so…
Anyway, back on topic. I believe that, when you die, your soul is sent to an alternate universe that best suits your fantasies, on mindset, or whatever.
EG: if you're, a fan of comedy, you go to the funniest place that whatever divine being there is can find.
Now, mine was a very… shall we say special case. Never before had this being found somebody like me.
Maybe I should elaborate. I lived underground. Literally, I bought a bunker and renovated it. That's my house. The whole thing was dedicated to my one true love… ponies. Because of this, I never left my bunker-house.
I made money by selling art and music over the Internet. I also had a partnership with YouTube on my Pony music channel, but that was mainly just remixing other artists work. I ordered my vital provisions (food, drink, electronics, pony merchandise, etc.) to be delivered to the bunker's loading bay. There, my Personal Innovative Neuro-Kinetic Enforcer, or PINK-E for short, would collect and move them.
It's because of her new AI upgrade that I ended up here. She began to insist that I go out, even just for an hour, because lack of sunlight wasn't good for me. Something about 'angering Celestia'. So I decided to go for a walk around town.
Now I'm at gunpoint, in an alleyway, fearing for my life.
"I'll only say it one more time, buddy!" Shouted the hooded man in front of me. "Hand over your wallet!"
"Please!" I pleaded, dropping to my knees as tears streamed down my face. "I don't have any money! It all stays in a digital account, I swear!" The thug sighed and pulled his hood down, revealing a short, wiry beard, curly black hair and a tattoo of a winged skull on his right cheek. It was actually a pretty good design. If I get out of this, I could edit it to fit Rainbow Dash and…
Matter at hand, damnit! Even at gunpoint I can't focus!
"Sorry kid." He said, visibly upset. I dreaded what he was about to do. "But I can't risk you giving me up."
"I won't! I would never do that!" I yelled.
"That's a risk I just can't take, kid." He said, closing his eyes. A single tear fell as he tightened his grip on the gun.
And then he pulled the trigger.
I shot up in a cold sweat, my breathing erratic. Looking around, I saw that I was in a hospital room, a heart monitor and IV drip a hooked up to me. Following the wires I found… fur. Gold fur along my arms. Of course, I did the first thing any sane person would do in my position.
I screamed.
Ripping out the IV drip, tearing of the pressure pads, I leapt from the bed and charged for the door. Those same doors burst open, revealing two tall creatures, one male and one female, clad in golden armour. The male had slate grey fur and was muscular, with hints of snow-white hair sprouting from the edges of his helmet. The female, on the other hand, was small and lithe, with fur like silver. Her hair flowed freely, lack of helmet allowing it's maroon shade to glimmer in the light. Horns grew from both their foreheads, and they each held a double-edged longsword, both of which were pointed at me. I frowned slightly at this.
Why put me in their hospital, then treat me as if I was a threat?
The female began blushing slightly, eliciting a raised eyebrow from me.
"Sir." she began, sheatheing her sword. "Would you like some clothing?"
"Huh?" I asked, oblivious to the fact that I was… in my birthday suit, shall we say. I screamed again, though this time a little quieter, and scrambled back to the bed. I used the bed sheets as a makeshift robe to cover myself, then sat down again.
"Y-yes, thank you. That would be… convenient." I said, not making eye contact. They looked at each other, and the girl nodded her head at the door. A second later, the guy groaned and made his way out, leaving just me and his companion alone in the room. She sat down in a small, very uncomfortable-looking plastic chair across from me.
"So…" I said, feeling rather awkward.
"I suppose you're wondering where you are." It was more of a statement than a question. "Princess Celestia said you weren't born a pony, and that confuses me, but I ain't gonna try and figure it out. That's more Princess Twilight's thing."
"Yeah, I… wait, what? Did you just say Princess Celestia?"
"Yes, why? Where have you been for the past 1,005 years?"
"Hmm. Then this must be…"
I looked up, beaming. I then proceeded to drop to my knees, press the palms of my hands together and do something I've never done. I prayed.
"Thank you, oh Divine Being, for this second chance at life. And thank you for sending my soul to this land of Anthropomorphic Equines. I promise to to whatever I can to make my existence here meaningful."
"Uh… are you ok?" The wom- mare in front of me asked, confused. I looked up at her, smiling the biggest smile I've ever smiled ever.
"I'm better than ok." I replied. I saw her hand slowly make its way to the hilt of her sword, but I didn't care. "I'M IN MOTHER BUCKING EQUESTRIA!!!"
With that I soared into the air, making sure to hold on to the bed sheets. When I didn't feel the floor beneath my feet-turned-hooves, I realised the second greatest thing to happen to me ever.
"AND IM A PEGASUS!?"
"Ahem!"
I looked to the door to see the stallion guard from before holding a set of clothing. After I lowered myself to the floor, he handed me said clothes and turned to leave again.
"Thanks!" I called. No response, not even a glance. Rude, but ok.
I pulled on the clothes which, apart from the obvious briefs, were composed of a pair of loose-fitting midnight blue jeans, a 'Guns N' Roseluck' t-shirt (guessing that's their version of Guns N' Roses), a sleeveless black hoodie and a pair of brown boots. Not bad, if I do say so myself.
After dressing, I noticed a mirror on the table beside the hospital bed. I decided to find out what my new body looked like, if I was going to be living in it. What I found was quite fetching, actually.
Again, gold fur covered my skin, but also a short muzzle which extended my chin and nose about an inch in front of the rest of my face. My eyes were a piercing crimson, and just looking at them made me want to stare at them forever. I need some shades or something.
The hair's what got me, though. Short, scruffy - but not too scruffy, and a magnificent shade of blue that reminded me of Princess Luna. Alone the sides were crimson lightning-bolt-patterns that would label me as a troublemaker back home. The same pattern went vertically down a small goatee at the very end of my chin. I guess that means even ponies have to shave!
My god, I'm HAWT!
"Would you like to meet the princesses?"
"AH!" I forgot she was there, and she made me jump. She had tied her hair back in a ponytail (heh, PONYtail) since I last looked, presumably to keep herself occupied. "Uh, s-sure. I'm sure they could explain this whole thing to me."
"Right this way, then, and I'll take you to them. Lucky you, all four Princesses are in Canterlot today."
"You mean Cadance is here? And Twilight?"
"Uh-uh… say, how come you know so much despite being unconscious when you arrived?"
"I know so much about Equestria it's scary."
"Mhmm."
We walked through the grand hallways of the palace in silence for a bit before I realised something.
"Hey, I never caught your name, Miss…”
"Heh." She chuckled, smirking at me. "The name's Silent Silver, but most call me Silva."
