DONG DING! The reversed chime of a typical doorbell echoed throughout Discord's home. Cadance, who was on the top floor, looked over the balcony towards the front door and saw the neatly brushed pink mane of the element of kindness through the small window. The draconequus clapped his unmatched hands in glee.
"Oh ho ho! She's here!" he giggled as he stretched his upper half to the front door, leaving his torso at the base of the stairs. Despite everything Cadance had just witnessed with Diamond Tiara, she almost giggled at Discord's method of getting to the door. After licking his thumb, smoothing out his scraggly gray eyebrows, spraying freshly-made (as in with the snap of his fingers) cologne, and checking his breath, he looked in the mirror.
"How do I look? Acceptable?" he asked. His reflection put a hand to his chin and scanned him up and down before nodding his head.
"Sensational," the reflection cried with a grin, "Chaotic...but with class!" Discord chuckled.
"Oh, stop it, you..."
The chime of the doorbell played again followed by a set of soft yet firm raps on the door.
"Discord? Are you in there? Is everything okay? Oh, I truly hope I'm not interrupting...maybe I should just--"
"Fluttershy! Right on schedule, as always!" Discord greeted after swinging open the door. "You're looking lovely as always...are you ready for an incredibly relaxing afternoon?"
Fluttershy nodded her head as a grin grew across her face before Discord pulled her inside and closed the door. Fluttershy took her spot in the sky-blue armchair that sat adjacent to a similarly colored sofa in front of a table. As Discord glided into the kitchen to prepare the tea, he called out to Fluttershy.
"Oh, by the way," he said, taking out a bag of green tea mix from his cabinet, "We have a VIP in the building right now. And I'm delighted to say that she'll be joining us for tea..."
"Oh, really? That sounds wonderful! Who are they?"
"She's looking over the railing as we speak!"
Cadance's eyes widened as Fluttershy looked directly above her and gasped. She sheepishly waved and donned a nervous smile as Fluttershy's grin drew near lengths only reached by Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, hello, Princess Cadance! I didn't know you knew came for tea as well!"
"Oh, I don't," she responded as she gracefully glided to the bottom floor (completely ignoring the stairs) to the side of the chair the pegasus sat in, "I'm here for...*ahem* different reasons."
"I see. Diplomatic things? Things that relate to the Crystal Empire?" Fluttershy asked rapidly before putting her hooves to her face in worry, "Oh, I can't imagine how stressful that must be to a busy pony like you! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything--"
"Fluttershy, that's not it at all," Cadance reassured with a soothing voice to the quivering environmentalist. "It's just something related to Spike's stay in the asylum. That's all."
Fluttershy glanced at Cadance after she finished her sentence with fearful eyes. "Is it about Diamond Tiara? I know that she's here..."
Cadance's multicolored wings dispatched in shock. "What?! You know about Diamond Tiara? How?"
"Discord told me about the entire incident on the way here and said he would tell me more over tea. Fortunately, I didn't have to wait too long, as we had scheduled tea time the next day!"
"Discord...are you sure you want to tell Fluttershy about this? This is some sensitive stuff," the princess called to Discord. He nodded as he emerged from the kitchen with a tray populated with full cups of tea, a kettle, and sugar.
"I'm certain, Princess," he responded, "I'm sure you've witnessed Fluttershy's true power in person..."
"What true power?"
Before he was able to place the tray on the table, Discord froze and looked at Cadance in disbelief. Fluttershy blushed.
"Discord please...what true power could I possibly have?" she asked with a giggle. Now Discord's shock was directed at Fluttershy.
"Hmmm...assertive Fluttershy, batpony Fluttershy, goth Fluttershy, woke Fluttershy, chique Fluttershy, just to name a few..." he mumbled flipping through a book, "Anyway, long stories short, princess, she's stronger than she looks. I think she can handle the juicy details of the reason behind Diamond Tiara's tenure."
