The Ugly Gosling

Red Star shuffled through town with her head hung low. A heavy topic rested upon her mind. Her mother and father always told her she was special and unique, but her mother was not only that but the Element of Kindness, and she always heard them fight over her father’s temper. He never hurt anypony, of course. Her mother kept him under control. But she usually overheard him saying she was always going to be picked on, and her magic lineage was not going to help any.

Red Star was the daughter of Fluttershy and Red Sword. They were both elements, her father an element of sin, and her mother an element of harmony. Her father was Wrath, and her mother Kindness. Complete opposites, right? Well they seemed to get along.

“Hey! Night spawn!” Red Star looked up to see a unicorn colt holding a rock in his hoof. She already knew what was coming.

He threw the rock and she lifted her wing just in time to block it. He stepped back, eyes filled with fear. She glared at him and folded her leathery wing back to her side.

“I would appreciate it if you left.” She said with a hiss. He shuddered at her sharp teeth and ran. She continued walking as if nothing had happened. She heard a pegasus land beside her and assumed it was her father.

“Yo, what was that all about?” Obviously she had assumed incorrectly. It was one of her mother’s friends, Rainbow Dash if she remembered correctly.

“He attacked me and I defended myself without violence.” She turned to the light blue mare with a frown. “Was that wrong?” Rainbow Dash scratched her head and shrugged.

“I dunno. You just scared him off, that’s all I saw.” She continued to walk beside Red Star for a while.

“Can I help you?” She asked, turning to Rainbow with slight annoyance.

“Huh? Oh, uh…yeah. Twilight wanted me to find Fluttershy and I was wondering if you could help.” Red Star stopped and looked at Rainbow with a flat face.

“She is with my father at the castle, I believe.” Rainbow Dash nodded and flew off. Red Star rolled her eyes.

“Ponies…”

///

“Dad…I don’t want to wear the helmet!” Shining Armor frowned and placed the royal guard helmet on the small alicorn anyway.

“This is your first time meeting my sister since you were a baby.” He straightened the helmet and stepped back to admire his work. “You need to look nice.” Princess Cadence nodded and grabbed the colt in a big hug.

“It seems like only yesterday you were in my tummy!” She nuzzled him making him squirm.

“Mom!” She giggled and placed him on her back.

“Oh come on! You love me and you know it!” The pale blue colt crossed his arms with a huff.

“Now son, you must behave appropriately while we’re in Ponyville. I don’t want any funny business!” Shining frowned at his son, who smiled innocently.

“Yes dad.”

“Oh, I just know you and Twilight are going to get along, Armored Heart!” Armored Heart simply snorted.

///

“Make way for Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor from the Crystal Empire!” A crystal stallion bowed to the couple as they made their way out of the train.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight ran up and grabbed the stallion in a hug.

“Hey Twily.” She looked down to see Armored Heart behind his father.

“And I’m guessing this is the new prince.” He smiled and puffed out his chest proudly. Twilight giggled and rubbed his head. She turned to face her friends before turning back to Shining Armor. “Well it just so happens we have a playmate for the little guy.” Fluttershy walked over, a small filly poking her head out of her tail.

“Come on out, Star.” The filly looked up at her mother then carefully stepped out of her tail. The first thing anypony would notice was her wings. They were bat wings, leathery skin connecting each part. She gave an innocent smile, and unintentionally showed her sharp teeth.

“Aah!” Armored Heart dashed behind his father’s leg. He peeked out of his hiding spot to see that the filly looked hurt.

“A Thestral? How is that possible?” Cadence examined the filly rather closely. Fluttershy became noticeably more nervous.

“Well…her father has…a few…family ties.” She smiled innocently. Cadence smiled and looked back at Fluttershy.

“Is he a Thestral as well?” Fluttershy shook her head only a few seconds before a bright red stallion came up the steps of the train station.

“Hey Kindness, I got those things you asked for but-” He froze when he saw Cadence, Shining Armor, and their son. “Who are these ponies?”

“Are you this filly’s father?” Cadence asked with confusion.

“Uh…yeah. Why?” She blinked, trying to process how that was possible.

“But…you’re a pegasus.” The red stallion nodded slowly. “And she’s a Thestral.” He raised an eyebrow.

“A what?” This made Cadence even more confused, causing her to turn to her husband for help. Shining Armor simply shrugged.

“A Thestral. Also known as the more offensive ‘Night Spawn’.” The filly squeaked and hid behind her mother. This caught the stallion’s attention.

“What are you getting at? Are you saying my daughter isn’t natural!? She’s perfectly normal!”

“WRATH!” The stallion immediately stopped. The others all turned to Fluttershy in shock. “You’re scaring Cadence and the children!” He lowered his head and walked over to nuzzle the Thestral filly’s cheek.