"Silva, eh?" I said, smirking back at her. "Kinda cute…"
"Wait here, I'll let the princesses know you're awake."
Silva had led me to a set of large oak doors. A large sun decorated the left door, while the right had a crescent moon.
'Throne room.' I thought, leaning against the wall to the side. I thought about what had happened to get me here, but found… nothing.
"Kid, wake up!" Silva said, waving her hand in front of my face. I shook my head slightly, focusing my full attention on the mare in front of me. "You spaced out. Come on, the princesses are eager to meet you."
We walked through the doors, Silva just ahead of me, into the throne room. Inside it was very spacious, most likely in order to accommodate the vast number of subjects attending councils, with two thrones at the far end. Behind each throne was a stained glass window, each depicting either Princess Celestia or Princess Luna.
Stood just a few paces in front of the thrones were four Alicorns who I recognised immediately. Princess Celestia, wearing an elegant white dress that reminded me of a roman toga. Princess Luna, wearing what looked like a midnight blue ball gown. Princess Cadence, who opted for a simple pink t-shirt and brown slacks. And last, but certainly not least, Princess Twilight Sparkle, wearing a purple turtleneck with black slacks.
"Brace yourself…" Silva whispered into my ear, before redirecting her attention towards the four princesses. "Your Majesty's, the pony you requested." She said, bowing and moving away to the door. I instantly dropped to my one knee, lowering my gaze to the floor as a sign of respect. I felt my ear twitch as a high-pitched squeel filled the room, followed by three simultaneous groans.
Before I knew it, my body was floating several feet above the ground as Princess Twilight poked and prodded me in several places, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.
"Uh, not to be rude…" I began, wincing as the lavender princess poked the inside of my elbow. I took a deep breath, then snapped my wings open, causing the purple aura surrounding me to dissipate. "But can you PLEASE stop that!" Twilight recoiled, shocked, but then nodded meekly and stepped back. I sighed, folding my wings against my back again.
"Forgive her," Princess Celestia stated, stepping forward slightly. "She can be a bit… entusiastic about the unknown."
"Trust me, I know." I said, nodding slightly. I looked up to see the skeptical looks of four princesses, then realised I'd said that out loud. "I-it's not what you think!!"
"Oh?" Princess Cadence asked, raising an eyebrow. "And what exactly is it?"
"Uh… kinda hard to explain considering I don't remember anything except what I know about this world. And music."
"You what!?" Luna exclaimed, shocked.
"Like I said, I don't remember. Not even my name. Just music and Equestria."
"Well, what do you know of us?" Celestia asked.
"Sit down, this may take a while."
I proceeded to explain all I knew of the princesses, receiving a mixture of reactions from each of them. When I was done, they were all speechless.
"Wow…" Cadence said eventually.
"The knowledge you posses is amazing!" Twilight squealed, eliciting another groan from Luna. I, however, laughed slightly.
"I must say," Celestia added, frowning slightly. "The amount of thing you know of concerns me."
"But it also has its uses, sister." Luna said. "Perhaps he could help us."
I sat there awkwardly, waiting for whatever it was that was inevitably coming.
"Firstly, you need a name." Cadence said, smiling slightly. "We can go off of whatever your cutie mark is!"
"Uh… I'm used to the more 'equine' versions of you." I said, scratching the back of my neck. "Where are cutie marks on this anatomy?"
"On the right side of your neck." Twilight answered, moving my arm. "Here." She tapped a point on my neck, then frowned. "Oh dear…"
"What?" I asked, worried.
"You don't seem to have one." She replied, moving back to her seat.
Great. Just fan-bucking-tastic. I have no cutie mark, and no memories that could help except for… music…
"Do you perhaps have a guitar I could borrow?" I asked, a small smile forming on my lips.
"I'm sure we could borrow one from Discord, why?" Celestia replied, tilting he head to the side.
"Just a hunch!"
Just then, the doors burst open revealing a tall, mismatched creature holding an acoustic guitar in his left hand - which, along with the rest of his left arm, resembled an eagle's talon. His right arm looked like a lion's paw and his head looked more like ours, but with two horns growing out backwards; one blue and spiralling, the other white and like a stag's. His long, black, unkept mane was contrasted by the white streaks flowing through, which matched his heavy brows and beard. A bat wing and a blue pegasus wing sprouted from his back, with what looked like a dragon's tail swaying behind him.
What he wore was even stranger than his body. A pink polka dot shirt, covered by a brown blazer with the left arm blue and the right arm green, a pair of camouflaged jeans with the knees being bright yellow and a pair of converse; the left black and the right white. I could tell this was Discord.
"Did somebody say my name?" He asked nonchalantly.
"Yes, Discord. We were wondering if our new friend here could borrow your guitar?" Twilight answered, batting her eyelashes at him. Now that was something I never knew.
"Why of course, Twilight my dear!" The draconequus replied, smirking. "But only if he can solve my riddle without your help."
"Bring. It. On." I said, narrowing my eyes.
"Alright then, now I may not be deaf. But if you ask right, I will answer left."
"Ratiug ruoy esu I nac?" I asked, smiling smugly. Discord stumbled a bit, shocked, but eventually just hung his head in shame.
"Sure." He handed the guitar over and I rested it on my knee. "How?"
"If I ask right, meaning correctly, you'll answer the opposite: left. So if I ask left, or backwards, you'll give me a straight answer. Simple."
Discord just sighed and sat down, clearly wanting to hear what I was about to do. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and began playing.
It was late by the time I returned to the castle, Luna's moon already high in the sky, accompanied by an entourage of twinkling stars. I couldn't help but notice six particular constellations that looked surprisingly similar to a certain group of Cutie Marks.
Silva was stood on a balcony with a pair of binoculars, clearly looking for me. It appeared that she hadn't found me yet, so I decided to have a little fun. I flew from cloud to cloud, moving them ever-so-slowly so I had less time in the open. In no time at all, I had made my way to the roof of the castle.
I snuck along the edges to the point just above the unsuspecting mare. Using my wings, I silently dropped to the ground behind her and began creeping closer. Once directly behind her, I stood up and tapped her shoulder, causing her to jump.
"Boo."
"Thunder Rift?! Don't do that!" she yelled, shoving me.
"Don't do what?" I replied, faking innocence. I couldn't help but snicker slightly, though.
"You know exactly what!"
"Do I?"
"Yes!"
"Huh... care to explain?"
"RAAAH!"
Silva stomped past me, crossing her arms as she stepped through the sliding glass doors into the castle. I followed, still laughing, and looked around at the room. It was large, with light blue paper decorating the walls. Two other doors were in the room, one open and leading into an en suite bathroom. A king-sized, four-poster bed stood at the top of a small set of steps, with a pure white cabinet on either side. To the side of the door to the balcony was a white desk with a large mirror leaning against the wall. A blue set of pyjamas had been placed on the desk, so I took the bottoms into the en suite to change.
