“Sister.”
A tall, pale, shapely woman with lavender eyes and multicolored hair that seemed to have a mind of its own stood over a figure who slept in a nest of pillows and thick blankets. A white horn jutted from her forehead, and a magnificent pair of wings, covered in titanium white feathers, were folded behind her back; rather large back and shoulder muscles that gave her torso something of a triangular look were what provided her with the strength to fly. A hand went to her hip as she sighed through her nose.
“Sister,” she said, with a somewhat louder voice.
The one on the makeshift bed gave a bit of a stir, but was otherwise silent. Her own skin was contrastingly bronze to her sister’s porcelain tone, and her hair, while it was just as dynamic as the conscious one’s, was navy blue with pale indigo streaks. Both of their manes glittered as though they shampooed with diamond dust, although the darker lady’s hair sparkled more brilliantly. A broad, midnight blue wing was wrapped over the curled body of the sleeper, covering all but her face, from which a matchingly colored horn protruded, and her feet. A tired groan could be heard.
“Luna, wake up this instant!” barked the standing woman.
There was some stirring, and then Luna sat up slowly, her eyes barely opening. She gave a yawn and a stretch of both her arms and her wings, which gave a bit of a flutter before settling into their idle position. Her body was quite similarly shaped to her sister’s, but she was neither quite as tall nor as busty. Pouting a bit, she asked groggily, “What be the time of day, Celestia?”
Celestia glanced out the window at the fading golden light of dusk. “Nearly time for you to perform your duties. You should awaken early more often, it gives you a chance to wake up properly before you raise the moon, and perhaps some time to eat as well.”
“Very well…”
Blinking the tiredness from her argon blue eyes, Luna finally got to her feet, wearing little but a pair of silver, silken night pants. Celestia, who wore a blindingly bright white halter top gown held around her neck with a gold chain attached to a similarly gold choker and a cloud blue sash with gold threads woven into it, caught herself staring for a second or two at Luna’s exposed breasts. She quickly averted her eyes, giving a small cough to nonverbally remind her sister to put some clothes on. Luna did so, and was soon wearing a uniform that could be described more accurately as ‘princely’ than anything else. Her own clothes consisted of a blue-black jacket even darker than the night sky, with shoulder pads, a button-up front, and a high collar, as well as a form-fitting pair of fine, storm blue suede pants, the entire suit having hems and seams highlighted with silver. The back of her coat was open, so as to allow her wings to fit.
Among their many other contrasts, the fashion senses between Celestia and Luna were nearly opposites. Celestia typically wore long, flowing gowns and dresses while Luna held preference to coats and pants. They both enjoyed footwear with heels, but Celestia could usually be found wearing high-heeled sandals, whereas Luna wore the classic boots of a cavalryman, the heels of the sole being somewhat short and very thick, ideal for keeping hold on a stirrup. Given her wings, Luna never had to make use of a mount, but she still held the style in high regard. Her shoes of choice were thigh-high boots with large cuffs that folded downwards, the edges almost reaching her knee from halfway up her thigh. They were Alice blue with blue-gray soles and silver trim, and made a soft thud with each step, nearly being completely silent when she stepped upon the carpet.
Celestia shook her head with a smile. “Ever so proper, aren’t we?” she said jokingly. “It isn’t as though you’re going to a ball, you go out to simply make night come. You hardly need to dress so… royally, really.”
Luna made a scoffing noise. “Why would that be? Should we be seen, ‘twould be best for us to make certain we are seen as naught but magnificent, yes?”
She supposed that she had an unfair advantage in the matter, being that she had been exposed to the ever-changing culture of Equestria for a thousand years more than her sibling, but that Luna still spoke so archaically was something she was determined to amend. “If you wish, I suppose there’s no stopping you. But honestly, extravagance is still unnecessary; you may be a princess, but there is a humongous difference between utilizing some finery and dressing as though you aim to make a multi-billionaire look like a vagrant.”
Both of Luna’s hands went to her hips as she struck a confident pose and grinned smugly. “Thy words are ones of envy, methinks.”
Celestia’s palm went to her forehead. “Just… go. The sky is still waiting for you.”
~♪~
Drifting somewhat lazily through the cool night air, Luna admired what she claimed as her domain. She imagined that she would never tire of it, although she was still troubled at how few still enjoyed the black-blue sky and its myriad stars shimmering alongside the moon, her most prized ‘possession’. As a goddess, it was at least part of her portfolio, though saying it was her property may have been pushing it.
Such whimsical ponderings aside, the divine princess began her nightly patrol for troublesome dreams. Not all of them were visited directly, and she could get a general ‘feel’ for what the dream was about without actually delving into the minds of those deep in slumber. Canterlot Castle seemed to be at peace enough, and so, considering that part of the kingdom taken care of, she moved onward. Luna arrived at Ponyville not long afterward; she may not have been able to fly as fast as dedicated, well-trained wingfolk, but her sheer magical power made such skill unnecessary. With the proper application, Luna could make dimensions fold and travel miles in but an instant, though longer distances would take more time to prepare.
Luna hovered in midair for but a second, spreading both her arms and her wings outward as they began to pulsate with temporal and spatial energy. A slight whoosh and zing later, and Luna found herself hovering over a town several leagues south of Canterlot. Ponyville, so it was called. She had been exiled to the moon long before the town’s conception, and so she found it umpteen times more interesting than Canterlot Castle and the sprawling city beneath it. It was so rural yet busy compared to her home, people bustling about and doing their business. Even nighttime had activity of note. She had seen it once during daytime, and the streets seemed to writhe with life, as though the place was an organism in and of itself. Still in the air, Luna flitted about the sky just above the rooftops, her own mind grazing over the surface thoughts of those who slept.
