Despite All Odds

When the pair had returned to their home and landed, there were two things Twilight noticed right off the bat; how much colder it was, and the amount of snow on the ground. “Something's not right...” She mumbled to herself as the air was released from the balloon.

“What do you mean?”

“Well...I don't know if you can feel it, but it feels really cold, too cold for this time during winter. Also, there shouldn't be this much snow on the ground this early either.”

“I think you're overlooking things a bit, hun,” Fluttershy said after examining the powder on the ground.

“Yea...I guess.” Twilight shrugged and after the balloon was flat, she shoved it back into the storage room and locked it. “Now then, let's get inside. I'm freezing!”

Fluttershy giggled into her hoof as Twilight rushed to be inside the warm tree. The unicorn (after she had managed to stop shivering) was pleased to see that the interior was well kept and clean instead of the chaotic mess she had expected. “Spike? Are you here?”

She called into the air. After a few moments of silence, she shrugged and said, “He must be with Rarity or the girls.”

Fluttershy nodded and flew behind Twilight as the bookworm checked to see if any books had been checked out or returned.

Rarity stared out onto the snow covered streets of Ponyville, feeling sorry for the various ponies out there selling their wares. While the cold weather was good for business, the temperature was getting ridiculous even for the fashionista. More and more ponies were ordering heavier coats and against her better judgment, made them (with her own personal flair of course). As she continued to loose contact with reality, the world around her slowly began to fade.

However, the ring of a bell brought her back, startling her into spinning around, ready to grab whatever had disturbed her with magic. She was relieved to see a pony rather than a monster (or a horribly dressed pony).

“Ahh...my dear Ditzy, please don't do that.” The alabaster unicorn said, holding a hoof over her hammering heart.

“Oh, sorry Rarity. I have a package for you.” The mailmare dipped into her seemingly endless bag of mail and dropped the package onto the counter.

After signing the appropriate paperwork, the pegasus bid the unicorn adieu and left the store. Rarity looked the package over with suspicion. At the end of the meeting under Town Hall last night, the leader (whom Rarity had taken to naming them Shadow) said that he/she would be sending a package to certain members to begin striking at the more well known couples.

The past few days had gone rather well for the group; they had managed to root out and break up at least four relationships. Three of the couples were fillyfoolers while the last was a pair of coltcuddlers. Rarity didn't really like either of the titles slapped onto the ponies who were in the relationships.

“Too...demeaning for my tastes.” She said with a slight frown.

She shook off the daze she was beginning to return to and began to unwrap the package. When all the paper was gone, all that was left was a small pendulum clock along with a note.

However, before she could read it, the door to her shop opened and so she quickly hid both the note and the clock and looked over the counter.

“Ahh, hello Star Bright.”

“Good morning fair Rarity. How do you fare this cold winter's day?” He replied, smiling.

The white unicorn rolled her eyes and said, “Rather terribly. This cold weather is sure to dry out my hair.”

He nodded in agreement and said, “I know. Is it usually this cold here in Ponyville this early in winter?”

Rarity shook her head and said, “Not usually no. I'm sure the pegasus ponies will get around to fixing it soon.” He mumbled something under his breath, but Rarity couldn't make out what he had said.

“So, did you receive a package from our dear leader?” Star Bright had joined the group at the request of Shadow and he had embraced the group enthusiastically.

“I actually was just about to read my instructions on what I'm supposed to do with it.” She took the items from their hiding place and cleared her throat before reading.

“Rarity, take this clock and give it to a mare in Canterlot by the name of Octavia. Do not activate the clock yourself, or else you will trigger the sleep spell enchanted upon it. To active the clock, press the small bronze button on the back. When activated, the pendulum will swing and the clock will strike once. This sound is what will send her to sleep, but it will you as well so be prepared.”

“That's all it says. Though...I think I've only heard of this Octavia once.” Rarity said, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Star Bright scoffed and said, “She's a cello player for the Canterlot Orchestra. And here I thought she was a dignified and well kept mare. Seems I was wrong...though I am curious from whom we are taking her from.”

Rarity shrugged as she inspected the clock for the activation button. “I'm not sure, but I hope it's not as...emotional as the last few couples we've broken up.”

Star Bright laughed and said, “Which reminds me, we broke up another 3 couples last night. It was hilarious to see them bicker and fight with each other. We set it up to make it seem like they were cheating on each other. However, the last couple was rather...difficult. They were angry at first, but then they began to forgive each other. We actually had to jump in and force them apart. It was gross; they were reaching out for each other and crying like they actually LOVED one another. I was the one who cast the forget spell on them. So it was like they never met.”