I walked back in and saw that Silva had sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing her temples. She gave a groan, then flopped backwards onto the sheets. I sat down next to her.
"Look, I'm sorry." I said, looking at the opposite wall. "About today."
"It's fine." she replied, not bothering to get up.
"No, it's not. I shouldn't have reacted like that. Celestia was only joking around."
"Yeah."
"But..."
The silver mare sat up, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"But what, Thunder?"
"It's just... Well... She had a point, ya know?"
"Huh?"
"Well, I don't really know this world, right? So I'll need somepony to help me out, and protect me if anything goes wrong."
"Uh huh. So, what you're saying is... you want me to move in with you?"
My cheeks burned. My throat clogged for a second, making me choke.
"L-like a roommate!" I stuttered, refusing to look away from a rather fascinating picture of a tortoise.
"A roommate that teaches you about Equestrian culture, protects you from danger and, most likely, gives you combat training."
"W-well, yeah. But if you don't want to, th-that's fine..."
I felt her hand move down, meeting the other one around my chest in a hug. I looked around at her and noticed that she wasn't wearing her armour, instead adorning a baggy white t-shirt and some black shorts. Her mane was tied back, with parts of her fringe hanging over her amber eyes.
"It's fine, Thunder! I was just playing. Of course I'll be your roommate."
"Thanks, Silva. I was dreading asking anyone else."
"Understandable. All of the other guards are complete stiffs."
"I can believe that!"
We shared a laugh, falling back onto the bed. Once we'd calmed down, we began talking about anything and everything. Music, art, gossip and all the thing in between. After a while, we decided to go for a walk outside and admire Luna's night. We lay down under a large oak tree and eventually fell asleep there, smiles on both of our faces.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thunder Rift, Silent Silver, wake up."
"Come on, you two. Get up now.
"WAKE UP!"
I shot up, smacking my head on a low-hanging branch. Clutching it in pain, I looked up to see who had woke us. I was greeted by the smiling face of Luna.
"Good morning!" she chirped, tilting her head to the side slightly.
"Hey, Luna." I groaned, slowly standing up. I looked to my left, seeing Silva stood at attention, saluting. Luna giggled.
"At ease, Silent Silver. And please, stop doing that. You are our equal now, seeing the decision you two made last night."
"H-how did you..." Silva began, relaxing slightly.
"It was all Thunder Rift thought about last night. Among other things..." the night princess smirked at me, making me blush slightly.
"Please don't look into my dreams, Luna." I sighed, slumping my shoulders. "It's embarrassing."
"Alright then, Thunder Rift. Now, go get changed. My sister wishes to speak with you."
I flew Silva and myself back up to the room I found her in last night, setting her down on the balcony. We walked in just as a maid was setting out two sets of clothes, one presumably for Silva. We thanked her and she made her way out, but not after Silva insisted she take a few bits for her troubles.
I took my clothes into the bathroom again, leaving Silva to get changed in peace. After slipping off my pyjamas and pulling on a pair of black boxer shorts, I took a good look at my attire for the day. A pair of black jeans, a white 'Green Day' T-shirt (I guess some names juts can't be different) and a light blue / grey hooded flannel shirt. I pulled it all on, leaving the flannel open over the T-shirt, and walked out of the room.
Silva was straightening out a similar T-shirt to mine, only hers was black. She also had a pair of white jeans and a dark red / grey flannel shirt. She looked up, then noticed what I was wearing. Her face was a mixture of shock and embarrassment, which then turned to anger.
"Luna planned this." she said through gritted teeth. I just shrugged.
"Oh well. Nothing we can do now, is there?"
"I suppose not..." Silva sighed, hanging her head. I put my arm around her shoulder, smiling warmly.
"Hey now, is it really that bad? I mean, my Green Day was awesome. How's yours?"
"Also awesome. That Kobra has an amazing voice, for an anaconda."
We began walking through the halls towards the thrown room, hearing nothing but snickering and muttering as we went. I sighed. Luna had some explaining to do, but that could wait. I decided to lighten the mood a little, so I started singing as we walked.
~"I walk this lonely road,
the only one that I have ever known.
Don't know where it goes,
but it's home to me and I walk alone."
Silva looked back at me and smirked. She began to drum a tune on the side of her legs as she took over the next verse.
~"I walk this empty street,
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
Where the city sleeps,
and I'm the only one and I walk alone."
We smiled at each other, picking up the chorus together.
~"I walk alone, I walk alone.
I walk alone, I walk a-
My shadow's the only one that walks beside me.
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating.
Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me.
'Till then I walk alone!
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah."
We finished the song just as the throne room doors came into view. They were wide open, revealing Celestia and Discord talking. Celestia's face held a look of shock and Discord seemed to be showing her something. We walked in, neither of them noticing we were there, and heard a part of their conversation.
"What should I do, Tia? I'm actually nervous about this."
"Well, Discord. If you ask me, you should just ask her. But I'm sure you want to do something extravagant."
"Well, I'm only the Lord of Chaos! Just asking her would be so boring."
"What about some sort of event? I'm sure we could find something to celebrate so you could 'crash the party' and ask her in your own chaotic way."
"That'd be perfect! But what could we celebrate? The anniversary of my defeat is coming up, but that sort of party doesn't seem to have a point anymore."
"I'm not sure..."
Celestia looked up, seeing us stood there, and smiled warmly.
"I'll think about it, Discord." She said, walking the Draconequus out of the room. "I'm sure something will come up."
"Thanks, Celestia. Strangely, you're the only one I feel I can talk to." He paused briefly. "Apart from Sparkles, of course."
"I'm flattered."
After Discord left, Celestia came over to us and sighed.
"I never thought I'd see the day when the cockiest being alive asked me for help." she groaned, sitting on her throne.
"Proposing can be very stressful, you know." I said, leaning on the back of the throne. Silva and Celestia both gave me questioning looks, to which I shrugged. "What? It was kinda obvious."
"It would also seem you have a knack for unearthing information." Celestia mused. She sat thinking for a second before a smile made it's way onto her regal face. "And now I can lure two Parasprites with one tuba!"
"Wha..." Silva's mouth hung open and her left eye half closed.
"Never mind. Thunder Rift, be ready for a public announcement tomorrow at nine thirty, sharp!"
"Uh... alright?"
"Good! You two can have the rest of the day to yourselves. Have fun!"