One thing that Luna took pride in was her superiority over her sister when it came to their psychic prowess. She could determine one’s surface thoughts, as well as emotions, hidden or otherwise, with little more than a glance. Her capacity for empathy and telepathy was indeed impressive; the only downside, in her opinion, was that it was a much more subtle power than most, and she felt that made it underappreciated, simply because it was not bright and flashy. She gave a harrumph at the narrow-minded folk who could not see what a gift it actually was, but otherwise paid such thoughts no mind. She scanned about for those suffering from bad dreams, but did not find any as she combed through the center of town. A twist of her wings, and she was on her way to the outskirts.
There was a distinct lack of psychic impressions in the area, but that was to be expected. Luna even took a liking to the locale, as the auras were far less tangled and chaotically melded into a giant blob of thoughts and feelings. The scarcity of people meant clarity, and that made more thorough checks far easier. She passed over an isolated cottage, and then sported a frown. She recognized the building, the leafy, still-growing thatching and myriad animal dens built into it and the yard around it giving it an organic look that was unmistakable. This was the residence of Fluttershy, a wingmaid so oversaturated with kindness, humility, and fear that Luna had no idea how she had survived her teenage years. It was Fluttershy, however, who had shown Luna how to speak without using, as the commonfolk called it, the “Royal Canterlot Voice”, and for that she would be eternally grateful. A goddess so much as muttering a word with the entirety of their divine voice could force an entire unit of men to their knees, rattle a small tree to its core, and break glass. Louder and longer utterances could do even more damage, shattering bones like brittle ice, collapsing a boulder into dust and fine gravel, and scattering a house to the winds like a hurricane. Luna had only once ever yelled at someone with baneful intent, and the disturbing sight of the poor soldier’s flesh peeling from their bones like an orange before they disintegrated into nothingness convinced her that she should never do so again unless absolutely necessary.
At least, mused Luna, she had only been employing a small fraction of her godliness when she typically spoke, even when using her Voice. Had she not moderated herself by then, she would likely have had to fear for Fluttershy’s very life.
Her mind drifted back to the subject at hand. There was a disturbance of some kind at Fluttershy’s cottage, some troublesome night terror, and that was a problem Luna decided she should fix. After all, she owed Fluttershy a great deal, and soothing a few bad dreams was nothing in comparison to better control of the Voice. Giving her majestic wings a few light flaps to soften her landing, the princess touched down by a window. She closed her eyes, broadcasted her thoughts, and began to reach. There were a great many minds within the building, however small. Almost all of them were those of animals, simple creatures dreaming of simple things. She soon found the psyche she had been searching for, that of Fluttershy. Strengthening the connection, she could feel what was going on inside Fluttershy’s head. There was dread, confusion, horror, and sadness, which were typical of nightmares, and so when Luna projected herself into Fluttershy’s dreamscape, she expected a rather easy problem to fix, not the mess she saw inside.
~♪~
Fluttershy had no idea what was happening. The sun shone bright, the grass was lush and green, flowers were in bloom, animals were gaily chittering and chirping, and a soft spring breeze highlighted everything with its gentle touch, twirling her pink hair along with it. Part of her ritual that early morning was to sing alongside a chorus of a few birds to rally the others into song. What reverberated in her throat was not the music she had intended, but a queer, alien noise that seemed to twist the very world around her. The previously white-gold sunlight dimmed to a dusty, reddish-dun glow. Grass and flowers became dull, lifeless, wiry husks, animals ceased to exist, and the wind became sharp and bitter. When she tried to speak, rather than sing, the strange voice she had continued in her normal voice’s stead. The earth dried and cracked, becoming salty and infertile as she spoke further, and tears began to flow from her eyes at the sight of what of the world she could see being condemned to such rapid decay for no reason but the eerie tongue with which she sang. Despair overcame her, and she fell to her hands and knees, silent for fear that giving so much as a whimper would only cause more destruction.
Unseen, Princess Luna watched the events unfold. Both darkly wonderized and profoundly discomforted by what she saw, the goddess of the night was confounded at just how one such as Fluttershy knew of the Sound. It was a language that had at one point been labeled Deathspeak, for those who were less adept with its precise and exacting pronunciations had made all around them, and eventually themselves, wither and die. It was the speech of the Old Gods, the primal beings who formed the world aeons ago, and disappeared long, long before the princesses came to be. They were words of power that could either consecrate or desecrate the world around it, bringing life and energy in abundance or waves upon waves of entropy and damnation. The departure of the Old Gods was not regarded to be a tragedy.
Luna herself knew but a few words of it, though she dared not speak them, especially while within the dreamscape of one she personally held so dear. The dream was not beyond salvation in consideration to her other powers, at least. Remaining out of Fluttershy’s sight, she willed for something small yet magnificent to happen to start, and from the split earth at Fluttershy’s bare feet sprouted a singular plant. It looked to be no more than a weed, and blossomed a singular, simple flower with azure petals. From the cracks in the ground around it sprung tufts of soft, tender, bluish grass, though sparsely. The scarlet and brown sky soon was awash with swathes of swirling cool grays that ranged from the paleness of fresh salt to the darkness of the densest thunderheads. A bolt of lightning struck the ground not twenty paces ahead of Fluttershy, and it was followed by a shower of rain that wet the thirsty earth. More flora began to bloom as the landscape was moistened, the lone blue flower soon being joined by a veritable field of it. The dead, wretched mockeries of trees began to swell and then crumble away as new trees, tall, thick, and mighty, burst from their topiary corpses. In what felt like both an instant and an eternity, it looked as though three millennia in growth and rejuvenation had passed. Fluttershy wandered the new woodlands, the damp air clinging to her skin and cooling her throat and lungs as she breathed in its heavy, refreshing wetness. The rose-haired maiden’s tears were soon replaced with shimmering awe at the sight, marveling it in all its glory. It was as though the Everfree Forest had broken free of its boundaries and consumed nearly half of Ponyville.