Rarity wanted to gasp, but she kept herself silent. 'Is it really okay for us break apart these ponies? What if...what if their feelings for each other are true and we're just bringing heartache to them? I...I don't know if I can keep this up...'

“Equestria to Rarity...HEY!” Rarity squealed and jumped in fright. Star Bright just gave her an odd look and said, “So when do you plan on leaving?”

“Oh..I-I'll do it tonight.”

He smiled and said, “Good. See you at the next meeting.” With that, he turned and left her store, leaving the fashion designer a bit perturbed.

'Is he...enjoying this? Ugh...and to think he looks like such a nice pony. That's it, after this, I'm leaving the group. I may not agree with them, but those ponies have just as much right to enjoy love as we do if they actually mean it.' With her mind made up, Rarity wrapped herself up in warm clothing and closed up the store, then headed for the train station.

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike were all having dinner when a knock sounded from the door. “I'll get it.” Spike said, jumping out of his chair and ran to the door.

“I wonder who it could be?” Fluttershy wondered aloud.

Twilight shrugged and just kept an eye on the doorway.

A few seconds later, a shivering Bon Bon and Lyra were standing in the door. “Where have you two BEEN?!” Lyra questioned loudly.

“W-what? Why, is something wrong?” Fluttershy asked, shrinking into her chair just a bit.

“Yes! There's-” Lyra was cut off by Bon Bon holding a hoof in front of her.

“Now Lyra, we don't want to scare the daylights out of them. You see, there is something that's a bit...disturbing going on in town. Apparently there is a group that's rooting out and breaking apart all relationships like ours.” Both ponies at the table gasped and looked at one another. “We don't know a whole lot, but they've already ruined almost 10 perfectly good relationships already. We just wanted to come by and make sure you two were okay.”

“Y-yea. We're good. We spent the day in Cloudsdale the other night. How long has this been going on for?”

Bon Bon shrugged and said, “Who knows? We think that they've been running for quite some time, but have just now decided to strike. They must've just been planning these things because some of those couples I knew and they were really close. So it stands to reason that this organization has been doing some serious plotting.”

Twilight nodded and said, “Has...has anyone we know...”

“Thankfully no. We've been keeping an eye on your friends and like I said, they all seem fine.”

Fluttershy sighed in relief and said, “B-but...what do we do if they c-come after us?”

She looked fearfully over to her lover and tried not to imagine being torn away from her. Twilight left her chair and went over to nuzzle Fluttershy.

Twilight smiled comfortingly and said, “Don't worry. If they come after us, we'll just show them who's right and who's wrong.”

Fluttershy smiled and nodded, giving Twilight a quick peck. “Thank you girls. Would you like some dinner? Spike made a little too much as usual.”

“I heard that!” Came the dragon's voice from another room.

The four laughed and sat down at the table were Twilight served her guests while Fluttershy kept them entertained. By the time Lyra and Bon Bon had left, it was almost midnight. Twilight asked them if they wanted to stay instead of braving the cold, but they politely declined and dashed out the door and for their home. Twilight just chuckled and closed the door behind them.

After making sure there was nothing left undone, the mares went to their room and were fast asleep within moments of curling up together under the blanket.

Over the course of the week, more and more couples had been broken up with still no idea who was doing it. Finally, Twilight had called a meeting of her friends (with the exception of Rarity and Pinkie Pie) to the library to discuss this matter. So, with herself and Fluttershy included, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Vinyl Scratch, Lyra, and Bon Bon had all taken a seat within the living room.

“Vinyl, have you heard from Octavia lately?” The DJ shook her head.

“Nuh uh. I haven't heard from her in...6 or 7 days at the most.”

Twilight nodded and said, “Alright then...guess this is everypony. As I'm sure you've noticed, there has been a number of relationships that have been wrecked due to a mysterious group of ponies. Sadly, there has been no information as to who they are or where they've been meeting. I want everypony here to be on the lookout for anything suspicious around town and come tell me immediately, okay?”

They all nodded in agreement and Applejack stood up. “Alright ladies, I'll be sure to keep my eyes on things, but I gotta get back. This cold is startin' to get into the house back on the farm so I've gotta help Big Mac box up the house. See ya'll later.” With that, the farm pony left.

“Speaking of which, what's up with this weather Rainbow Dash? I don't think winter is even supposed to BE this cold.” Twilight asked the cyan pegasus.

“Nopony knows. None of the ponies at the weather factory knows what's causing this and we can't seem to stop it either.”

The lavender pony nodded and said, “Maybe it's just a cold front from the Everfree Forest...Like when a storm passes from there to here.”

“That's what a lot of the pegasus are saying, but I dunno...something seems kinda fishy to me.” The prismatic pony said.

