Canterlot Castle
It was a beautiful, early Saturday morning in Canterlot Castle. From within the Royal Gardens, several birds began to chirp and fly around. The animals of various species all roamed around peacefully, as the occasional guard would keep watch to ensure that all were safe within.
One of the guards' ears twitched, as they heard the sound of commotion coming from the floors above. He sighed, before shaking his head.
"Not again..." he muttered to himself, before the doors behind him slammed open.
Several birds flew away as the sound of galloping over the stones could be heard. Then, from the corner of the guard's eyes, they could see a freckled lavender unicorn mare with a blue mane and tail and blue eyes. She was running through the field, while being chased by an upset-looking butler who, at the moment, was covered from head to hoof in tomato sauce.
"STOP AT ONCE, YOUR HIGHNESS, AND FIX MY SUIT, OR I'LL... I'LL TELL YOUR MOTHER ABOUT THIS!" the butler shouted.
The unicorn stuck her tongue out at him, replying, "Ha! Good luck getting through the Royal Court in that, Ketchup Breath!"
They then vanished from the guards' sight. They looked at each other.
"Should we, uh... do something about this?" the first one asked.
The other one shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, I'd rather not get involved."
The first one nodded his head and resumed his original posture. "Eh, me neither."
Queen Twilight sat high atop her throne, with her mane and tail flowing freely by the sheer power of her magic. She stood taller than the rest of the ponies, and her frame was in thin shape, giving her almost a completely beautiful appearance. Next to her stood a large, strong purple and green dragon with a checklist in his claws, as he wrote down the words spoken with swift, relative ease, using a red quill.
There were numerous diplomats speaking against one-another in a heated argument, of which all were being written by the dragon.
The queen raised one hoof, and at once, they all fell silent. She looked towards the diplomats and spoke.
"As much as I am inclined to agree with the potential of building Fillydelphia a new theme park to add more tourists, I'm afraid we also can not bulldoze the Historical Archives to make it happen."
"B-but Your Majesty!" one of the diplomats burst out, only to be halted by another hoof-raise.
"I am well aware that, financially, the Historical Archives of Fillydelphia haven't been doing as well as they should. However, it should also be noted that in the presence of extreme danger, the internet will only last for so long. Once it's been shut off, and the world nearing disaster, how will we be able to find the solutions?"
The diplomat shook his head. "But Your Majesty! A threat like that hasn't happened in well over a hundred years, now! And should, Maker forbid, another threat rise, I'm quite certain a group of heroes, yourself included, would be able to handle it with ease!"
The queen deadpanned at him. "Need I remind you that most of the heroes who fought against those threats are either departed, or have been retired for over ten years, now? Even their students who rescued the world are among them, as well!"
"I know, Your Majesty, but... w-what I was implying was that a new generation of heroes could rise up! They could easily find a solution!"
Queen Twilight feigned a gasp and opened her mouth. "OH! Oh, of course, how silly of me! Very well, then. How about we help them deal with a threat from thousands of years before my time, whose very weakness could be found within the Historical Archives?" She then started to glare at the diplomat, who took a step back in fright. "Oh, right! The Historical Archives would be demolished, and replaced with a silly little theme park to keep the creatures around it happy and entertained! Sure, the world may be doomed, but at least we'll have a shiny new Roller Coaster to die in!"
"I think we should take a short recess. Wouldn't you agree, Queen Twilight?" the dragon asked the now fuming lavender alicorn.
She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself, before nodding her head. "You're right, Spike." She then looked over at the diplomats, who were all shaken by her brief episode. "Look... I'm sorry. It's just a... touchy subject for me. As much as I wish we could bring them here to save the world, should such a threat rise, we can't. I've tried tampering with Time Magic once... it didn't change anything. Furthermore, we can't expect a new generation of heroes to rise up if there's nowhere they can go to find the solution. And so, with that in mind, I have to decline your request for a theme park in place of the Fillydelphia Historical Archive. That doesn't mean that you can't build it, though. Morale is still important to keep every creature happy. You'll just have to find another place to put it."
The diplomats all bowed their heads and took their leave. Queen Twilight then looked up at the clock against the wall, and sighed.