“What did you mean by family ties?” Cadence asked, returning her attention to Fluttershy.

“Discord.” Wrath said before Fluttershy could. “I’m not a normal pony. I was created…by Discord.” He sighed and turned away from them. “She’s like that because chaotic magic is in her blood.” Armored Heart stepped out from behind his father and looked up at Wrath curiously.

“Is…is she a monster?” Wrath growled before he spun around.

“OF COURSE NOT! She is anything BUT!” He snorted in the colt’s face, causing him to fall back in fear. Wrath stepped back and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just…sensitive about her.”

“I understand.” Cadence and Shining Armor managed to say simultaneously. Twilight levitated her nephew onto her back before trying to change the subject.

“Let’s, uh...let’s get to the castle.” Shining Armor trotted up to her with a confused look.

“Castle?” She giggled in response.

“We have a lot to catch up on, big brother.”

///

Red Star rested on her personal hammock, bouncing a ball against the ceiling. Thoughts raced through her mind. She didn’t know why, but she found herself thinking about that colt…something Heart. She smiled and threw her ball against the ceiling again, only to have it not come down. She looked up and frowned.

“Hey gramps.” Discord frowned and dropped her ball onto her chest.

“Please, little one, you must be more cheerful than that! I have good news!” She didn’t respond. “Do you remember that little prince you met so long ago?” Her eyes went wide and Discord laughed. “You do! How wonderful!”

“What does your news have to do with him?” She asked, a little more eager than she had planned.

“He’s visiting! Well, visiting Twilight. She is his aunt,” His horns morphed into antennae for a second before he continued. “After all.” Star rolled her eyes.

“So the good news?” Discord waved his eagle claw in dismissal.

“Only that he’s a full grown stallion now. Sorry for jumping to conclusions,” He jumped to the floor from the ceiling and began walking to the door. “I just thought you’d be more excited.” He left her sitting in her hammock with a choice.

Believe her grandpa, the ex-lord of chaos, or doubt that she would ever see that colt again. She smiled and jumped to the floor and ran into the hallway. She jumped down the stairs, flapping her wings a few times, skidded around a corner and sat herself in front of her father.

“Hi daddy!” He looked up and smiled.

“Star! What’s got you so excited?” She jumped up and flapped her wings in excitement.

“Is it true that Twilight’s nephew is visiting?” Wrath’s face flattened in annoyance.

“Unfortunately, yes. Why is that so important? I thought you didn’t like him.” Star stopped and fell to the floor.

“Did I say that?” Wrath chuckled.

“Well after we left the train station you broke out in tears. Kept saying you hated him because he thought you were strange.” He smiled and patted her head. “Glad to see you’ve gotten past that. I’m sure he’s a polite and mature stallion now.”

///

Armor stood beside his mother’s throne with a scowl. He rolled his eyes everytime a pony bowed to him, his mother, or his father. They were just ponies! Couldn’t these idiots get that through their thick skull?

“Are you brooding again, Heart?” He looked up at his mother with a feigned smile.

“I’m fine, mother! Please, go back to your duties.” Cadence raised a brow but obliged.

“You do know that if anything’s wrong you can talk to me your father. It’s not good to bottle up your emotions.” Armor snorted in frustration.

“Why do you worry about me so much? I can take care of myself!” Cadence let out an exasperated sigh.

“One day you will find happiness, Armored Heart.” She turned to him with a smile. “Be it friendship, family, or love. You will have something to protect someday.” Armor frowned and looked to the ground.

“It’s Armor.”

///

“Huh, I see this place is still a dump.” Twilight resisted the urge to yell as she turned to face Armored Heart.

“You may not like it, but this is my home. There is no place in Equestria I would rather be.” Armor laughed.

“You must not have very high standards!” Twilight growled under her breath and turned to him.

“You may be able to talk that way about this town to me and get away with it, but I suggest keeping quiet about your opinions around my other friends. ESPECIALLY Applejack.”

“Pfft! That mare’s probably so uneducated she wouldn’t be able to understand me!” Twilight stopped in her tracks, her left eye starting to twitch. She spun around and gave Armor a cold hard glare.

“Do NOT talk about my friends that way!” Armor inched back.

“Alright, alright! I’ll be quiet, Ms. Bossy!” Twilight growled before continuing her way to the castle.

“I can hardly believe you were raised by my brother and Cadence…”

///

“Celery.” Fluttershy looked up to see three ponies at the celery stand. She let out a moan of disappointment.

“Don’t worry mom, I’ve got this.” Red Star unfolded her wings and approached the celery stand.

“Aah!” All of the ponies in the line ran off, the one in front even leaving his bits behind.

“Hey pal, I’ll take one stalk of celery for two bits.” The stallion behind the counter lifted a hoof from his hiding place and gently pushed the celery towards her.