“What're you complaining about anyway Dash? You're all nice and warm while I'm sittin' here freezing my tail off!” Vinyl said with a laugh.

Rainbow smiled and wrapped a wing around the white unicorn and said, “You just gotta ask, sheesh.” It was at this point Lyra spoke up.

“You girls are all lucky; you each have a pegasus to keep you warm.” A glare from Bon Bon made her laugh nervously and say, “Not that I don't keep warm anyways.” The rest of the group laughed and after a few more hours, they all departed, leaving only Fluttershy and Twilight.

“Oh, that reminds me, I have to go too.” The yellow pony said, heading towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh...um...nowhere in particular.” Before Twilight could continue her questioning, the pegasus was out the door. The unicorn sighed and looked into the fire.

“Is there something wrong with me? It seems this whole week Fluttershy's been avoiding me...” The depressed pony walked up into her study to try and forget her sorrows.

She was about mid-way through a book about clockwork when a flash of light behind her made Twilight jump. She spun and to her surprise saw the Princess of the Sun herself. “P-Princess Celestia? What're you-”

“It's good to see you too Twilight. Tell me...is Fluttershy here?” Twilight sighed and looked down at the wooden floor.

“No...she left a few hours ago.”

“Then it is as I thought.” This caught the unicorn's attention.

“Huh? What're you talking about Princess?” The alicorn walked over to the window and sighed.

“I hate to say this Twilight...but I think your lover is seeing another.” This statement nearly caused Twilight's heart to fail in mid-beat.

“W-what? T-that's crazy. Fluttershy wouldn't do that to me...especially not after...” The rest of the sentence was lost in mumbles.

“You question your teacher my faithful student?”

“N-no! It's just...I don't see her as the kind of pony who would do that.” Celestia turned and looked her pupil straight in the eyes.

“I've been keeping an eye on her for the past 2 weeks to make sure she wouldn't hurt you. This past week itself, she has gone to Cloudsdale to see a stallion. One who is older than her.”

“No...that's not-”

Celestia just continued her speech. “I've seen her laughing with him and having a grand time. Without you.”

“But...” Twilight's resolve was slowly fading as sorrow and tears were brought forth. Celestia knew that she had the unicorn at her mercy and willing to do anything, but she had to be sure.

“Here, I will even show you.” The unicorn ran over as Celestia filled a bowl with water. “Look.” Twilight all but shoved the royal out of the way as she nearly thrust her face into the wooden bowl. The water shimmered for a moment, then began to ripple. Afterward, when the water had calmed, it depicted a smiling Fluttershy. She seemed quite content with the stallion who had yet to be seen. “You see? She frolics and enjoys life without you.”

The alabaster ruler whispered, her words sad and pained, but her tone was selfish and greedy. As the water continued to show the lavender unicorn what was transpiring, the Sun Princess continued to whisper. “You see Twilight? It cannot work between you two. However, I offer an alternative. If you-”

“Shut up.”

The white pony took a step back in surprise. “Twilight?”

“I said...shut up.” The unicorn turned and Celestia saw pure fury in Twilight's eyes. “You liar...Fluttershy isn't seeing another stallion.” Celestia grit her teeth, but quickly adopted a look of confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean!” Twilight, in her rage, fired off a blast of frost magic at the Princess. Naturally, Celestia dispelled it but was too shocked to do much else. “You know precisely who that is! And don't tell me that you have no clue; you're Princess Celestia of Equestria! You are supposed to know EVERY SINGLE PONY who lives here! So tell me right now who that is.”

Celestia's wings had flared in defense as she was backed against a wall. “I...” Twilight's eyes narrowed into daggers. “It's Warm Breeze...her father.” Twilight turned her back and walked back over to the bowl and with a swipe of her hoof, sent it clattering to the floor, spilling the water and cracking the bowl from the force of the swipe.

“Leave.”

“But Twilight, I'm only trying to-”

“I said LEAVE! You have no right to be here right now, and I certainly don't WANT you here! So just go!” By now, the unicorn was panting heavily and her horn was glowing brightly. Celestia said nothing as she flashed away in a sphere of light. With the Princess gone, Twilight's breathing steadied and her horn dimmed until there was no light in the room other than what was filtering in from the window.

Twilight glared out at the light and with a flash of her horn, closed the curtains, throwing the whole room into darkness. As darkness surrounded her, Twilight sat on the floor and let the conversation replay in her head. Her body felt numb and her mind scattered as it came together; Princess Celestia, her teacher and surrogate mother, had just tried to break her and Fluttershy apart. It was a painful truth with which there was only one anodyne; the love of her life. Sadly, she was too far away, so Twilight did the only thing she could do.