She was, out of nowhere, jostled to consciousness from her nightmare-turned-reverie when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders; in her dream, she had turned just in time to see Princess Luna’s glowing face before her real, physical eyes opened. She looked around her bedroom, seeing naught but herself and her sheets occupying her bed or the room around it, and gave a shiver that made her butter yellow wings ruffle. A glance out the window told her that it was nigh sunrise upon awakening, the skies turning the pale cerulean that preceded the golden radiance of the morning sun. Fluttershy was usually awake not long after this hour, but she decided that it would be time to get on her feet, lest she oversleep by falling back into slumber. As she went downstairs to prepare some breakfast tea, she gave a little smile. Luna did not bless many people with more than one visit in their life, and she felt so privileged to be granted multiple visits to her sleeping mind.
~♪~
By the time that Fluttershy had risen from bed, Luna was long gone, flying away to finish a rather uneventful night’s worth of surveillance. The moment between the end of a dream and actually waking from slumber could span hours, after all. Even when it came time for her sister to perform her own duties as the goddess of the sun, Luna wished to linger about Ponyville, but begrudgingly decided against it, and lowered the moon to make room for the warming orb of day before returning home. She did not teleport, despite her having some desire to do so, if only because the morn’s coming was still not yet there, and the remaining coolness of the air was a very pleasant thing to feel under her wings.
It also gave her time to reflect upon her feelings for Fluttershy.
While she would not consider it love, Luna admitted, at least to herself, that she felt something more than mere acquaintanceship with the wingmaid, though she could not quite place where it was on the scale between friend and lover. From Fluttershy’s end, all that Luna was aware of was reverence, but that was something that came from, in essence, everyone who was not an enemy, and it was so disappointingly impersonal that she saw little hope for her own feelings to be reciprocated.
It was of little matter, she supposed. She was Princess Luna, a magical diarch of the greatest kingdom in the world, gifted with a divine spark that left her nearly unmatched in power, save a select few that she could count on one hand! The very idea that a mortal would treat her more as a person than a goddess was preposterous.
The idea’s appeal, however, was not lost on her as she fluttered to a stop on her chamber’s balcony. Handlessly casting the doors of thick glass open, Luna began to remove her opulent garments, stripping back into nudity before drawing the drapes of her balcony doors shut, leaving the doors themselves open; the breeze that flowed in was comforting, and she then nestled back into her bed of pillows, not bothering with a blanket as she let her wings cover her and went to sleep.
Author's Note
So, first chapter, tell me whatcha think. I'll tell you from the beginning, I'm a slow writer, so don't expect me to be pumping out a chapter a week, or even a chapter a month.
Sunny though the morning was, the warmth went unnoticed by Fluttershy, who was busy inside her home. The windows had been left open that night, letting in the night breezes that could almost be described as cold. She closed them upon awakening, letting the temperature linger for awhile as she made breakfast for herself and then those under her care. Two buckwheat pancakes with some honey drizzled into the batter soon found their way onto her plate, with a good helping of peach slices and a heap of whipped cream on top. Though normally quite reserved, she dug into her meal with abandon; she saw it as unfair if she was eating in front of the animals that resided in her home before they had a chance to eat, but she had to have something in her stomach before she started her daily labors. The last time she’d tried to work hungry, she ended up forgetting half of what she was supposed to do that morning.
As she wolfed down her pancakes, the most audacious occupant of the entire property, let alone the house, hopped up to the table, giving an efforted leap to get to the chair first before jumping onto the tabletop itself. The resident in question was a pure white rabbit, and a rather small one at that, named Angel. He gave an inquisitive sniff at Fluttershy’s breakfast, which was now more than half gone. His black eyes went to the remaining two peach slices, and then up to Fluttershy’s own teal ones, furrowing his brow in annoyance. She glanced down at him, swallowed her mouthful of pancake and cream, and then cut another piece out of her meal to offer to the demanding lagomorph, who devoured it quickly.
Finishing off her breakfast, Fluttershy drank down a glass of orange juice and gave a stretch as she stood from her chair. Like all wingfolk, her back muscles were notably large so as to be able to use her wings, but she had a build much all-around softer than either of the princesses did. She was relatively tall, and her body sported a matronly hourglass shape, one that gave the impression that she could birth twins easier than most others could have one child. Nearly everything about her screamed ‘mother’, save her youthfulness, but even that could still be interpreted otherwise. She reached behind her head, pulling her hair back not into a ponytail, but letting it rest between her wings, before going about her daily rituals.
~♪~
Fresh suet with bird feed put out? Check.
Salt brick for the deer? Check.
Blueberry pemmican for the bear’s visit today? Check.
Water troughs emptied and refilled? Check.
The list went on and on, and it wasn’t any less than four hours before she had finished everything. By then, she was already starting to get hungry again; thankfully, she planned to have lunch with her friends in a short while. Done with her work for the day, Fluttershy walked back inside to change into something more suitable for a venture into town. She came downstairs from her room in a pair of flare jeans with faded knees, a banana yellow top which was essentially just a long, billowy piece of linen that was attached to a strap that went around her middle, and wicker sandals with three-inch cork heels. Her leather haversack slung over her shoulder, she set off for the day ahead.