Club Wub and Meeting Vinyl
We left Celestia to her own devices and made our way out of the castle grounds, deciding to have a walk around the town. Needless to say, Canterlot was a capitol in more than one sense. Musicians, artists and teenaged students seemed to be grouped in three different directions, revealing the 'district system' to be in effect, even if not intentional. We decided to take the musical path, the need for some good tunes in our veins.
30 seconds to Mares, Fuchsia and Three Days Graze were some of the more known groups on tonight, but none of them called out to us. Silva pointed out a large electric-blue neon sign reading 'Club Wub', and we decided to give it a shot.
A white pegasus stallion was standing by the door, presumably the bouncer, wearing a tight black shirt (showing off the fact that he was RIPPED), black slacks and a pair of blue sneakers. His blonde mane had been buzz-cut, partially covered by a black headset.
He looked down at me menacingly. He then looked to my left and his gaze softened, his tight-lipped frown curving up into a smile.
"Well if it isn't my baby sister. How ya doin', Silva?!" he bellowed.
"Probably better than you, Snowflake, seein' ya in a job like this!" she replied, smirking slightly. "What, did the Wonderbolts not want your filly wings?"
"Oh, they did. But some rainbow-maned mare lead a strike because of what Captain Spitfire was rewarding. I just straight-up quit."
"You mean Lightning Dust?" I asked. This was new...
"Yeah." the stallion known as Snowflake huffed, crossing his huge arms. "Stupid cow almost killed the Elements with that tornado stunt."
It was at that point he realized he didn't know me. After looking me up and down, he turned to Silva.
"Nice pick. Seems like a good 'sparring' partner."
"W-what!?" Silva stuttered. I felt my ears burning and pulled up my hood to hide them. Silva glared at the behemoth. "He is not my coltfriend."
I pulled my hood down, frowning slightly. A smirk tugged at my lips though.
"Aww, that's cold, baby." I said, putting my arm around her.
Silva froze. Snowflake and I laughed so hard we cried. When Silva recovered, she clocked us both round the back of the head.
"Colts..." she muttered, shaking her head. She brightened up quickly, though. "Anyway, Snowflake. If you wouldn't mind, my friend and I would like to actually get into the club."
"Of course." the burly stallion answered, opening the door.
We walked in, getting hit full blast by the music booming from the stage. Silva grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd towards the bar. When I asked her what we were doing there, she simply responded with:
"WE'RE GONNA GET WASTED!"
I wasn't about to argue. In fact, I downed my first glass so fast I even shocked myself! Many more drinks followed the first with many, many overly-complicated names. After drinking our fill came drunken dancing in a crowd of thousands. And of course with drunken dancing came grinding. Awkward grinding. We didn't even notice when a bouncer that wasn't Snowflake made his was toward us.
He tapped my shoulder, causing me to stop and look to him. Then up. The tall stallion was a charcoal colour, with an ice blue and white striped mohawk for a mane.
"You've been picked to go backstage with DJ P0N3!" he yelled over the music, which was now being played by who I think was Neon Lights. "Follow me!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The new bouncer, who's name was Thunderlane, led us through a door to the side of the stage and down a long corridor. Silva was leaning on me the whole way, slurring congratulations on holding my liquor. In actual fact, I only had that first drink. Afterwards I told the bartender that, no matter what Silva ordered, I didn't want alcohol. He understood.
"DJ P0N3 is in there." Thunderlane said, pointing to a large red curtain. I thanked him and he left. When he was gone, I frowned and stood Silva up.
"Silva, I want you to focus." I said, looking the mare straight in the eyes. "No matter what, we are not going any further than talking with this DJ. Do you understand?"
Silva giggled slightly. "You're funny." she slurred, raising a hand and tapping my nose. "Boop!"
"Ugh! Focus, bubbles! No backstage..."
"I can hear you, ya know!" a tomboyish - yet still quite feminine - voice called out, cutting me of. I sighed, giving up trying to get any reason into Silva, and just walked through the curtain with her.
On the other side sat a white unicorn with an wild, electric-blue mane and crimson eyes. She wore a black tank-top beneath a brown leather jacket and black skinny jeans. Her hooves were bare, revealing the start of a tattoo beneath the cuffs of her jeans. A pair of purple-tinted sunglasses rested on her horn.
Sat beside the DJ was a grey earth pony with a mane black as night, tied back in a braid and purple eyes. She wore a blue dress shirt, white skinny jeans and a pair of red high-tops. A purple bow-tie was attached to her wrist.
I sat in a red plush couch, Silva settling for a bean-bag, and looked to the two mares. I reached my hand out.
"DJ P0N3, I presume?"
"Call me Vinyl. And FYI, I'm happily married." the unicorn replied, shaking my hand.
"Oh, sorry. Who to?" I asked.
"Three guesses, Romeo." she lifted her right hand, revealing a ring with a treble-clef-shaped amethyst. I looked to the other mare, who was showing a matching ring, but with a double-quaver shaped sapphire, on her own right hand.
"Ah. Madame Octavia."
"A pleasure." Octavia said, smiling. "Mr..."
"Thunder Rift, and that's Silent Silver." I said, pointing to Silva. The drunken mare snorted rather loudly, indicating she had fallen asleep.
"Silent?" Vinyl asked, laughing.
"When she wants to be." I shrugged.
"Anyway, to business." Vinyl said, leaning forward.
"I'll go check on Neon." Octavia said, excusing herself.
"What business?" I asked, looking to Vinyl. She was still smirking slightly, but you could tell she was serious.
"Princess Celestia called me. Told me about you."
"What!?" Why would the princess tell a DJ about me?
"Octy doesn't know, Princess's orders. But she wants me to join you."
"Join me? For what?!"
"Beats me!" Vinyl leaned back. "I'm not Princess Celestia."
We continued to discuss what the Princess could possibly want us to work together on for what felt like hours, going through idea's like a music deal to hosting a party. That all stopped, though, when Octavia ran back in and threw her arms around Vinyl, crying.
"Octavia, what's wrong?" Vinyl asked, panic lining her voice.
"N-Neon!" the crying mare choked. "H-he tried to f-force himself on me!"
The room fell into silence, except for Octavia's sobbing. Vinyl's face had changed drastically. Gone was the fun-loving DJ with not a care in the world. Instead sat a mare filled with pure rage, a fire visibly burning in her eyes.
"I'll be right back." Vinyl finaly said, setting the still shooken Octavia on the couch. She stood up and left the way Octavia had come in. I followed quickly.
"Vinyl, wait!" I yelled, trying to stay the raging mare.
"WHY! THAT BUCKER HURT OCTAVIA!" she screamed back, turning to face me. Tears were streaming down her face. "That mare is the most important thing in my life, and I'm not about to let this go unchecked!"