"Well... I suppose we should head to lunch. Come along, Spike, I'm certain you'll want to try that new Ten-Jeweled Funnel Cake out!" she said to her dragon assistant.
Spike raised a sly eyebrow at her. "You mean the funnel cake that always seems to be put on hold because a certain filly of yours always causes a commotion with the staff?"
Twilight rolled her eyes and smirked back at him. "Oh, come now, Spike! She isn't always causing a commotion with the staff!"
Spike deadpanned. "Just last week, she filled all of the party poppers for the Royal Banquet with glitter."
Twilight shrugged her shoulders and smiled shyly at her assistant. "Maybe she just thought it would be a nice touch?"
"It got all over the guests' suits, dresses, and is still occasionally found on the carpets." he added.
She rolled her eyes and deadpanned back at him. "Okay, fine, so she had one little outburst. That doesn't mean-"
"Then she stuffed an entire box of flameless firecrackers in the air ducts the following morning, while the staff were cleaning up the glitter."
Twilight winced at that, but shook her head. "Y-yeah, but she was at least responsible enough to make sure they didn't damage the pipes by using the flameless ones!"
Spike nodded his head. "Correct... and in doing so, made over fifty maids, butlers, and servants drop what they were doing and run to shelter, since they thought the castle was under siege by the Yaks... for one whole hour."
"W-well... uh..."
"Then there was the time she put tacks on the toilet seats, ground white chalk in the salt shakers, and let's not forget the thousands of gallons of chocolate in the water fountains! The castle almost looked like some sort of Chocolate Factory!"
Twilight looked up and rubbed her chin in thought. "Not gonna lie, I was actually just as angry as I was impressed about that one. How did she even sneak the chocolate past the security to begin with?"
"Twilight!"
She jumped a bit, then looked back over at her annoyed assistant. Finally, she let out a sigh, and nodded her head. "I understand, Spike. I'll have a talk with her later on today. I promise."
Spike placed a claw in front of her, blocking her path. She looked over to him and raised a confused eyebrow.
"... Pinkie Promise?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes in frustration. "Seriously, Spike? Right here in the middle of the hallway?"
He smirked at her knowingly. "You know she would've made you do so, no matter where you were."
Twilight closed her eyes and sighed, nodding her head. He had her there, that's for sure.
And so, she lifted her hoof and made a cross over her chest, then placed her hoof over one eye. "There... happy now?"
He nodded his head and smiled victoriously. "Thrilled. Now come on, let's go get that Funnel Cake!"
She smiled at him and nodded her head. "Right. We best get going before something else hap-"
"YOUR HIGHNESS, PLEASE STOP FOR JUST ONE SECOND!" a butler's voice called out, causing the alicorn and the dragon to look forward.
The lavender unicorn quickly rushed across them, followed by a heavily winded, tomato paste-covered butler.
Twilight sighed, before looking at Spike. "On second thought, Spike, you go ahead. I've... gotta take care of this."
Spike nodded his head and made his way ahead of her, before turning towards the kitchen.
Twilight closed her eyes and focused her spell. A pink glow covered her body, and in an instant, she vanished from that side of the hall to another, where she saw the lavender unicorn running towards her, eyes focused on the servant.
"What's the matter, Slowpoke?! Can't keep up with- OOF!" Suddenly, the lavender unicorn bumped into someone tall... very tall. She bounced backwards, tumbled onto her back, and looked up at the tall alicorn who looked down at her with an annoyed deadpan.
The unicorn smiled sheepishly at the alicorn and waved a nervous hoof at her. "Oh, uh... h-hello, Mother!"
"... Joy." Twilight replied, before her deadpan lowered into a glare. She leaned down until her face was just one foot away from the unicorn's. "Your room. Now!"
Joy rolled her eyes and groaned, before crossing her forelegs across her chest and pouting. Busted.
Twilight was trotting through the hallway with Joy being floated in the air right in front of her. Several of the staff cleared the way, and had smiles on their faces upon seeing the local troublemaker finally being dealt with. Some even whispered among each other, using a few choice words about her.
Joy only rolled her eyes at them and muttered a few choice words of her own, while the door in front of them was forced open.