Fluttershy’s footsteps were just as soft as her features, hardly being audible while on the packed dirt pathway to Ponyville. The gentle winds and caressing sunlight of the late morning granted her some extra comfort as she somewhat lazily preened her wings with one hand while heading towards The Hayburger. While the citizens of Equestria were not dedicatedly herbivorous, the population largely subsisted on vegetable fare. It was less of a cultural phenomenon and more that, unless one lived in a place where farming or even horticulture was nearly impossible, it was simply easier to meet one’s daily needs with the crops of the season, seeing as the lands were quite fertile. The thought made her tummy growl even more than it already was; red appaloosa beans were in season, and they made for a great patty for a veggie burger. Mild, sweet, a little mealy… decorate the sandwich with a thick slice of cheddar cheese, a couple leaves of clomaine lettuce, some juicy tomato slices and pungent shredded onions, topped off with the acid of pickle slices, ketchup, and mustard, all on a sesame seed bun…
She gave a frown as she caught her mind drifting more towards food than her friends, friends with whom she aimed to have some casual get-together time. They didn’t seem to have much that was actually planned for their gathering, just that they were going to be in good company for an afternoon after a bit of news was delivered by Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy ran her fingers through her long, rosy hair to complement the work the wind had been doing to keep her locks out of her face while she thought of what may come to pass. She imagined that Rainbow Dash would give an elaborately detailed breakdown of her latest aerial achievements, Rarity would go on a loquacious tirade about the state of things in the fashion world, Applejack would either drivel on with some familial tall tales or snap up some challenge that Dash cooked up, and Pinkie Pie would…
Fluttershy paused for a moment. What would Pinkie do? Even Discord, an insane god of chaos, was more predictable than her. It was a wonder that the two of them hadn’t stained the world with the colors of madness when they’d last met.
That Twilight was the one who arranged for the event- quite suddenly as a matter of fact, letters had been sent just the day before- made Fluttershy wonder what she had planned. After all, she was a princess now, and princesses have responsibilities. Such a frivolity in her time budget, especially with one so tightly organized? Something terrible must have happened! And the Elements of Harmony were going to be needed for the prevention of a catastrophe unknown to all but Twilight and the other princesses! They’d been able to solve all kinds of problems before, but what if it was something else? What if they failed somehow? What if-
Fluttershy felt a slight pain in her fingertip and tasted earth. She hadn’t realized that she was nervously biting her somewhat dirty fingernails over her irrational anxiety, and when she looked at her hand, she saw that she had gnawed on the quick of her middle finger. Oh.
~♪~
Another five minutes of walking before a glance was made at her surroundings, and Fluttershy was made aware that she was standing in front of the Hayburger. She shook her head, flinging her hair away from her face and her earlier thoughts out of her noggin before stepping inside. There was a polite yet enthusiastic “Hi there, Fluttershy! Over here!” that came from her left, and Fluttershy turned to see Twilight sitting at a sizable corner booth, giving a wave. Her indigo and violet hair shook a bit as she did so, her bangs parting for a purple horn that stuck out from just an inch below her hairline. Fluttershy smiled humbly before walking over to the booth, sitting next to Twilight, who wore a mauve halter top, blue slacks, and a casual pair of walking shoes.
“You’re here a little early. I wasn’t expecting you all for another five, maybe ten minutes.”
Fluttershy bunched her wings up to accommodate her back, not unlike what Twilight had done. The princess, having grown a pair of wings herself, had yet to truly get used to the additions, but she was doing good enough at it; with how much she was flying ever since she had acquired them, her back muscles were already more toned than Fluttershy’s.
“Oh, um, I hope that… that I didn’t mess up any orders you made,” replied Fluttershy.
“No worries, I promise. I got a vanilla milkshake to tide me over until the others get here.”
Twilight lifted the paper cup, wiggled it a bit, and then went crestfallen when she heard the hollow patter of the straw hitting the inside of the cup.. “Huh. Already gone.”
There was a shrug from the purple princess’ shoulders, having broadened since her acquisition of a fifth and sixth limb. “You can always go and get one yourself if you want. I’m paying for it all.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, I think I’ll be fine until the others get here.” She looked around for a bit before asking quietly, “So, um… what are we all getting together for? I-if you don’t mind my asking.”
“Well, for one, because I like to have everyone meet once in awhile, you know? It’s fun to get together and just enjoy everyone’s presence once in awhile.” Twilight gave an eyes-closed smile. “Also because there’s been something that may or may not be a subtle threat to the well-being of all in Equestria, but that’s nothing to worry about.”
Fluttershy’s own eyes widened immensely at the news. ‘Oh my gods, I was right! We’re all going to probably die in some fiery, magical explosion, or everyone will be turned into glowing frogs, or Twilight is going to come up with some scheme to make us into liches, or or or-!’
“Darling, are you well?”
A palm waved in front of Fluttershy’s face, long nails protruding from the fingertips. Fluttershy blinked rapidly as she snapped out of her anxiety attack in the making. One of her other friends stepped into view; tall, spindly, and flat-chested, her pale complexion made her glow like a candle, even in the dimmer lights of the eatery. Her violet, cartoonishly curly and elaborate coiffure dangled partly over her own visage, falling to the left of a white horn that jutted from her forehead, though both of her ultramarine orbs met Fluttershy’s own with a look of concern that was far from cartoonish. “Rarity? I-I’m sorry for making you worry like that, I was just… jumping to conclusions I guess, and-”
“Oh, don’t get your feathers in a ruffle over it, there’s nothing to fret over. No need to have a panic attack, I assure you.” Rarity turned to Twilight, her long, white horn emphasizing just where her gaze was pointing. “Isn’t that right?”
“Hm? Oh, I guess it’s not anything to worry about yet-”
“Yet?” Rarity said with an inquisitively raised brow. Twilight was about to explain when Rarity put her forefinger to Twilight’s lips. “Not now, dear. At least wait until the others get here before you turn us all into worrywarts, hm?”