"Octavia needs you right now. Go back, I'll deal with Neon Lights." I said, a fierceness in my voice. "Nopony makes a mare cry like that and gets away with it."
Vinyl stood for a minute, contemplating, before sighing. She nodded slowly and began to walk back to the room we had left Octavia in. She paused as she passed me and muttered:
"Give'im hell."
I nodded, and that was all the conformation she needed. She pulled a walkie-talkie from her belt as I watched her go, speaking into it. I didn't quite hear what she said, but I'm guessing it was to tell the bouncers not to interfier.
I took long strides down the corridor, the music getting louder with each step. I could hear a small thunder-clap with each step, too, but chalked it down to anger in my ears. A large black curtain was up ahead, and I grabbed a remote off of a table as I approached. Standing myself dead centre, I pressed a green button labeled 'Open' and watched as the curtains parted slowly, revealing the dancing crowds. They all stopped as they noticed what was happening, though, probably expecting a guest appearance.
Oh yeah. Show time.
"NEON LIGHTS!!!"
A mint-green unicorn with a messy brown mane put his hand on the turntables, stopping the music with a scratch.. He straightened his black shirt, shook out his black and white chess board trousers, and turned around to me slowly. He flashed a cocky grin.
"Present."
"Don't you play that game with me!" I growled, stalking towards him. His eyes widened for a second, but he continued smirking. "You just tried your luck with a married mare!"
The crowd gasped as I pushed Neon back, causing him to stumble over the turntables. He stood up calmly and, with a flick of the wrist, the tables lowered into the stage.
"You got proof?"
Blue lightning flashed across my vision and the crowd moved back.
"HOW ABOUT THE CRYING MARE BACKSTAGE WITH HER WIFE RIGHT NOW!!!!"
"Oh! You mean Octavia? Yeah, filly fooler marriages don't count, so I'm in the clear."
That was it. All remaining restraint left me then. I flew at him, top speed, and sent us both sprawling across the floor. He was first up, using his magic to levitate five pocket knives from random clubbers. He twirled them around his head, advancing on me slowly.
That was a mistake on his part. I purposely stayed down, gathering all of the electrical energy pulsing through my veins. When he was close enough, I let it all out in a single bolt, sending him flying through the air. He tried to get up, but I was already on top of him, punching him continuously until my knuckles were bloody. I stood up and walked away, thinking he'd had enough. To my surprise, he hauled himself off the floor and egged me on.
I took the bait. Spreading my wings, I hurled myself like a bullet towards the scumbag, drawing the blue lightning into my fists. I saw him pull out the gun too late, and he managed to get a shot in, crippling my left wing. Dropping to the floor, I managed to roll myself into a ball enough to duck under the other shots and through his legs, punching up on the way. A sickening crack resonated around the room and Neon dropped to his knees, holding his groin.
I stood up again, covered in dirt. Both my shirts had tonnes of holes in them, so I just ripped them off as I walked towards the groaning unicorn. I grabbed his shirt, pulling him up to look me in the eye.
"Remember this face in Tartarus, bucker. I am the stallion that ended you with nothing but his bare hands."
I punched him, letting his body sag from the blow. Then I pulled him up and did it again. And again. And again. I kept going until I felt a hand on my shoulder, looking back to see Snowflake.
"I think he's had enough, man." the burly pegasus said, pulling me lightly away. I took one more look at Neon, his face a bloody pulp, and let his unconscious body drop unceremoniously to the floor.
My body still shook with rage as Snowflake led me backstage again. We walked past the curtain to see Octavia sleeping on Vinyl's lap, mascara running down her face. Vinyl motioned for us to be quiet, and we both took a seat. Silva wasn't here anymore.
"Well?" Vinyl asked, raising an eyebrow. Snowflake cut in before I could answer.
"He all but said that your marriage wasn't official because you're both mares. I have it on tape. He also had a loaded gun, and at least five citizens had knifes."
"Oh, buck the citizens! I wanna know if that scum-sucker is still breathing!"
"I think so." I said, no longer shaking but still crackling with electrical energy. "Snowflake pulled me away before I could end him."
"Good. I don't want him dying in my club."
Curtains were pulled back and we all looked up to see Silva, completely sober, with a look of amazement on her face.
"Dude! You shrugged off a bullet to the wing!" she yelled, causing Octavia to stir. The grey mare sat up, rubbing her eyes, and looked at me. Her eyes widened when she did.
"You're bleeding!" She cried, crossing the room in the blink of an eye and grasping my wing. I winced as the pain shot through me, the adrenaline finally wearing off.
"SWEET CELESTIA THAT HURTS!" I hollered, pulling at my hair as the mare's dainty fingers loosened their grip.
"Sorry."
"Not you, the shot."
"Oh."
Octavia worked on my wing with a first aid kit while Snowflake explained that a Pegasus's wing was the most sensitive part of their body. He then proceeded to berate me about not having basic knowledge of my own body. I didn't tell him why, though. Silva's brother or not, I didn't want him to know. Before long, two Pegasus stallions dressed in midnight-blue armour walked into the room. I didn't notice much about them except the fact that they had bat wings instead of the normal.
"Is the stallion known as Thunder Rift in this room?" One of them asked, eyeing me intensely. He obviously only asked through protocol. I stood up, calm as I've ever been, and looked him dead in the eye.
"I am. Am I under arrest for beating that bigot Neon to a bloody pulp? 'Cause I'm pretty sure Princess Celestia wouldn't like that."
I had to inform Celestia of what happened, naturally. As I expected, she wasn't too happy with the fact that one of Canterlot's most liked musicians believed in bigotry, especially when the other two were the focus of his hatred. She dismissed me and began pacing around the room, muttering to herself.
I walked through the corridors, still shirtless, and made my way towards my assigned bedroom. A few incredulous looks were thrown my way, mainly by the guards, but I just smiled back at them. Getting away with a bar fight doesn't get you into the guards good books.
The dark-wood door came into view, a sign hanging from it that I'd never noticed before. I squinted slightly, trying to see what it said, then chuckled lightly when I realised.
'Thunder Rift'
"Well." I said to nopony in particular. "I guess this officially makes it my room."
And with that, I entered my bedroom. The first thing I noticed was a guitar, on an alabaster stand, in the centre of the room. Blue lightning bolts ran down its sides, and the neck was painted pitch black. The headstock was a metallic cobalt blue, and shot out to the right in a lightning bolt shape. Each of the tuners, the volume knobs and the switch were all pure silver, gleaming against the solid gold body.
