The Mare and the Draconequus(Plot Twist)

Chapter Seven: A Whole New World Part One: Shining Armor and Cadence

Cadence glared at the Luna sky, and meanwhile in the garden Shining Star was pacing while Discord and the Carpet played chess and Twilight was thinking to herself, while Spike slept. “What am I gonna do? Cadence won’t even let me talk to her!” he sighed with frustration. “I should have known I couldn’t pull off this stupid Prince wish,” he threw the turban to the ground.

Discord looked more interested in the chess game. “So move,” he said. The Carpet took a Luna Queen(Queen Chess piece, but in the appearance of Princess Luna) and knocked his Celestia off the chart. “Eh, that’s a pretty good move. I can’t believe it I’m losing to a rug,” Discord shook his head, pulling on a tie around his neck.

Shining Star looked at him, irritated. “Discord, I need help,” Discord floated towards him, wearing sunglasses and a creepy grin(Jack Nicholson). “Alright sparky here’s the deal,” he stated. “You wanna court the little lady, you gotta be a straight shooter,” cue the bullet sound coming from his eagle finger. “Do you got it?” Shining Star looked at him confused.

“What?” Discord lost his Nicholson look and returned to his normal self, only to slap his lion’s paw onto his face.

He pulled up a chalkboard. “Tell her the...” he flipped it over and yelled, “TRUTH!” Shining Star used his turban to make it disappear, slapping at it and the air.

“No way, if Cadence found out I was just a street-stallion...” his eyes were downcast and sad. “She’d laugh at me,” Discord looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

He rolled his misshapen cinnamon red eyes. “A mare enjoys a stallion who can make her laugh,” Shining Star glared at him and he sighed. “At least you don’t look like this,” he gestured to himself. “Every time I was seen by a pony, mare or stallion, they ran away screaming or crying. Or both. At least you may actually have a chance with this Princess. I don’t even have a mare who would accept me,” Discord folded his arms over his chest sadly.

Shining Star nodded and apologized. “I just gotta talk to her... play it cool,” he put his turban back on his head, pulling his mane down with a hoof. “How do I look?”

“Like a Prince,” Discord watched as the Carpet took him up to Cadence’s balcony.

Cadence laid on her royal blue sofa, a saddened look in her eyes. She didn’t have her Cutie Mark cover on, and she saw how dead her Mark looked. Did that mean that her heart was dead and she would never find love? A chill shiver ran down her spine, all the facts pointed straight to that. Did Celestia and Faust truly hate her because she refused to marry a buffoon of a Unicorn?

“Princess Cadence?” a voice called from the balcony. She pulled her Cutie Mark cover on, and looked towards the source of the voice. Behind the curtains, it looked like a white furred stallion, and a Unicorn. She glared, she had a hunch on who it was.

“Who’s there?” she asked despite already knowing.

Shining Star took a deep breath. “It’s me--Prince Shining Star. Ahem--, Prince Shining Star,” he cleared his throat.

She walked to the balcony and her purple eyes met his blue ones. “I do not want to see you,” she snapped.

“Please, Princess. Give me a chance,” she turned her head and her glare made him stop in his tracks.

“Just leave me alone,” she ordered as her Philomena, a gift from Starswirl, squawked angrily at him.

“Down birdie,” Shining Star backed up as the Phoenix approached.

Twilight used her magic to levitate herself up, with the Carpet next to her. “So how’s our beau doing?” he used a tussel and made it look like a finger, pretending to cut his neck with it. She slapped a hoof to her forehead.

“Good birdie, take off. Dow birdie,” he removed his turban, as if to brush the great bird away. Cadence looked back at him and saw that, and she felt as though she’d seen him before. She felt an odd sensation in her Cutie Mark, but thought nothing of it. She’s seen the stallion before. She must have!

“Wait, wait. Do I... know you?” he looked back up at her and put his turban back on.

“Uh, no... No I don’t think so,” he lied.

“You... remind me of a colt I met in the marketplace,” she confessed, still eyeing him.

“The marketplace? I have servants that go to the marketplace for me... And servants go to the marketplace for those servants, so it couldn’t have been me you met,” she looked disappointed at that.

“I guess not,” she sighed sadly and looked the other way.

Twilight was held up by the Carpet, clinging to the balcony behind her brother. “Enough about you silly colt,” Shining Star looked down. “Talk about her! She’s smart, fun, the hair, the eyes. Anything--pick a feature for Faust’s sakes!” she silently yelled.