Twilight gave a muffled “Mhmm,” before Rarity took her finger away from Twilight’s lips. She gave Rarity a glance up and down and said, “You didn’t need to dress so extravagantly.”
Rarity gave a flip of the wide, foot-long curl that spiraled from just over her forehead down past her jaw. Placing her spidery hands on her slender hips, she struck a somewhat flirtatious pose. “And why not? I wanted to show you all a dress that I finished but a few days ago, and what better a time than our little rendezvous?”
Although extravagant may not have been the best word for it, Rarity wore a dress that was at least rather elaborate. A strapless, tight-fitting top- one hiding a snug corset- hugged her slim body, made of a silken, pearl white fabric that had a dull sheen. The bottom flared out just above her hips, from which there was a burst of pale gold, the first layer of many. The outermost part of it sat rather stiffly over many, many lacy ruffles, slightly lighter than the first layer, that stopped just above her knees; the thinness of the cloth and great volume made it look like she was wearing clouds just before the earliest hour of dusk. The entire getup had itself riddled with intricate embroidery, typically in floral patterns, accented with the occasional small rhinestone or superficial ribbon. Combined with the white hose and lustrous high heels she wore and her fair skin tone, Rarity’s look was so sheerly radiant that if she stood in the open sun, onlookers were sure to be on a painfully beautiful route to blindness.
Rarity gave a broad, toothy smile. “Well? What do you think?”
Twilight and Fluttershy each gave an impressed “Ooh, nice!” and soft “I-I think it’s gorgeous,” respectively. From between Rarity’s legs came a loud, high-pitched “Woooow, this is even prettier than your last one, and that’s really a high bar you set with that piece, the ivory highlights on crimson made me think of this one red velvet cupcake I made that was the most DELICIOUS thing I’d had all week, maybe all month, but not all year, that was this one cheesecake I got in Manehattan that was five inches tall and-”
“Whaa!” yelped Rarity, skittering away towards the booth, where she quickly took a seat. “Pinkie Pie! Just what do you think you’re doing under my dress!?”
On her hands and knees, just behind where Rarity had stood, was a slightly chubby young lady with thick, tightly curled hair that was so brilliant a magenta that it looked like bubblegum stained with raspberries. She was paler than either Twilight or Fluttershy, but not so much as Rarity. Her round jaw and high cheeks made for a bright grin that gave her caeruleum blue eyes bit of a squint. Pointing a finger at a slick, red mess behind her, Pinkie explained, “Oh, I slipped on a ketchup packet that someone dropped on the floor, haha! Silly me!”
Pinkie shot to her feet, spreading out her arms. She was dressed simply, a blue denim jacket and skirt with a white tee shirt and pink, white-toed sneakers sufficing to cover her properly. “Hi there, everybody! Where are Applejack and Rainbow Dash?”
Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but the door answered for her.
“You’re just not getting it, Applejack!” shouted a voice with a fine gravel to it. “Vinyl Scratch’s eyes are red, I’m telling you!”
A thick, throaty drawl replied, “And Ah’m tellin’ you, no, they’re not! With how long I’ve been workin’ in an apple orchard, Ah know every kinda red there is. Vinyl’s eyes’re purple.”
Flinging open the double door was a rather boisterous duo, a wingfolk and an earthbound, bickering over some trivial matter that was somehow of utmost importance to them. Fluttershy knew it was less about the subject and more about the principle of being right, but then again, she supposed pretty much everyone who knew the two of them were aware of the fact already.
The wingfolk, Rainbow Dash, was a somewhat short lady, being just short of five and a half feet tall, but her body was the finely sculpted masterpiece that a dedicated flyer such as herself should have. A shaggy, prismatic mess of hair rested atop her head, hanging just below her shoulders, its brightness contrasting with the soft tan of her skin. Her attire was unremarkable, being little more than a backless cyan tank top that matched the color of her plumage, a pair of black shorts that fell just below her knees, and navy blue running shoes. Her blue-black eyebrows furrowed at the other’s argument.
In a manner both same and different, the earthbound, Applejack, was very fit and notably toned. However, where Rainbow Dash was sleek and refined, Applejack was bulky and rough. She was easily the tallest person in the restaurant, her impressive six-foot-three height made even higher by the brown stetson hat she was never seen without. Having a darker tan than Rainbow Dash, Applejack could immediately be recognized as a field worker because of it, her freckles barely visible in some spots, and her arms in particular. Adorned in an orange plaid button-up, hip-and-thigh-hugging faded jeans, and well-worn leather boots, her steps clunked loudly on the smooth tile floor. She closed her grass-green eyes, shook her head, and with it a loosely bound flaxen mane before slapping her callused palm to her forehead in exasperation.
Before any other words between the two could be said, Rarity gave a loud “Ahem!” to get their attention, smiling widely when she was acknowledged. “So glad you could make it, darlings!” she said cheerfully. “Come now, take a seat, and Twilight can get everyone’s orders.”
Their argument seemingly forgotten, Rainbow Dash and Applejack sat down next to each other, letting Twilight Sparkle slip out while Fluttershy scooted over to accommodate her two other friends. Unfortunately, she found herself sandwiched between Applejack’s muscular posterior and Rarity’s bony hips. She felt no innate discomfort about being in the middle of the two of them, but the awkwardness of her legs squishing against those of two of her best friends that she admittedly found somewhat attractive was not lost on her. Orders were voiced by all at the table- Applejack and Rainbow Dash both getting what may have been excessive to most, but they burned calories faster than the majority of people could consume them- before finally getting to Fluttershy.
“And you?” asked Twilight.