They entered the room, and the door slammed shut. She was then released from her spell. Joy looked up at her mother, who was rubbing her eyes in frustration.
"Mother, it was just a-" Joy began, only for Twilight to raise a hoof and stop her.
"No, Joy. It wasn't just a prank. This has been going on for far too long... so now it's time we got to the bottom of this." Twilight said, while Joy walked over to her bed and took a seat at the corner.
"You wouldn't understand, Mother." Joy said with a sigh, as she plopped down on her back, splaying her hooves over the blanket and staring up at the ceiling.
Twilight took a seat next to her and looked her way. "Try me. If I don't understand it, then I will spend a full week doing nothing but constant research until I do."
Joy rolled to where her back was facing Twilight, and looked down at the blankets. She used a hoof and drew invisible circles with it, thinking deeply. "I just... I just want to be free for once, you know?"
Twilight shook her head. "Yes... I do know about that. Just like you know why I can't let that happen! There's... there's just too much evil these days, that you wouldn't be able to-"
Joy groaned and rolled to where she was facing her mom. She sat up and glared at her. "Oh, give it a rest, Mother! You can't seriously call the entire world evil like that!"
Twilight flared her wings out and glared back at Joy. "I'm not! But there's still too much evil out there for you to wander around! Evils that're always hunting our bloodline! Evils that could overpower even the best trained soldiers! And I will not let you go out there, and get yourself killed by them! Not after what happened to your father!"
Joy rolled her eyes and pressed her face closer to her mother's, until their hoses were practically touching. "And if FATHER were here, he would've let me go out at least for once in my life! Hay, he could've even sent some guards to watch me!"
Twilight pushed back against her daughter, glaring even more, now. "And like I said, those guards wouldn't stack up against the evils that threaten us!"
"Pfft! I doubt if you would know what evil looked like, even if it smacked you across the face!" Joy loudly spoke.
Twilight loudly rebutted, "I have literally faced those evils directly, while you have only read about them in books... that is, of course, implying that you've actually taken the time to read, and not harass the castle staff!"
"Well maybe I wouldn't harass them so much if you let me at least walk outside the castle for even just a few minutes!" Joy spat out.
Both of their faces began to flush red with anger, as their horns started to spark tiny bits of electricity. "I will not spare even a single minute, knowing that it could cost me my own daughter!"
Joy then lifted her forehooves up to Twilight's chest and shouted at the top of her lungs, mere inches from Twilight's face.
"WELL I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR DAUGHTER ANYMORE!"
Twilight gasped in shock, as Joy shoved her aside and fell face-first onto her pillows. Both of them started to cry at this point, and Twilight was at a loss for words.
"J-Joy... you don't... y-you don't mean that, do you?" Twilight asked, only for Joy to raise a hoof up to stop her, not even bothering to look her in the face.
"Just go, Mother..." she muttered.
Twilight closed her eyes and looked away, but nodded her head nonetheless. "... Very well, then."
Slowly, Twilight walked back over to the door and opened it. She turned around and looked at Joy, who only glared at her and turned her back towards her in response.
Then, with a hurt sigh, Twilight stepped out of Joy's room, and gently closed the door.
Joy slowly looked back over towards the entrance, where her mother was, then looked over towards the glass door of her room. She got up and walked over to the door, then stepped onto the balcony.
She looked over towards the massive city that was so close, yet so out of reach for her. She wanted to go and explore the place. She wanted to meet new faces, make friends, and not have to put up with her mother's overbearing security.
Then she shook her head and glared. She wasn't going to give up on her dreams. She had to get out. Even if it was only for one night, she had to give life a chance... a normal life, and not some spoiled life where she could get whatever she wanted by simply tapping her hoof on the ground!
And so Joy stepped back inside, closed the door behind her, and reached underneath her bed. She then pulled out a large tome labelled "Starlight's Guide to Advanced Magic"... a book she managed to sneak out of her mother's room a few nights ago.
She opened the book to where she had a bookmark in place, and skimmed through the pages once more.
Then, after flipping the pages a few times, she smiled when she finally found what she was looking for. "Gotcha." she said, as her eyes glanced over at the 'Invisibility Spell'.
Canterlot Slums
There were a few ponies of various race, and quite a few other creatures among them. They were each wandering around the roads, and socializing with their own little groups.