“Please, take all of it. Just…don’t hurt me!” Red Star lifted an eyebrow.

“You sure? I’m willing to pay for it.” The stallion popped up and nodded. Red Star shrugged and grabbed all of the celery. “Your choice.” She trotted back over to Fluttershy who gave her a disappointed frown. “What?”

“How could you just take it?”

“Hey, I told him I’d pay for it but he refused!” Fluttershy shook her head and continued through the marketplace. “Mom!”

“Mom, huh?” Red Star spun around to see a pale blue unicorn give her a smile.

“Who are you? Why are you talking to me?” He shrugged.

“You looked lonely.” The Thestral found herself blushing, only to be snapped out of her daze by Twilight’s voice.

“Armored Heart! You get back over here right now!” The unicorn groaned and turned to leave, revealing that he had wings as well.

“Armored Heart!?” He turned back to Red Star with a smile.

“Yep, that’s me. You’ve heard of me?” Red Star smiled.

“Not exactly.” She spread her wings, making the stallion’s eyes widen. He looked at her wings, then at her face, then at her wings, then at her face.

“Yo-yo-YOU!” He stumbled back and desperately flapped his wings, but couldn’t seem to take flight. He quickly gave up and simply ran off, screaming. Red Star frowned and switched her gaze to the ground.

“So much for a friend.” She then began the journey home.

The next morning was rather eventful. Discord woke up Red Star with an air horn, her father had a magic surge, Angel ran off, and Red Star found herself in the Everfree looking for him.

“Angel! Angel!! Angel?” Red Star stopped when she heard somepony crying. It was rather confusing since most ponies didn’t enter the forest. She figured it was one of the elements, and as daughter of the Element of Kindness it was her duty to do kind deeds. She hated it.

“Hello?” The pony flinched at her voice and she could see the silhouette of an alicorn. “Princess Twilight?” The pony shuffled before speaking.

“No. I’m not Princess Twilight.” It was a stallion, and unless it was her grandfather playing a prank, she only knew one male alicorn.

“Armored Heart?” The pony’s horn lit up, bringing light to the opening in the trees. He turned to look at her and nodded. Red Star immediately became truly concerned. “Armored Heart, what’s wrong?” He shifted.

“It’s just Armor.” He slouched. “I don’t deserve my full name. I’m a jerk.”

“No you’re not!” Red Star sat next to him and caught a glance of his cutie mark. A silver heart, most likely meant to be an armored heart. “You’re cutie mark is there for a reason. How did you get it?”

“I don’t like to talk about it.” Red Star wrapped a wing around him to comfort him, but it only seemed to make him uncomfortable.

“Heh, sorry. My wings are pretty creepy, huh?” He smiled and let out a weak laugh.

“No, they’re just cold.” She smiled and looked back at the ground before his words were fully processed.

“Wait, you don’t think they’re creepy?” He shook his head.

“Nah, they’re actually kind of cool.” That made her blush slightly.

“…thanks.” He took a deep breath in and out.

“I got my cutie mark when my friend…She died.” Red Star’s smile faltered.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I told my mom I could never hold another pony that close again. They just got hurt because of me. I…I even drifted away from her. I refuse to open up to either of my parents, or even spend personal time with them.” He sniffed and wiped his tears away with a hoof.

“Are you…sure that was a good idea?” Armor didn’t reply. “My parents always help me when I feel down. My mother was there when I got in a fight.” Armor turned to her.

“You got in a fight? You seem so nice, though.” Red Star smiled.

“Thanks, but…I didn’t start it. Some bullies went too far and actually started to tear at my wings.” A tear trickled down her cheek at the memory. “My mother helped me patch it up and was there for me when I started getting nightmares.” She sniffed again and hid her face in her wings. “Luna didn’t even help! She wasn’t there! We asked my grandfather to help, but…”

“You still have them?” She nodded.

“I don’t tell my parents about them anymore. After my grandfather told me he had them as well I pretended they went away. I only talk about them with my grandfather now.” Armor smiled.

“Your grandpa sounds nice, what’s his name?” Red Star giggled.

“Di-Discord.” Armor’s face dropped.

“Who’s parent is…”

“My father.” The two ponies went silent after that. They sat there for a while before Angel Bunny hopped in front of them. Red Star jumped up and snatched him.

“There you are! My mother is very worried about you, you little nuisance!” She turned to Armor and smiled. “Do you want to meet here tomorrow?”

“Uh…” He nodded. “Yeah, sure. You’re cool.” She waved goodbye and flew back home.

///

Red Star dropped herself on her hammock with a dreamy sigh. Armored Heart was actually really nice. She’d have to get to know him,

Maybe they really could be friends.