"Oh yes, please do explain," Fluttershy encouraged as she received a cup of tea from Discord's lion paw. Using her magic to pick up a cup, Cadance gazed into the steaming hazel-colored liquid with wonder. Although it was just a regular cup of green tea, she couldn't help but see something more in it (and it's not just because Discord made it). There were so many questions that she had about Diamond Tiara's stay in the asylum how Spike, the Elements of Harmony and the rulers of Equestria were tied into it. If what both Spike and Diamond said were true, this would be the biggest scandal that Equestria had ever seen!
Taking a whiff of the tea before sipping it, a feeling of relaxation briefly washed over her. For a split second, she forgets about the crisis that they are currently involved in and the lives at risk. Everything that worried her vanished. But only for a split second.
"I can see from your expression that you like my tea?" Discord asked with a smile and a half-empty cup. Fluttershy's was already empty; she currently donned a small smile on her face.
"I...I didn't have any yet," Cadance responded, "I was just taking a sniff of it."
"Don't worry, there are no surprises in this one. I made it myself."
Cadance's eye twitched; she would definitely be cautious when drinking the tea now. There was no telling what tricks Discord would have up his sleeve. She brought the warm cup to her lips and took a long sip of the tea. The second the liquid hit her tongue, the serenity she felt from its scent was multiplied a hundredfold.
For a short while, everything seemed right in the world again. Equestria was in perfect harmony; no kingdom was at war with any of the others. Princess Celestia was still seen as a role model for fillies everywhere. Spike and Twilight's relationship was stronger than ever. Diamond Tiara hung out with the Crusaders on a regular basis. There wasn't an issue to be found.
That is, until she blinked.
"Wh...what happened?"
Discord smiled. "Blink, princess, and you'll miss it."
"What do you mean?" Cadance asked, putting the cup down. The two creatures across from her chuckled.
"I call that Dream Tea," Discord explained, "It works best when you take it right before bed. What it does is present you with a fantasy where you didn't have any troubles and all of the worries that you have didn't exist. When you wake up, it's all gone."
Cadance frowned. "Then why is Fluttershy smiling? She's caught up in the middle of all of this too! What's going right now is chaotic! Not only is she caught up in this, but so are the rest of Twilight's friends, three innocent fillies, and the rulers of Equestria."
Discord and Fluttershy looked at each other with smiles going strong.
"I asked Fluttershy the same thing when she first agreed to try this tea," Discord answered, "And the answer that she gave me was something that I'd never considered."
Silence filled the air as the element of chaos turned back at the princess. "She said, 'Just because what you see isn't how things are at the moment doesn't mean that they never will be again. I'm smiling because there's still a chance for things to go back to how things were.'"
"It's true, Princess," Fluttershy added, "Things may seem bleak right now, but think of this as a thunderstorm. You may be scared and uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, the storm always passes. Even if it does damage, you can always rebuild and turn what was into something better!"
"Well said, Fluttershy," Discord said, clapping his hands, "Well said."
The princess was speechless. She had never thought of something like that. In addition, she definitely didn't expect something like that to come from Fluttershy. One of the princesses, maybe, but not Fluttershy. As Discord poured her another cup of tea, Cadance began to enjoy the experience despite what was going on.
"I should come to tea more often..." she thought.
"But now that that's settled, Fluttershy, before I tell you all of the details about Diamond Tiara, Cadance, do you remember what I said about Princess Luna?"
This got Cadance's attention. "I know that you mentioned Tormential Demise was used for only the most dangerous threats of Equestria."
"Well, that and one other thing. I also said that she usually saves people from interesting nightmares."
Cadance took another sip of her tea. "Yeah. What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong with that? You don't know what's wrong with the fact that a pony can have a nightmare and Luna ignores it? You don't think there's anything wrong with that?"
"Well, when you put it like that, I can but still! Nightmares are never real," Cadance pointed out, "It'd never hurt them."
"Not in the dreamscape."