Little to no guards dared roam these parts, due to the nature of it. However, those that did kept a good distance away from the creatures that looked over to them in disgust.
A few griffons would fight each other over a can of preserved meat, a pair of minotaurs would arm-wrestle for dominance in their group, and a vast majority of the houses would be worn down to the point of wooden planks for windows and blankets for doors.
Within one of the very few houses that still have said windows, albeit cracked, and a worn, slightly moldy door, an alarm started to ring within the bedroom.
A pale, furless arm emerged from the blankets of the worn-out mattress, and slapped on the nightstand a couple times, while a man's voice grumbled from beneath the blankets.
"Hmph... now where the hell'd that alarm slip off to this time?" the man asked, before he lifted his head up and out of the blankets.
The human rubbed his eyes and looked over towards the table, only to find that the alarm wasn't even there. He raised an eyebrow in confusion, before looking down at the floor.
Not there, either, though.
He rubbed his ears with his fingers, and pulled some of the wax out, then rubbed it against the blanket and looked around some more.
"Strange... it almost sounds like the alarm's coming from... above..." He looked up, and was now face-to-face with a copper-plated robotic spider that, sure enough, had his alarm held up in four of its legs, while the other four kept it attached to the roof.
"What?! Oh, come on, Scamper! Get down from there and give me back my alarm!" the human complained, before kicking the blankets off of his legs and reaching up to swipe the alarm from the robotic spider.
Scamper immediately crawled further away from him, while the alarm continued to ring.
The human groaned, before crawling from his bed and rushing towards the spider. "I'm serious, Scamper, cut it out!"
Scamper then ran back over to where he was at the head of the bed, while the human turned around and tried to follow the spider.
For that brief moment, though, he forgot that there was a bed there.
He tripped over the bed and fell onto the side, while grabbing the blankets for support, as he toppled over to the ground.
The human let out a groan while Scamper quickly rushed down the wall, onto the headboard of the bed, and looked down, now worried about its owner.
It turned around and its eyes began to scan for something to help him up with. However, it wasn't able to spot the pair of hands rising up, with one holding a screwdriver.
Then he tapped the tip of the screwdriver at the back of the spider's neck and started to twist. Rather than be in pain, though, the bottoms of Scamper's eyes raised up in delight, while its legs started to shake and tremble.
The human then used his other hand to quickly snatch the alarm out of the spider's arms. He stood up and pointed at Scamper victoriously.
"HA! Gotcha!" he said, to which Scamper looked up at him and shrugged its shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Life isn't fair!" He tapped on the alarm's button and silenced it, then deadpanned at the spider. "But seriously, though. Why'd you have to screw around like this at, uh..." he looked at the alarm again, "Eleven Thirty in the mor-"
His eyes shot open, as he gave the alarm a double-take.
"ELEVEN THIRTY IN THE MORNING?! HOLY CRAP, I'M LATE!"
He tossed the alarm on the bed and fumbled his legs out of the blankets completely. He was dressed in only a pair of white briefs, which made Scamper cover its eyes with one of its legs.
Then the man pulled a drawer from his dresser and, barely, caught it with his hands when it started to tilt downward. He pulled a pair of blue jeans out of the drawer and pushed the drawer back into place. He continued to speak idly to himself while getting dressed.
"Man, this freakin' sucks! First that old couple short-change me, then I end up with five complaints that weren't even my doing! And now I'm gonna be late, and have to give half-off discounts to whoever had to wait for three freakin' hours!"
He slipped a dark gray t-shirt on and continued.
"Now, now, maybe it's not so bad. Chances are, if they got too pissed at me, they would've sent the Pony Mafia at my doorstep, or some crap like that... wait, is there even a Pony Mafia here?! Well, I sure as hell wouldn't want to find out!"
After popping his head out of the neck of the shirt, he stretched his arms out and smiled. "Well, how I look?" he asked Scamper.
Scamper just shrugged its shoulders at him in response, making him roll his eyes.
"Eh, you're right. Good enough at least."
And with that, he started to walk out, only to pause and look at his feet.
"Oh, right, I should probably put my boots on."