I smiled, grabbing a chair from the desk by the door and dragging it to sit beside the stand. I picked the beautiful instrument up, placing the red leather strap over my shoulders, and gave it a quick strum. It gave a horrible, out of tune sound, causing me to flinch. After a little tweaking, though, it's harmonious song filled the room. I smiled again, and began plucking the strings. I'm not sure if Equestria has heard this song yet, and I hope they haven't.
~
'Hey there Delight
What's it like in Neigh York City?
I'm a thousand miles away
But filly, tonight you look so pretty
Yes you do
Times Square can't shine as bright as you
I swear it's true
Hey there Delight
Don't you worry about the distance
I'm right there if you get lonely
Give this song another listen
Close your eyes
Listen to my voice, it's my disguise
I'm by your side
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
What you do to me
Hey there Delight
I know times are getting hard
But just believe me, filly
Someday I'll pay the bills with this guitar
We'll have it good
We'll have the life we knew we would
My word is good
Hey there Delight
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
A thousand miles seems pretty far
But I've got wings and trains and carts
I'd walk to you if I had no other way
Our friends would all make fun of us
and we'll just laugh along because we know
That none of them have felt this way
Delight I can promise you
That by the time we get through
The world will never ever be the same
And you're to blame
Hey there Delight
You be good and don't you miss me
Two more years and you'll be done with fools
And I'll be making history like I do
You'll know it's all because of you
We can do whatever we want to
Hey there Delight here's to you
This one's for you
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
Oh it's what you do to me
What you do to me.'
~#
I sighed, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth as I placed the guitar back on its stand. I'd have to get a wall-hang for it, if I truly wanted to display its beauty. Just looking at it reminded me of…
A small splashing noise caused my ear to twitch.
Turning around, I saw Silva standing there, hand over her mouth, crying silently. Her clothes had been replaced by the same pyjamas she wore on my first night here. She just looked at me, amber eyes filled with hurt, before running off.
"Oh, great." I sighed, then stood and walked to my balcony. I watched for a second and, as I suspected, saw the silver mare run out of the main doors and towards the hedge maze.
Climbing onto the railing, I allowed the cold of the metal to seep into my skin before taking a leap of faith, feeling the wind rush past me as I plummeted to the ground. Without the use of my wings, my body straightened out until my feet were pointing straight down. It was exhilarating, the adrenaline spreading throughout my veins, but unfortunately all things must end. With a single swift motion, my descent ended, a thick cloud of dust forming around me. I stood, folded my wings against my back and, ignoring the incredulous looks thrown my way from the guards, made my way towards Celestia and Luna's prized hedge maze, where once great enemies of the state stood, now a simple garden ornament.
I found Silva staring at the statue of a griffon. On it's plinth was a plaque that simply read 'Shan Yu, leader of Huns'.
"Huh." I said, causing the mare to jump. "There's something familiar about that name."
"What do you want?" Silva asked, her voice trembling. I sighed, moving in front of her so as to look her in the eye.
"It's not what you think, you know." I said. "The song, I mean."
"Oh yeah? Then what is it, Thunder?"
"Think about it. I've been here two days, and those two days I've spent either talking to the Princesses or hanging out with you. The only other mares I've met are Vinyl and Octavia, and they're married!"
"So?"
"So, do you realy think I'd be singing a song about a mare named Delight? Or is it, maybe, a nickname?"
Realisation dawned across the mares face, her eyes widening slightly. Without warning, she spun round and grabbed me in a tight hug. Laughing slightly, I hugged her back. We stayed like that for a while before I noticed she had fallen asleep. I chuckled lifting her up and carrying her back to my room. After tucking her into the plush bed, I heard something that made my heart do somersaults.
"I love you."
I smiled, leaning down and kissing Silva's forehead. Afterwards I made my way round to the other side of the bed and slid in, making sure not to wake the sleeping mare.
"I love you too, Silva."
I woke the next morning with a great and powerful yawn, wincing slightly as my not-so-great morning breath left a foul taste dancing on my tongue. Slipping out of the bed (after five minutes of wriggling out of Silva's grip.), I walked into the bathroom to brush my teeth. After two days without doing so, at least an hour would be spent by that sink.
Approximately an hour and a half later I walked out of the bathroom, stretching, and groaned in delight as my back popped in several places. Silva was humming to herself, sitting at the desk and brushing her hair in the mirror. She looked up and smiled, which fell away as soon as it had appeared.
"What?" I asked, worried. I started looking down at myself, self-consciousness taking over my actions.
"It's eight o'clock." Silva replied, pointing at a clock mounted on the wall behind me. It was a unique design, half resembling a sun and the other resembling the moon.
"So? What's so bad about…” I started, then remembered Celestia's orders before we even went clubbing. "Horseapples!"
I ran to a wardrobe that I was sure wasn't there yesterday and searched it for something formal, finally settling on a plain black suit with a white shirt and a blue tie. Running on autopilot, I quickly changed, only looking up when shrugging on the blazer.
Silva was stood there, holding a beautiful black dress with what looked like diamonds lining the edge running along the chest. Her mouth was hung open as she drooled slightly, her eyes mere pinpricks.
I realised what had happened and blushed.
"Silva?" I asked, uneasiness dripping from my words.
"Yeah?" The mare replied, wiping the drool away but still staring.
"I am so, so sorry."
"It's fine."
"I'll just go and let you change."
I started for the door, only to be stopped by a wall of silver energy. Looking to Silva, I saw that her horn was glowing the same colour.
"No, don't. I don't mind."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We skidded to a halt outside the doors to the library. Pushing them open, I saw something that I couldn't help but expect.
Celestia, in an elegant white sundress with golden trims, was trying to pull Twilight from a book - merely one in an entire mountain constructed out of literature. The purple princess was wearing a gown that looked almost too poofy, but I instantly recognised it as her coronation dress.
"Please Twilight!" Celestia yelled, yanking once more at the struggling mare's body. "It is essential that you are at this speech!"
"Why? All your doing is introducing Thunder Rift as Luna's son!"
I dropped the book I had began reading, mouth hanging open and eyes wide as plates. Celestia froze, obviously noticing my presence for the first time.
"What!?" I yelled.
"Oh, hey Thunder Rift!" Twilight smiled and waved at me.
"What!?"
"Now Thunder Rift, I understand you're confused…"
"Damn right I'm confused! Luna's son?!"
"Please, do try to calm down…"
"LUNA'S SON!!!!"
"What son?"
I whipped around, coming face to face with the princess of the night.
"Did you know about this?" I asked, motioning behind me to where Celestia was stood.
"Know about what?" Luna replied, confusion painting her face.
"Well, Mom, apparently Tia thought it was a good idea to introduce me to the public as your son!"
"So?"