"How can someone get damaged in the real world from their dreams?"
"Sleepwalking?" Fluttershy suggested. Discord nodded.
"She's got a point."
"You know what I mean, Discord."
"Well, let me put it to you this way. Luna can see dreams and decide whether or not to save them. Even if she doesn't save them, she still sees it."
"Hold on--if she does this to ponies, why hasn't anypony spoken up about this? Nopony has protested against Princess Luna for a while now."
"Consider her position."
"Celestia's sister and ruler of the Dreamworld."
"Bingo."
"So what?"
"So what's stopping her from making ponies' nightmares reality?"
"The fact that that's morally wrong, maybe? Plus, she can't."
Discord facepalmed himself. "Firstly, we're in the middle of a scandal and you're still insisting that everypony has morals that are set in stone and seem worthwhile at face value. Everypony can change face under the wraps. You seem so sure of yourself even though you've seen and heard enough to consider that fact. Secondly, yes she can. Luna can always tell her sister about the nightmare of a pony that she didn't save."
Cadance's eyes widened; she began to see it.
"And I'm sure Celestia has access to magic that can turn those fears into reality."
"E--even if that's the case, nopony's stepped forward!"
"That's because Diamond Tiara may be an example."
Silence filled the air as Fluttershy and Cadance sat in shock as Discord's words shook them like a world-changing earthquake. The draconequus continued to sit there with a calm and casual demeanor.
"My theory is, what if Diamond had a dream that all of this happened; what if she had a dream where her mother disowned her and she was left to rot in an asylum? That would have been her nightmare and Princess Luna was nowhere to be found. This wouldn't have been the first time, so she would be prepared to speak out against them...until her potential terror turned true."
Silence.
"I have the ability to be in places in secret. I was there when the Crusaders first saw her in that asylum. One of the first things she said was that the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses weren't what they seemed. She told them this after one of them brought up, you guessed it, Princess Luna."
"But...that makes no sense," Fluttershy spoke up, "Luna is so sweet! She saves me whenever I have a nightmare...everypony else can say the same!"
"Who do you mean by the term 'everypony', Fluttershy?" asked Discord with a raised eyebrow, "Do you mean the other five ponies that you're best friends with or the entirety of Equestria?"
"I...I can't say anything about anyone outside of the other five..." she admited.
"Which is my point. She's not willing to save everypony from their nightmares. We don't know if it's because she can't, but I'm sure there are some spells in those dusty halls about being in two places at once. So, why would she favor saving you all and people close to you all exclusively and turn a blind eye to everypony else?"
"I...don't know. This just sounds so far-fetched Discord. The theory makes sense, but I think it's unlikely," Cadance said, "Let's be realistic."
"Luna is a master of magic," Discord answered, putting everypony's teacups on the tray, "That doesn't sound too far from the realm of realism."
"I think it makes sense."
The three looked to the top of the stairs where Diamond Tiara stood with tired eyes and a face riddled with sorrow.
Author's Note
It feels good to be writing these again. I'm sorry if the details seem like they don't make sense or the setting/characters are still not too descriptive. I'm still trying to put things together.
Silence filled the room as the three ponies and dragon tried to comprehend what Sweetie Belle had just said. All four of them were frozen in a state of shock. Applejack's hat fell to the floor as Apple Bloom cautiously walked up to Sweetie Belle. The cold, tiled floor caused her hoofsteps to amplify as she got closer to the filly. Worry was ever present in her eyes as her lips trembled to make words.
"You're not serious, are ya?" she whispered in a quivering tone, "This could be much more dangerous than you being outside of the asylum."
"Of course I am," Sweetie Belle insisted in an authoritative tone, "Spike needs help and I'm gonna help him. It's as simple as that."
"Hold on," Spike interrupted, bringing a claw to his forehead, "I'm still trying to figure out what's going on here; what do you mean you'll stay?"