After making it to work, the human slipped his nametag on, which read "Hello! My name is Jack!"
Jack finished screwing the wheel to a wagon on and slid from underneath, while a pair of noble unicorns smiled at him in appreciation.
"And there you go, Mr. and Mrs. Turner! Now again, I'm really sorry you had to wait that long! I swear, it isn't a normal thing here!"
The stallion waved a dismissive hoof. "Oh, pfft! It's no trouble at all, good sir! Why, if we were truly in a hurry, we'd have simply called someone from the Northern Quarters to handle it!"
The mare nodded her head and added, "And plus, we do always love a good bargain these days! Especially when said bargain is also half-off, in addition to their marvelous prices!"
Jack nodded his head and smiled back at them. "Well, thank you both again for your patience. Please, do come back again someday, and I'll even give y'all both an additional half-off deal!"
The mare gasped and looked at her husband, who echoed her motions, then looked at him and nodded his head. "Well, that would be most appreciated, my good fellow! We may actually take you up on that offer!"
After bidding their farewells, Jack looked at his wallet and smiled, shaking the change up inside. "Twenty bits for a forty bit job... well, at least they were nice about it."
He then entered the workshop again and walked to the opposite end of the counter. He looked at the corded phone on the counter and smiled. "Well, at least I've got a few more appointments that were made, so it shouldn't be an issue."
"No, no it's perfectly fine, sir! Believe me, if I were in your shoes, I'd have done the same thing! After all, I'm sure your family member won't even charge you a single bit for it, which means you're saving even more! Yes, yes, thank you, and take care!"
Jack slammed the phone back on its holder and groaned. "Ugh, seriously?! How do so many of these freakin' ponies have carpenters in their families?!"
Suddenly the door bells chimed, and he was quick to smile and hide his frustrations.
A fairly young-looking colt entered the building with a rather large, robotic contraption that resembled a famous mare from TV leaning on his back.
Jack recognized it as a robotic maid of his own design. He smiled at the colt and reached for his toolbox. "Well, now! Always happy to see a fan of my works! How can I help you, today?"
The colt smiled sheepishly at the man. "Hey, uh, for some reason, the Robo-Maid stopped working. I was wondering if you can probably help me out with her?"
Jack nodded his head and slipped on a pair of flashlight-embedded goggles. "Sure thing! Here, lemme have a look at it!"
He then thoroughly observed the robotic figure and hummed. "Hmm... looks like it's mostly just a circuit problem. Should be an easy fix, though! Also looks like something spilled in it."
The colt looked away from him as he started to address the issue.
"Hmm... bit of grape soda in the front, maybe a few drops of cider around the mid-frame. And then, there seems to be traces of a weird, sticky white substance in the..."
Jack then paused, before he slowly looked over at the colt, staring at him blankly. The colt, in response, just whistled idly, while completely avoiding eye-contact with the human who, at this point, was giving him an "Are you kidding me?!" kind of look.
Jack then placed the robot and his screwdriver on the counter, then nodded his head. "Right, uh... lemme go get my gloves, first."
As the now happy colt and his robotic maid stepped out of the building, Jack slipped his gloves off and grumbled to himself.
"Swear, I need to just raise the price for that crap. Fifth one this week, too! Will these colts ever stop screwing around with things they shouldn't screw around with?! Man, that's definitely more than five bits' worth of a job right there!"
He slid the bits into his wallet and mumbled a bit more, before looking over at the wall clock. "Ugh... four. Guess this is all I can hope for today."
And with that, the human closed up shop, then headed back home, where he would rigorously wash his hands in piping hot water.
Jack went over to the fridge and pulled out one of twelve bottles of cheap beer. He made his way over to the couch and flipped the small TV on, then took a sip of the drink in his hand.
Suddenly, before he could even take a second swig of the beer, his door began to knock.
He sighed and placed the beer bottle onto the coffee table, then walked over to the door to answer it.
On the other side, stood three creatures: a griffon male with white and brown eagle-like feathers and piercing yellow eyes, a blue-eyed green Earth Pony colt with a short blue mane and tail, and a purple-eyed silver Bat Pony mare with a long black mane and tail with a single red stripe on both.