Fluttershy could say nothing, her face steadily growing far, far rosier than her hair.
Twilight gave a concerned look. “Fluttershy, what’s wrong? Do… do I have something on my face?”
Fluttershy shook her head. By then, her cheeks had gone red. “I-I-I… um.”
Applejack looked at the blushing mess beside her. “You alright, sugarcube? Y’re gettin’ awful red there-”
It was then that Applejack noticed how close she was. “Rarity, we oughta give her some breathin’ room, don’tcha think?” she suggested as she scooted away. The fashionista made an ‘o’ of her lips and followed suit. There was a sense of appreciation at the coolness on her thighs once they had some space. Though her face refused to lighten, at least Fluttershy’s stammer had shown mercy. “I’ll have, um… a large beanburger meal with cherry soda,” she finally said to Twilight, who offered her a comforting smile.
“Got it,” said the princess before stepping up to the counter.
Upon everyone receiving their meals, Fluttershy determined that her earlier predictions about everyone’s behavior- save that of Pinkie Pie, who was eerily silent for someone with the energy to be eating a bag of cheese fries with such gusto- were more or less correct. Dash and Applejack largely kept going back and forth at each other over the pettiest of subjects, which culminated in the two of them agreeing to have a race on foot from town square to the borders and then circle it once before finishing at the square again. Rarity, meanwhile, rabbited on about what of contemporary fashion was changing, what to expect, and a few of her projects. Twilight did at least show some interest, although she dedicated her attention to her food whenever possible. On the other hand, Fluttershy, who mostly just wanted to eat in peace before they all got whatever news the Princess of Friendship was about to offer, had a hard time swallowing whenever Rarity got her bashfulness to show by elaborating over how wonderful a model the poor wingfolk was when Rarity had a project in mind.
“Oh, please, darling,” said Rarity with a slightly dismissive wave of her hand, “Enough with the false modesty. We all know that you’re dead gorgeous when you want to be, and you shouldn’t let your humility get in the way of that.”
Even when Rarity would half-flirt with Fluttershy over her beauty, there was no convincing her that she could, let alone should, make a career out of being pretty. Ah, well. There were more important aspects of life to worry about.
Having finished their meals, everyone’s attention gathered on Twilight Sparkle, who interlocked her fingers with each other while resting her hands on the table. “So, I came to talk about a strange magic impression that I’ve detected. It comes in waves and ripples that emanate from somewhere around the Everfree Forest during night hours, causes interference with space-time, and distorts the leylines of magic that surround Equestria in ways that simultaneously condense and thin the fabric of reality based upon the waves’ movement patterns.”
Applejack scratched her head under her hat and Rainbow Dash’s eyes glazed over. Rarity gave a short cough. “Be a dear and speak in layman’s terms, please.”
Twilight opened up her mouth to speak, but Pinkie Pie cut in. “So, what you’re saying is…” she said, waving her fingers around a bit to emphasize her speech, “...it’s all magic waves of wibbly-wobbly… spacey-wacey… stuff.”
There was an awkward silence, and a few surprised blinks from Twilight. “Erm… in the barest essence, yes.”
The occupants gave a collective “Oooh,” all around the table.
“What threat is this to Equestria, anyway? It seems kinda weird to me, but I’m not seeing anything worth worrying about,” said Rainbow Dash.
“That’s the interesting part, actually. You know how Discord’s powers are all about chaos and randomness and manipulation of probability for bending reality?”
“Uh… I guess.”
“Well, it’s kind of like that, with all the reality warping it can probably do, but it works in the opposite way that Discord’s magic does. Instead of rearranging different aspects of the universe in ways they aren’t supposed to, it strengthens and emphasizes the laws of reality to change things. For example, we know that over time, an iron stove eventually oxidizes and breaks down into its base components after many years, even without catalysts or external stimuli. If we could control this kind of magic, we could concentrate that temporal facet of reality and force the stove to corrode on an atomic level at an accelerated rate, to the point that centuries pass for it in days, hours, minutes, or even seconds, if the magic is applied heavily enough. The stove would crumble into dust right before your eyes. There are all kinds of possibilities with it, things like locally manipulating gravity to make something nearly weightless or do the exact opposite to make it impossibly heavy, or even repulse objects. Accelerated growth in plants and animals to either make them bigger or older or go in the other direction to slow or even stop their aging altogether. You could even-”
“Ahem.”
Twilight paused for a moment. “I’m doing it again, aren’t I?” she asked, to which Rarity nodded.
“Basically, you turn the dials of the rules of the universe with it. I haven’t found a way to control it though, which is what makes it so dangerous.”
“So why are you telling us this?” Rainbow made to quaere. “It’s not like we can do anything about it.”
She looked around at her friends. “Can we?”
Twilight gave a shrug. “Maybe we can, maybe we can’t. I’m mostly telling you this to ask if you’ve seen anything going on that’s out of the ordinary, especially in the aforementioned area. The more we know, the better our chances of figuring it out.”
“Ah ain’t seen nothin’ like that around the orchard, or at the edge of town.”
“Me neither. I fly over the Everfree once in awhile- the uncontrolled winds can be wicked for stunts sometimes- and I haven’t seen anything weird.”
“Not a thing from me either, but then again, I haven’t even left the middle of town for over a week now. Being flooded with orders has kept me locked up inside the shop for some time.”
“There was this one time that I was skipping around the outskirts of Ponyville here and was eating a fresh box of chocolate muffins that I got from Mrs. Cake for doing a bunch of overtime at about four extra hours a day through my whole work week to get stuff ready for five different weddings, and I was just a few blocks from Fluttershy’s house when I took a bite of one of the muffins and it was a rock hard lump filled with stale chocolate chips that were absolutely disgusting and could have only got that way after a few years of sitting open in a cupboard.”