"I mean I'll stay in here until you're out," Sweetie Belle replied, moving up to the glass that separated them from Spike, "It's only for a week, right? What's a couple of days?"
Spike's scales went from purple to a very light violet. Shaking his head frantically, his eyes narrowed. "NO WAY. This isn't a game, Sweetie Belle! Someone could get hurt as a result of all of this!"
"It's not a matter of who CAN get hurt, Spike, it's who WILL get hurt. Plus, I'm involved in this either way, whether you like it or not."
Spike went from staring at Sweetie Belle's determination-filled lime-green eyes to looking into the crystal-blue ones of Rarity. Her eyes seemed to be darting all around the room, purposefully avoiding the dragon's gaze.
"Aren't you going to say something?! She's throwing herself into danger, and you're saying nothing!"
"Ahem, well...the thing about that is..." she started, frantically searching for words. She looked at Applejack, who glared at her with disapproving eyes.
"Nope," she said with her eyes closed, "You got yourself into this mess, now yourself out."
"Don't tell me you suggested this..." Spike said in a tone begging for him to be wrong. Unfortunately, Rarity nodded her head while continuing to avoid his gaze. Sweetie Belle looked back at her sister then back at Spike, who was preparing to give the element of generosity a piece of his mind.
"To be fair, she suggested that we stay here to get some more insight on what the deal is with you and Diamond Tiara. It makes sense, since the other five can't come to visit every day."
"But what she doesn't seem to understand is that we don't know if the princesses are on our side in this situation or not! Sure, they may say that they're trying to get me out at the surface, but we don't know what they're really planning." Spike's eyes then lit up. "Wait...you said 'we'. I thought it was just you, Sweetie Belle."
The unicorn's headstrong demeanor finally softened a little at the dragon's realization of her slipup.
"Well, it was," Apple Bloom chimed in, "Until I was asked to stay here too. Scootaloo as well."
Spike's eye twitched. "I understand that you guys are trying to help me, and I appreciate it very very much, but I don't think you understand what putting yourselves in here until I get out is going to cost you."
"Well, Rarity left out a couple of details in her 'confession'," Applejack declared, still holding her disapproving glance, "Originally, it was Princess Luna who had this idea."
Spike facepalmed himself. "Then that should be a HUGE red flag, you two! Come on! If I'm placed in here after stating that the most powerful ponies of Equestria are corrupt, on top of learning that a classmate of your sisters is in here with the same assumption, then one would think that we'd be in some sort of trouble. You don't think that them requesting to put Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in ONE place for an indefinite amount of time sounds the slightest bit suspicious?"
"But you'll be out by the end of the week; you and Pinkie Pie will be out at the same time!"
"Yes, but Diamond Tiara will still be in here; we don't know when she's getting out."
"Spike, is there a possibility that we can work on that after you get out?" Rarity asked. Spike's look of annoyance transformed into one of shock.
"Rarity, you're the element of generosity; I thought you'd be one of the ponies that would want to investigate this issue! Especially since you're into that detective pony."
"Shadow Spade is the name, darling. Also, those two are completely unrelated!"
"What're you talking about?! They're completely related! I'm talking about investigating why Diamond Tiara is in here and connecting that to a LITERAL detective pony doing detective work in her stories! How is this unrelated?!"
"Because Diamond Tiara is literally a pony that NONE of us know! Besides our sisters, of course. But still!"
"Look, the point is that I'm staying," Sweetie Belle said, "That's it!"
"I am too--"
"Umm, no you ain't," Applejack interrupted, "I'm not as willing to do this as Rarity. You fainted when she originally suggested, so that was all the answer that I needed."
"But--"
"APPLE BLOOM. I'm not willing to argue about this; you've been through enough already and now, you're almost LITERALLY asking to get put into more danger. Do you really think that I'd approve of that?"
"If you were in this situation, you'd stay! The only difference here is that instead of you, it's me!"
"That's not the case either, sugarcube."