“Um, Princess Cadence, you’re very...” she looked back at him. Twilight spouting out different complimenting words and unfortunately Shining Star picked the last she said. “Punctual!” he said.

“Punctual?” Cadence raised an eyebrow. Twilight muttered a silent apology.

“Beautiful,” and Twilight nodded, better word choice.

A sly look came across Cadence’s face. “Rich too, the goddaughter of a Sultan, and a fine prize for any prince to marry,” she was up in Shining Star’s face now and Twilight could see where she was going with this. Unfortunately her brother did not.

“Right... A prince like me,” Twilight rolled her eyes and slapped a hoof to her face.

“Right, a prince like you,” she tapped his nose with her hoof. “And every other stuffed shirt, swaggering, peacock I’ve met!” she snapped, pulling his turban over his eyes.

“Burn,” Twilight murmured, ignoring Shining Star’s glare.

“Go jump off a balcony!” she ordered.

“What?” Shining Star looked insulted.

“Stop her, stop her!” Twilight said. “Want me to zap her?” her horn glowed hot pink as she asked the question.

“Buzz off,” Shining Star ordered and this time Twilight looked insulted.

She stuck her head down. “Fine, but remember. Be yourself,” she jumped down.

“Yeah, right,” Cadence turned at those words.

“What?!” she demanded.

Shining Star looked almost worried for a minute. “Uh, you’re right,” he sighed sadly with a disappointed look on his face. “You should be free to make your own choice. You aren’t some prize to be one, I’ll go now,’ he jumped over the ledge, and the Carpet caught him

“No!” Cadence shouted, and instantly the Carpet zoomed up, with Shining Star standing on it.

“What is that?” she asked, noticing the designs of fire but the middle was completely blank. Like there was something supposed to be there, but it was gone now. Somehow.

“A magic carpet,” it took her hoof with a tassel.

“It’s lovely,” Shining Star’s eyes glowed.

“Would you like to go for a ride?” she looked at him with a raised purple eyebrow. “We could get out of the Palace,” he pointed out.

“Is it safe?” she asked.

He almost chuckled. “Sure, do you trust me?” those words echoed in her ears, and even her heart. But mostly, in her Cutie Mark.

“What?” she whispered. He held his hoof out the same way as before.

“Do you trust me?” he repeated. She took his hoof with a small, sly grin. Saying ‘yes’ as their hooves connected.

He pulled her up and the Carpet took off almost instantly, knocking them into a sitting position.

As the Carpet was flying through the city, Shining Star used his magic to grab a blue rose and gave it to Cadence. She smiled brigthly and wrapped it in her mane delicately.

For hours they flew among the starry night that belonged to the one and only Luna. They saw Greece, Egypt, and even China, which although it makes no geographic sense it still happened. They sat on the rooftop while China was celebrating a New Year. “It’s all so magical,” she whispered and Shining Star smiled with a soft ‘yeah.’

She grinned softly. “It’s a shame Twili had to miss this...” she saw how he shrugged.

“Nah, she doesn’t really like fireworks unless it’s an important occasion. Not a big fan of flying either,” the Carpet looked at him and slapped its own ‘head’ and Shining Star realized his mistake. “That is-- Oh no...” she ripped his turban off his head.

“I knew it!” she glared. “You are the stallion from the marketplace. Why did you lie to me?” she demanded. “Did you think I was stupid!” he shouted ‘no’ but she would have none of it. “That I wouldn’t figure it out?!” she growled.

“No, I mean...” he seemed to mumble the last bit. “I hoped you wouldn’t it,” his eyes widened. “No, that’s not what I meant!” she glared at him still.

“Who are you? Tell me the truth!” she ordered.

“The truth?” he looked at the Carpet. “The truth... the truth is... I sometimes dress as a peasant to escape the prison of palace life. But I really am a Prince,” she looked at him with analyzing eyes.

She raised a purple eyebrow. “Why didn’t you just tell me?” she sighed almost defeatedly. He shrugged.

“Well, you know, royal going into the cities in disguise. A little strange don’t you think?” she smiled softly and he returned it, she snuggled into his shoulder.

“Not that strange...” the two shared a bigger smile. Unknown to either the Pegasus or the Unicorn, however, was that her Cutie Mark had a become a bit bluer despite the tinge of red still painting it. Perhaps things would be better, yes? Or, maybe not.