Pinkie Pie’s long-winded response was to be expected. Twilight turned to Fluttershy. “She said she was by your house when it happened Fluttershy, and you live in the closest proximity to where the waves are located. Have you been seeing anything strange lately?”
Fluttershy put a forefinger to her chin and gave a thoughtful look. “Hmm…” she said, wracking her brain. “None of the animals were behaving funny, and none of them looked like they were getting any older than they should be. All the plants were fine…”
A wrinkle formed between her brow as she thought harder and harder, but soon softened, and then her eyes widened upon a sudden realization. “Twilight, you said that, um, this magic could make things grow old? Very, very fast?” she asked, and was answered with a nod. “Do you think that it could, well, affect someone’s mind?”
Twilight needed only a moment of thought to decide. “Of course it could, if they’re applied right. I don’t know about any ambient effects it might have, but that’s one of the most important aspects I’m researching. Why do you ask?”
The usual rosiness of Fluttershy’s cheeks began to pale. “I… I’ve been… oh, nevermind. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Come now, Fluttershy! We both know that’s utter hogwash.”
Hovering above Fluttershy’s shoulder, sitting in a tacky chintz armchair was a tiny, vaguely serpentine figure with a mishmash of myriad animal parts, a lion’s paw holding a saucer while a raptor’s talons held a teacup. “Excuse me a moment, I need to finish my tea,” said the creature in a clever, wily man’s voice. He sucked down the contents of the teacup with a loud slurp, and smacked his lips. “Even in the middle of the day, breakfast tea never fails to please.”
“Discord?” Fluttershy yelped. “How did you get here?”
Discord turned his caprine head, mismatched horns and all, to look Fluttershy in the eye. A snap of his fingers later, and the cup and saucer disappeared. “I could give you about fifty different methods I may have used, being a god of chaos and all, but teleportation has always been more practical for me than not.”
“Oh.”
“I hid in your hair instead this time. A nice mane indeed, although you may want to brush it out when you get home.”
The pink of Fluttershy’s face came back in full force and then some, and she was rendered speechless.
“Whaddaya even want, Discord?” said Applejack with a dark scowl. “Ah still ain’t forgiven you fer when y’turned ten bushels o’ apples into fish, even if it was just fer a day. Still can’t get the smell outta the crates.”
Discord, remaining both small and in the chair, waved it off. “I’ll make it up to you later, Fluttershy needs to have a bit of a pep talk right now.” He turned to Fluttershy. “Out with it now, girl. Twilight hasn’t got all day.”
Fluttershy gulped down a mouthful of nothing, trying to regain her composure. “Are you sure it’s important? I wouldn’t want to impose, or make this all about me-”
Discord held up a silencing finger from the lion paw. “If it wasn’t important, you wouldn’t have thought of it.” He placed a reassuring hand on her jawline before adding, “Besides, we’re all friends, aren’t we? I’m sure that we’d all be willing to listen, even if it’s so trivial as a bad dream or somesuch.”
Despite him still having kept so much of his habitual trickery after his reformation, the other six present had forged a friendship that, while occasionally vitriolic, was still true in every sense. Of them all, Fluttershy had grown closest to him; his lapse of judgment during the fiasco with Tirek had ended with all parties being hurt, but that was a wound already stitched together, and simply needed to have the time to close itself the rest of the way.
Steepling his hands together, Discord pointed his fingers at Fluttershy. “I’m listening.”
It took a moment and a deep breath for Fluttershy to ready herself properly, but she finally relented. “Well, I just thought of it because you mentioned making things age, and I’ve been having nightmares lately. Princess Luna has had to come and help me through them twice this month now.”
With a loud bzzzap sound came a notepad and a pen, appearing in Discord’s hands, and he scrawled something down on the pad. “Mhmm, mhmm, continue.”
“The dreams are… horrible. I’m in the fields between my house and the Everfree Forest, and I open my mouth to sing with the birds, but my own voice is gone. It’s replaced with… I don’t know how to describe it. It sounds like incomprehensible noise, but whenever I make the noise, it looks like the world falls apart.”
“Singing… noise… cannot describe… falls apart. Got it.”
“Um, th-the ground gets dry and cracked, all the animals disappear, and the plants are gone, just… gone, and the sun turns red, and… it’s h-horrible, and…!”
By that point, the recollection was starting to bring tears to Fluttershy’s eyes, but she fought to keep them down. Discord patted her shoulder. “It’s alright, I’m here. Since this part seems a bit hard on you, how about you tell us how Luna fixes it?”
Fluttershy gave a sniff, her expression looking less sad and more comforted. “This last time, she started by making little weeds come from the ground, and then it starts raining. The plants and animals start coming back, and soon the forest is even bigger than when the dream starts. It’s really beautiful, I wish you all could see it.”
By then, Fluttershy’s visage was one of mild awe, her eyes sparkling with wonder in place of tears. Scribbling down the last of whatever he was writing, Discord folded up the notepad, and made it and the pen disappear in a puff of smoke. “So,” Twilight Sparkle inquired, “Discord, do you have any idea what it might be?”
“Nope!” replied the draconequus cheerily. “Can’t say I do. It’s very unfamiliar to me.”
Twilight sighed. “Well then, I’ll just have to study it when I can. Thanks for talking about it though, Fluttershy. If anyone finds something strange, don’t hesitate to tell me, alright?”
There was a collective nod.
“I thought this was supposed to be a casual visit?” Rainbow Dash said in a bored drone that she didn’t even bother trying to hide. “All this mumbo-jumbo about magic waves and bad dreams is gonna wreck everyone’s mood, so how’s about we end the day with something fun, yeah?”