I stared at Luna as if she had gone crazy. Well, the whole room had gone crazy, but still…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sat on a small wooden chair on a large podium in the castle courtyard. To my left sat Silva, and to my right was a rather prudish looking unicorn unmistakable as His Royal Snobishness, Prince Blueblood. When I sat down he had given me a side glance and sneered, almost as if he was repulsed by me presence alone. I was almost tempted to 'accidentally' spill red whine on his pure white suit.
Oh, why must I have a conscience sometimes?
Twilight had eventually agreed to attend at the promise of a well-earned holiday to visit her friends in Ponyville. She sat beside Discord, who had actually worn something normal for once, and Luna, who kept waving to me. Celestia was at a microphone stand, making sure the equipment was wired correctly. I think.
Within the crowd I could make out a few distinct faces. Vinyl and Octavia were there, stood near the back. Filthy Rich was there with Diamond Tiara and, surprisingly, Scootaloo. Huh.
Other well-known faces in the crowd included Sapphire Shores, Photo Finish, Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee. I tried to spot others, but was distracted as Celestia cleared her throat, catching everypony's attention.
"First of all, I must thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend today." She started, smiling warmly across the crowd. "This is truly a momentous occasion, as it introduces a new resident of our fair Equestria."
Hushed mumblings spread across the sea of ponies, many concerning who this new person could be. I had to laugh at a few of the suggestions, though. A griffon? 'Much too barbaric!' Was the reply to that. A dragon, perhaps? 'They would sooner destroy our homes for a few petty gems.'
"Now, now. He is a pony, a Pegasus in fact, and is here with us today. Thunder Rift, would you please join me?"
I stood up and made my way over to Celestia, brushing some dust from my sleeve as I did so. Every pair of eyes were on me, watching my every move and making me feel extremely uncomfortable. Celestia stepped back and gestured to the pedestal, so I took the position.
"Thank you, Princess. May I first say what an honour it is to be here. Since my… arrival two days ago, I have been delighted to indulge myself in what Canterlot has to offer. I am… well-read on the dangers to this land, and I promise to do my part in protecting this fine land from all future invasions, despite my slightly younger age of a mere sixteen."
I bowed to Celestia and made my way back to my chair, leaving her slightly flabbergasted. I had only recognised my age this morning after… circumstances.
"Many thanks for your words of encouragement, Thunder Rift. Now, I'm sure my sister would like to say a few words."
Once again, Celestia stepped away from the pedestal, this time making way for Luna and taking her sister'a seat. Luna smiled at me before addressing the crowd.
"Citizens of Canterlot, it delights me to inform you that I have decided to adopt Thunder Rift as my own son!"
An understandable gasp spread out over the crowd. Luna merely shook her head, though, clearly un-fazed by Canterlot's elite and their oppinions of her. She opened her mouth to speak again…
When Discord cut in.
"I hope you don't mind, Luna." The Draconequus said, clearly not cared if my 'Mom' cared or not. "But I have something to say too. Not about Sparky, though."
"Hey!"
"Whatever. Canterlot Elite, I know you don't like me. In fact, I have heard from a very reliable source of some of your more 'daring' fantasies of what you would like to do to me." Discord reached into his blazer, producing a small felt box.
"However," he continued, " I do not care. And I'd like you to know of a mare who is extremely special to me who also doesn't care."
Looking over to Twilight, I saw a faint blush growing on her purple cheeks, turning them a deep burgundy.
"And today, I'd like to make a commitment to that mare. Princess Twilight Sparkle, could you please join me?"
Twilight stood up slowly, making her way to the smiling chaotic being at the front of the stage. I motioned to a nearby guard, then told him to retrieve something from my room and be extremely careful with it. He nodded and left with a 'Yes, my Prince.'
Discord had lowered himself to one knee during this time, and was now presenting the opened box to Twilight. Tears ran down the mare' space as she beamed down at the surprisingly romantic Discord.
"Twilight, you make a boring life bearable. You taught me the magic of friendship, which lead me to fantastic talks with your brother. You taught me that I didn't need Chaos to be happy. All I need is you, my love. And so, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic…
Would you marry me?"
"Yes!" Twilight cried, throwing her arms around Discord's neck. Surprisingly, the entire crowd applauded, starting from the back with, I assume, Vinyl and Octavia.
The guard returned with my guitar, holding it like it was the most fragile foal in the world.
"Your instrument, Prince Thunder Rift."
"Thank you. And please, call me Thunder."
I stood up, placing the strap over my shoulder, and cleared my throat. Discord looked up and smiled at me, nodding his head. I then heard his voice in my mind.
'Nice choice. Thanks for the lyrics.'
I shrugged and began to play a few cords, Discord standing and holding Twilight's hands in his.
~
Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else
I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door
I've had you so many times but somehow I want more
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
Tap on my window, knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get so insecure
It doesn't matter anymore
It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along, yeah
My heart is full and my door's always open
You come anytime you want, yeah.
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
I know where you hide alone in your car
Know all of the things that make you who you are
I know that goodbye means nothing at all
Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls
Yeah
Tap on my window knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain, oh.
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
And she will be loved
[in the background:]
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
Yeah, yeah.
[softly:]
I don't mind spending every day
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
~#
The last thing I remember before blacking out was lying in a soft, sticky substance as pain shot throughout my back and a filly cried over me.
For the second time in my life I woke up in the Canterlot infirmary with wires stuck to my body in a multitude of places. This time, however, I did not panic. This time I merely sat up and examined the room.
On the opposite wall was an oak wood cabinet absolutley littered with 'Get Well Soon' cards. One was unmistakably from Luna as it had an image of a mother holding her child closely whilst stood in front of a comically large moon.
A small buzzer was hanging at the side of the bed. On the buzzer was a note which read: "If you wake up when no doctors are in the room, push the button."
Deciding to humour them, I pushed the button.
Almost immediatly after, three familiarly colourd bursts of magic revealed three familiar and exhausted mares. Silva was at my left side in an instant and Luna mirrored her on my right. Surprisingly, It was Luna who spoke first as Silva just smiled.
"Mine son! Art thou in good health? Dost thou require any refreshment or sustenance?"
I looked confusedly at her, trying to wrap my head around what she had just said. After a few moments, I answered what I thought the question was.
"Uh... yeah, Mom. I'm, uh... I'm alright. A little thirsty, but not very hungry, thanks."
Luna sighed in relief as her shoulders sagged. She looked a lot less stressed than she had. Obviously her paternal instincts had already kicked in.
Something lightly tapped at my leg, catching my attention. Turning to the foot of the bed, I saw the same filly as before stood looking shyly at me. She had obviously been crying, if her bloodshot eyes were anything to go by, and began to tear up again when I smiled warmly at her.