Upon seeing the trio, Jack smiled and addressed them in said order. "Hey, Talon! Mint! Candy! What's going on, you guys?!"
Talon smirked at him as they bumped fists/claws. "Just here to come pick up our forth! You know the drill!"
"Pick up? Why, what's the occasion?" Jack asked confusedly.
Talon backed up a bit and bumped his elbow onto Candy's side. "Go on, Candy! Tell 'em!" he encouraged.
Jack looked over to the bat pony, who in turn, shyly brushed the dirt with her left forehoof. "W-well, umm... you see..."
Mint walked over to her other shoulder and placed a hoof on it. "If you want, I can tell 'em, Candy!"
"No-no, it's fine!" she said, brushing both claw and hoof off of her shoulders. She then looked up at Jack and cleared her throat. "You, uh... remember that mare I told you about last week?"
Jack nodded his head. "You told us that you had your eyes on her for about a month before then... yeah, I remember..." Then his eyes widened in realization, as she blushed and looked away, smiling shyly. "Wait, are you saying that..."
She nodded her head. "Mm-hmm... s-she told me that the feelings were mutual, so now we're officially on dating terms!"
Jack stood there blankly, before a smile formed on his face. Then he chuckled and held a fist out towards her, which she bumped with her hoof. "Well, that's awesome! Congratulations, Candy! I knew you had it in ya!"
Her blush only intensified, but she giggled. "Th-thank you... a-all of you... f-for your encouragement!"
Jack snapped his fingers and pointed at them. "Hey, you know what?! Dragon's Den doesn't open in another four hours, so how 'bout you guys come on in, and tell me all about it?!"
"Well shoot yeah, man! You know I'm down for that!" Mint said, as the three made themselves comfortable in Jack's living room.
Canterlot Castle
Twilight gently knocked on Joy's door. She cracked it open, and weakly smiled when she saw the shadowy silhouette of her daughter's head poking out of the blankets. "Joy? It's, uh... i-it's your mother."
"Mmm... wha? Oh, go away... I'm fine..." her daughter replied.
Twilight sighed, and opened the door even more, levitating a plate with a daffodil and daisy sandwich on it. "I know, it's just... I, uh... I brought you some dinner! Daffodil and daisy, your favorite! Mmm!"
"... Thanks. Just, uh... just put it over there on the doorstep. We'll talk more tomorrow, though. I need to get some sleep." Joy replied, before letting out a long, drawn-out yawn.
Twilight nodded her head and did as instructed... only to pause for a brief moment. It was then that she noticed the book sticking out from underneath her daughter's bed.
"Oh! You, uh... you have been reading!" Twilight said with a smile. "That's... that's good!"
Then her ears folded back, as the comment she made earlier flew into her mind.
"Actually, Joy, no... I think we need to talk about this now. You see, I... I've said some things I shouldn't have, and it would be best that I get my own apology out of the way!"
She then stepped inside the room and approached the bed. She took a seat at the foot of it and continued.
"You see, Joy... the truth is, after your father was killed in that war, I just... I just couldn't stand the thought of losing you. And so... that's why I've been trying to keep you inside these walls." A tear fell from Twilight's cheek.
Joy just remained silent.
"I know, I know... it's selfish of me, and that it's no excuse for me keeping you away from the world... but Joy, you're... y-you're all the family I have left, now. Your grandparents have passed on a couple years ago, Flurry Heart runs the Crystal Empire, and Cadence has retired with Celestia and Luna, now. And your uncle, Shining Armor, he... w-well... you already know why I can't see him, anymore."
More tears fell down Twilight's face, as the memories of her BBBFF's final letter filled her mind... how he was terminally ill after so many years of fighting a rare form of Cancer for unicorns, which caused internal bleeding in the brain for casting the simplest of spells, including basic levitation. They all knew that he was fighting a losing battle... and just three months ago, the battle came to an unfortunate end.
Joy just lied there silently, which made Twilight sigh.
"I... I understand that you're upset with me, still... but please... j-just please, don't hate me. I... I love you, Joy. And... y-you know I always will, no matter what!" she weakly smiled, patting down on her daughter's lump in the blanket.
"Mmm... wha? Oh, go away... I'm fine..." Joy mumbled again, which made Twilight's eyebrow raise.