“I’d love to come along, but I have some bedlam to attend to, dancing the fish sticks and such. It’s a very delicate state of mind, that,” said Discord, who floated in the air for a brief moment as his chair disappeared. “Toodle-oo!”
And with another poof, he was gone. “Ah guess that went better‘n mosta his visits,” drawled Applejack. “Nobody’s got parts switched around, no colors got changed, no chocolate milk’s fallin’ from the sky-” Pinkie Pie frowned in disappointment- “and we know that he’s hidin’ somethin’.”
Rarity raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
Applejack adjusted her hat. “It’s just one o’ those things I can tell. He knows more’n he’s lettin’ on, but I don’t think buggin’ him about it’s gonna get us anywhere.”
“How can we get what we need from him then?”
Pinkie Pie’s hand shot into the air above her head. “Oh! I know! He’ll tell us all on his own.”
“He will?”
“Yeah, but only when it’s funny. It has to be good for a laugh, and then he’ll spill the beans, and we can all crack up and freak out about saving Equestria at the same time! That’s comedic genius, right there!”
Said Twilight, a look of both confusion and understanding decorating her face, “That’s… oddly logical.”
“I know, right!?”
There was a brief silence, and then Twilight spoke up. “So, where do you all want to go for today? I’m thinking… the bookstore.”
Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Really, Twilight?”
The princess nodded. “Of course! I heard that there’s a new volume of Daring Do coming out, and they’re doing preorders.”
One may have thought that Rainbow Dash’s chest was about to explode from the force of her gasp. “WeneedtogonowIthinkIhavemywalletwithmeyesIdookaynowlet’sgetouttahere-”
Applejack slapped Rainbow Dash on the back. “Breathe, Dash, breathe. We all know how much you like those stories, you don’t need to give yerself a hernia just thinkin’ about it.”
Rainbow Dash coughed a bit, but recovered with a nod. Meanwhile, the others were all being reminded of things that would actually be of use to them there.
“...they do have the most up-to-date and widest selection of fashion magazines…”
“...Ah suppose Apple Bloom’s in need o’ some readin’ material, she’s been gettin’ pretty deep into this one series…”
“...Angel could probably use, um, a new book of bedtime stories, I’m starting to run out, so, um…”
“...and I’ve always been interested in this thing they do that involves dipping peanuts into batter made from rice and sesame seeds so I’ll be needing a few recipe books for cross-referencing, and…”
“Alright then!” Twilight beamed. “To the bookstore it is.”
As they all stood and made for the door, Fluttershy began to have second thoughts, and stopped before stepping out. “Erm… I think that I should go home, i-if that’s okay with you.”
Twilight’s smile faded only slightly. “Oh, that’s fine. We can take you along next time, okay?” she said, to which Fluttershy nodded. “See you later!”
~♪~
Though seemingly alone, Fluttershy’s walk back home was a calm one, her taking comfort in the sight of many small creatures that flitted, scampered, or scuttled about. The corners of her lips stayed curled almost the entire way back.
The soft knocks of her shoes on the packed dirt just before her front door heralded her return, but the place was unsettlingly quiet. Usually, at least a few of the other household inhabitants came to greet her, but the most that she saw were two birds silently hopping from tree to another. Her hand went to the doorknob and turned it very slowly, peering inside with suspicious eyes.
“Good afternoon!” came Discord’s shrill, croaking voice, making Fluttershy jump so hard that she almost fell over. “I have something to talk about with you.”
Fluttershy stumbled inside, shutting the door with more of a slam than anything else. “W-What do you want to talk about?” she said, trying to slow her heartbeat.
Discord slunk up to her, offering a hand to walk her over to the sofa. “So, I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m out of my league by a league when comparing my honesty to Applejack’s, but I feel that I need to come clean about something.”
His tail shaped itself into something of a leg rest, and he crossed his ankles before setting them upon it. “What you said happened in your dreams is actually something I’m more than passingly familiar with. If I were to hazard a guess based on your description, I would bet my teeth that you have the Sound.”
Fluttershy, who had just sat down, straightened immediately. “The Sound? Um, what’s that?”
“It’s a sort of magic, far older than either Celestia or Luna, or even myself- there is an awful lot more to the universe than Equestria, you know- that was used to help make the earth you walk upon.” He looked at her wings. “Or fly over. Whatever.”
“Is that… the magic that Twilight was talking about?”
Discord nodded. “Most thought that the Sound died with the Old Gods, but it tends to pop up every ten to twelve thousand years in some hapless mortal who has no idea what they’re doing, and they usually get themselves killed over it.”
Fluttershy’s eyes shot open, wide with fear. “A-Are you saying that I h-have it?”
Another nod. “I’m not saying that you’ll die because of it, though,” he said, slinging an arm over her shoulder. “Not with me around, at least!”
By that point, Fluttershy was shivering out of anxiety. “D-Do you know a way to help? I just want the dreams to go away…”
Discord guffawed. “Fluttershy, my dear, the potential you have within you because of the Sound dwarfs the Elements’ power by a long shot, and I couldn’t possibly waste an opportunity this rare to help a friend. With my coaching, you’ll never have to worry about much anything, let alone bad dreams, ever again.”
“I don’t know… are you sure that you can let me get this under control?”
“Of course! I’d Pinkie promise you, but she’s not around. You have to make a promise to me, though.”
“What would that be?”
Discord leaned in and pointed a talon at her nose. “Don’t tell anyone about it. Not your friends, or even the princesses. This has to be kept secret, for the sake of everyone. Do we have a deal?”
“...Yes.”
Author's Note
Told you that I don't update often. Next chapter should have more Luna in it.