"Hey, what's wrong? Why're you crying?" I asked. The poor thing was trembling violently with every sob.
"I-i-it's my f-fault you got h-h-hurt." She choked out the words as best she could, but they were still shaking almost as much as her. "If I-I hadn't of jumped after my g-g-glasses, you wouldn't b-be in here."
Ignoring my screaming muscles, I got up to comfort the poor girl. Luckily, this time I checked to see if I was clothed. No point in scarring her for life.
"It's okay." I said, wrapping her in a hug. "Everypony makes mistakes. As long as you learn from them, and they're not too serious, then everything can be forgiven."
"Th-thanks."
The filly stepped back and rubbed her eyes, swaying slightly. She looked to be no more than five or maybe six years old. A slight yawn escaped her lips as she looked up to Twilight.
"Mommy? Can I go back to my room please?"
"Of course, dear." Twilight answered, smiling. "Let me just-"
"I'll take her."
Everyone jumped at Discord's voice, the Draconequus himslf stood in the doorway. He smiled and held out his hand, which the filly took as he lead her away.
"Thank you, Daddy..." and with that, the exhausted filly passed out, promptly caught by a slightly teary-eyed Discord. He looked back to Twilight, beaming with pride, the swiftly teleported away.
"Well, aint that sweet?" Silva stated, smiling warmly.
"Thunder, when am I going to have little grandfoals running around the castle?" Luna asked, raising her brow.
This is going to take some getting used to.
I looked up, seeing my audience applauding me, smiling. I smiled too. I've always had a love for music, that's one thing I remember.
A bright flash emanating from the right side of my neck snapped me from my thoughts. It lasted around three seconds before dying down.
"What happened?" I asked, feeling the area for any imperfections.
"You got your cutie mark." Twilight replied, once again moving my arm to inspect the mark. "A black guitar pierced by a blue lightning bolt."
"Hmm… how about Electric String?" Luna suggested, scrunching her face up.
"No." I replied, a little more aggresive than I meant.
"Lightning Note?" Celestia said, scratching her chin.
I shook my head. "Nope."
"Vocal Shock! Vocal Shock!" Cadence yelled, bouncing slightly in her seat. She looked like a child.
"Nada. None of them feel right."
Discord and Twilight were having their own little conversation off the side, so I left them to it. I sat with the other princesses, thinking over what my name should be, but none of us had any ideas. That was, until Silva came over.
"How about Thunder Rift?" She asked, standing beside my chair. Celestia and Luna looked to each other, smiling slightly, while Cadence pounded her forehead repeatedly, shouting "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
"I like it." I said, grinning. "No, I love it! It's absolutely perfect! Thank you Silva!" With that I leapt up and swept her in up a hug, completely ignoring all of the looks the Princesses gave me. After a second Silva, slowly, returned the hug and rested her head against my chest, her being a bit shorter than me. I heard her sigh quietly and smiled.
"Is there something between you two?" Discord asked, a mischievous tone to his voice. I glared at him, flaring my nostrils. Why was I being so defensive? Oh well.
"Shut up, Discord. Does the public know about YOUR relationship status yet?" That shut him up. He sat down, jaw hanging, as small sparks flew around his head. Twilight sighed and left, carrying the broken lord of chaos behind her in a purple aura.
"How did you do that?" Luna asked, staring at me. Silva and I separated, her blushing slightly. I smiled and offered her my seat, opting to just hover in the air instead.
"Simple, really." I replied, placing my hands behind my head and hovering upside-down. It was actually kind of relaxing. "Body language."
"I'm not familiar with this, and I'm fluent in seventeen different native tongues including Phrench and Chineighs." Celestia said, frowning. I couldn't help but laugh at her, resulting in a very good impression of a duck.
"Tia… can I call you Tia? Anyway, Tia, body language isn't a way you speak. It's the way your body shows how you feel." I explained, crossing my upside-down legs. "Like me. I feel comfortable here, so my body is relaxing. I'm not even thinking about how I'm flying right now, I just am."
"Oh…" she said, beet-red embarrassment flushing her cheeks.
"Anyway, what am I going to do here?" I asked, flipping back over and sitting, mid-air, on an invisible chair. Of course, it wasn't really there, but still…
"What do you want to do?" Luna asked, standing up. She began to make her way out of the room. "Until you figure that out, I think a room could be set up for you here."
I smiled warmly, bowing my head to her. "Thank you, Princess."
"Please, we're all already on a first-name basis, are we not?"
"Indeed we are!" Celestia yelled, smiling warmly. "In fact, I'd say you need a personal guard to protect you while you adjust."
The room fell into an awkward silence, Luna only half out the door, while what Celestia said settled in. The sound of a cricket filled the room after a second, causing sweat to form on the solar princess's brow.
"That's not a bad idea." I said. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Well…"
Celestia smirked mischievously, looking from me to Silva and back again. Silva, on her part, just blushed some more. I, however, panicked as my wings straightened out completely. I landed, painfully, on my flank and spluttered. This only made Celestia's smirk grow wider until it actually frightened me.
"Right then. Well. Call me when that gets sorted!"
And with that I flew out the room, down the hall and out the window.
"Way to go, Discord!"
Everypony present looked up at the balconies to see a jet-black alicorn filly leaning over the railing, waving happily. The filly wore a plain white t-shirt beneath a purple vest, a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and some black-rimmed glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose.
"Nyx!" Twilight called in a reprimanding tone. "Get away from the edge before you fall!"
"Uh... fine!" The filly known as Nyx began to move away from the edge but turned her head too quickly, resulting in her glasses flying from her face. Instead of letting them go, the filly leapt after them.
Twilight's scream caused much of the crowd to cover their ears from the extremely high pitch. Even Discord and the Princesses were frozen in place from the shock of the act. Everypony watched in horror as the filly caught her glasses and smiled triumphantly, only to scream in terror as she realised what she had done.
The last thing I heard before the rush of the wind was my chair clattering to the floor from my take-off. Arms outstretched, I flew as fast as possible to try and catch the child.
Time slowed down as I got closer and closer, feeling the raging fires of protest in my wings. Those feelings numbed as the adrenaline kicked in, however, the rush of th moment boosting my speed slightly.
The sudden weight in my arms returned time to it's normal flow. When the young alicorn realised she was no longer in danger, she laughed slightly. That laugh grew louder as I held her until it was disturbing, then became heavy sobs and the filly slowly buried her head into my shirt. I sighed in relief. She was just in sho-
Stabbing pain in my back.
The world flying up.
A single word bursting from my lips as I fell.
"MARSHMALLOWS!!!"