Wait.

Meanwhile, in Cloudsdale

“I just don't know what to get her. I mean, I know she'd like a book, but I want to get her something special.”

“I know what you mean sweetie. Tell me, what else does she like to do?”

Fluttershy thought for a moment, then said, “Besides reading...she likes to look at the night sky, day-dream, though she'll never admit it, and...being with me.”

“Hmm...not much to work with I'll admit. But, never fear my dear! Your beloved father shall help to find the perfect gift!” The stallion said with a flair of his wings, causing a few pegasi to look at them strangely. Both Warm Breeze and Fluttershy paid them no heed as they laughed and continued on their way. “Perhaps you could make her something. If I remember right, you picked up your mother's ability to sew.”

Fluttershy's eyes widened as she gasped. “I can make her something! But the question is what to make her.” Warm Breeze chuckled and hugged his daughter with his wing.

“Honey, you aren't making this any easier.” Fluttershy joined in on the chuckling and after another half hour of floating about, she gave her father one last hug.

“Thank you so much for helping me this past week. I feel really bad about just leaving Twilight like that though.”

“Don't worry. She'll understand once Hearth's Warming Day arrives don't'cha think?” She nodded and kissed his cheek.

“Bye daddy!”

“Farewell sweetheart!” With the good-byes said, the yellow mare took off with top speed back to her home and back to her love.

When Fluttershy had reached Ponyville again, she hummed a light tune as she landed in front of the library and walked in. “Hello Spike. Is Twilight here?”

“Yea, but she won't come out of her room for some reason.” He said with a shrug as he continued to sweep. The pegasus furrowed her brow and headed for their room. When she arrived, she knocked tentatively.

“Go away Spike.” Was the flat response she got.

“Twilight? It's me, Fluttershy.” She heard a light click as the door unlocked and opened just a crack. The yellow pony pushed open the door slowly and saw nothing but darkness. 'This looks familiar...' Fluttershy thought with unease as she rubbed the scar on her foreleg. “Twilight? Sweetheart, where are you?”

Fluttershy took a few cautious steps into the shadowed room and wasn't more than 6 steps in when the door closed behind her and relocked itself.

Fluttershy stopped herself from whimpering at the sudden noise and movement and continued. She finally felt a soft lump that she quickly pulled against her. “Twilight, what's wrong?” By now, Fluttershy's eyes had begun to adjust and she could just make out Twilight's eyes as tears overflowed from them.

“Don't ever leave me...please...”

“Of course I won't Twilight. I love you too much to let you go.” Twilight just repeated her question as she cried into Fluttershy's coat. Fluttershy offered comforting words and soft strokes as she comforted the obviously shaken unicorn.

The pegasus's mind was reeling with what could have made Twilight like this. 'I don't think I've ever seen her this upset before...what's going on?' Finally, after an undetermined amount of time, Twilight calmed down enough to talk.

“I...I had a nightmare that you left me for a stallion...It was just so realistic and you looked so happy...Please Fluttershy, I'm sorry if I've done something wrong. Just tell me what it is and I'll change it. Just...just don't leave me like that again.” Fluttershy took a deep breath and just held Twilight.

“I'm sorry my bookworm. I've been visiting with my dad because...well, I wanted his help with something that I couldn't ask you about. You'll understand soon, I promise.”

Twilight just nodded and kept her face buried against Fluttershy's stomach while the pegasus just calmly stroked her mane. As time went on, Fluttershy began to hum a lullaby for Twilight and the unicorn was asleep within minutes.

Being careful not to wake her, Fluttershy put Twilight onto their bed and covered her up, smiling when the lavender pony curled up into a ball with the blanket and begin to lightly snore. Then, before she walked out, the yellow flier gently kissed Twilight's head and whispered, “Sweet dreams.” before heading back into the library and down into the basement where the sewing machine was. “Time to get to work.” Was all that was said before the machine hummed to life as fabric was fed into it.

(Author's Note: Sorry everypony that this chapter took so long to get out. I was waiting for Incognito to finish editing but it seems that his life stuff and my impatience have struck, so I'm going to post what he's edited so far so I apologize if it isn't as well done as previous chapters. Sorry Incognito...

Umm...other than that...why must the world be so cruel? First it was Borderlands 2, then it was Resident Evil 6, and now Dishonored...WHY MUST SO MANY GOOD THINGS COME OUT SO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER?! Sorry about that, but don't worry. You ponies come first. Anywho...That's it for this note. Oh! I lied, I guess I should mention that I went back and edited the first few chapters myself (so be prepared for failure) so that they aren't giant walls of text anymore. Okay, now I'm done ^^)