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "So you're telling me that if your friend were trapped in an asylum, and you were given the chance to stay in here to not only make sure they were alright, but also so that you could receive any information that you can get on their stay, you wouldn't accept it?"
"You're forgetting some things, Apple Bloom: we don't know how long you'd be in here. You don't deserve to miss out on all of the opportunities you'd be presented with if you were stuck in here."
"IT'S JUST FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS! LITERALLY THREE!"
"I'm not budgin', Apple Bloom. I care too much for something like this to happen to ya."
"But this isn't your choice to make!"
Applejack opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't come up with a rebuttal. Her sister was right; they were offered the chance to stay, and it was up to them to accept or decline it. Even if Princess Luna came to Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack on the matter, despite their disapproval, they were going to let their sisters decide for themselves on if they wanted to take the chance or not. She sighed.
"If I can't convince you to not do it, then I just hope you realize the danger that you're putting yourself in."
Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Spike were all at a loss for words as the sisters argued. The silence filled the air as they all waited for Apple Bloom's response. It's clear that she was considering the fact that she's running headfirst into danger.
"It's only for a day, sis...I'll be fine. Plus, we have Pinkie Pie in here too. It shouldn't be all too bad..."
Once again, silence filled the air before Applejack simply sighed again. "Let's go," she replied, "If I'm not going to change your mind, then we might as well get you ready for it." With that, she walked out the door, without looking at either Rarity, Sweetie Belle, or Spike.
"I...suppose it's time for us to go as well..." Rarity responded as she headed towards the door, "We'll see you soon, Spike."
"Yeah...really soon..." her sister responded before following her friend and sister out the door.
As the door closed shut, Spike couldn't help but think that this situation was going to end badly for them, whether they actually got out with him or not.
Celestia looked over the town of Ponyville with a smile as she lowered the sun for her sister to raise the moon. Her smile indicated that she didn't have a single worry at the present. As long as her subjects were happy, she was happy. On top of that, the lessons they learn teach her a thing or two as well.
Luna approached the balcony with her horn glowing; she didn't say a word to her sister as the moon began its nightly ascension. Eyeing her out of the corner of her eye, it almost annoyed Luna that Celestia was wearing a grin despite the fact that they were caught in the midst of the biggest controversy in the history of Equestria.
"So...what did they say?"
Luna's head turned to see that Celestia was still looking at the moon slowly being raised as she asked that question. She was secretly hoping that Celestia had no idea what she had asked of Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity.
"What did who say about what?" she asked, feigning confusion.
"What did Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack say about letting their sisters stay in that place with Spike?"
Luna froze. She hadn't told anyone except Twilight about that idea. How did Celestia know about it? "How...how did you know?"
"I was visiting Twilight earlier to see how she had been doing. Although she seemed a bit frantic, she did mention your idea and how absurd she thought it was," Celestia calmly noted, "I was surprised you would think of such an idea."
She frowned and turned away. "Yes, well it would still help us understand what goes on in that asylum."
"While that's true, I personally think that you're missing the bigger picture here."
"What picture is there to miss, sister?"
"Let's not forget that there is a filly and a dragon in that asylum that believes that we're corrupt. Of course, these rumors are untrue. However, what's stopping them from spreading what Spike tells them all throughout Equestria once they are released?"
"Now, you're just being silly. You have the power to show them that you're innocent."
"Not just me, Luna. WE."
Again, Luna stayed silent.
"Anyway, we visit Spike tomorrow. It is truly a monumental moment throughout this entire ordeal. I'll be...getting some rest now...have fun with your duties, dear sister."
With that, the alicorn went back inside the castle and closed the door with a look of severe annoyance as she walked back to her bedroom.
"So...it seems that we have a couple more contenders in this game..." she muttered, "Very well..."
She looked back at the closed door that stood between her and Luna. "I'll have to prepare accordingly."
Author's Note
I'm sorry this chapter is short, especially after the long hiatus. It's just hard to get inspiration for this story sometimes.