"Seriously, Joy? Did... did you even listen to a word I said?" she asked, sounding a bit disappointed.
"... Thanks. Just, uh... just put it over there on the doorstep. We'll talk more tomorrow, though. I need to get some sleep." Joy repeated, making Twilight's eyes widen in realization.
She quickly rushed over to the head of the bed and pulled the blankets down, revealing the head of a mannequin lying down, with a wig and pillows stuffed below it.
Twilight's breathing grew heavy, as she took a step back, almost tripping over the book. She quickly levitated said book up, and opened it to where the bookmark was, and dropped the book in shock.
"N-no... NO!" Twilight began, before a sudden surge of pain filled her chest. She lifted her hoof up and wheezed heavily, as her breath grew short.
Then, after stumbling back a few more steps, she fell to her side, losing consicousness.
A guard walked by and, upon noticing the opened door, stepped forward to investigate. Upon seeing his queen lying there, though, his eyes shrunk into pinpricks.
"Y-YOUR MAJESTY!" he shouted, rushing to her aid. He removed his gauntlets and felt around her neck, then sighed in relief.
"She still has a pulse, but it's far too elevated... she's having a stroke!" he told himself. He then hurried to the balcony and whistled loudly, catching the attention of some of the Night Guards. "HEY! WE NEED A MEDIC OVER HERE!"
The Bat Pony guards rushed inside and gasped at the sight of their fallen queen. With understanding nods, they picked her up and rushed back out of the balcony, towards the Medical Wing.
The guard then looked over at the book on the ground and glanced over it curiously. "Invisibility Spell?"
Then he looked up at the bed and, upon noticing the decoy, gasped. "Oh, no... the Princess!"
With that, he rushed out of the room, and began shouting orders to all guards within the area.
"EVERYONE SECURE THE PERIMETERS! CHECK ALL THE EXITS! THE PRINCESS HAS GONE MISSING!"
Meanwhile, outside of Canterlot Castle, Joy slowly dispelled her spell and sighed. She then quickly picked up a cloak she tossed over the wall prior, and wrapped it around her body, before stepping into the city.
She looked up in amazement at all of the beautiful lights. Numerous shops had their displays of beautiful jewelry and dresses presented up front. Other stores had large pictures of sandwiches and various goods. Beyond that, though, the entire city just beamed with sheer beauty and colorful lights.
"Wow... and here Mother made this place out to be a den of evil!" Joy said in wonderment, before bumping into someone dressed in a tuxedo. "Oof! Oh, sorry, Mister!"
"Ugh! Why don't you watch where you're going, peasant?!" the angry stallion spat at her.
She took a step back and dropped her jaw in shock, before glaring back at him. "P-PEASANT?! I'll have you know that you are speaking to the-"
"-princess is missing! Check that corner, while I scout ahead!" came the voices of the guards, which caused Joy's eyes to shrink in shock.
"Oh, crap! They've figured it out already?!" she thought to herself before ignoring the stallion's remark and running deeper into the city.
She found a cart with hay in it, and quickly jumped inside, hiding within the hay, as several guards just made it through, passing by said cart.
Eventually, though, the cart came to a stop, and the stallion pulling it trotted over to the back.
Joy quickly burst out of the hay, and galloped away from the cart, as the stallion jumped back and fell onto his haunches. "Gah! What the hay?!"
She then continued to gallop through the streets, which were now appearing more and more dirty and run-down. She paused for a moment, then scoped out the area.
No guards in sight... but now, she was completely lost.
"Well, shoot..." she said to herself, before trotting along through the new area.
Then her eyes caught the sight of a rather large building near the center of the shanty-looking side of town. There was a neon sign on top of the building, with the words underneath that spelled out "The Dragon's Den".
She heard about these kinds of places... taverns! Perhaps she could enter, and find answers on where she was... maybe even a chance to find her way back to the Noble Quarters?
Taking a deep breath, she approached the door, and stepped inside. Immediately, she heard the sound of several voices laughing and talking the moment the door cracked open.
The Dragon's Den
To say that the environment was lively would be quite the understatement. From table to table, one could find all kinds of forms of merriment to be had. Several groups of varying races and species sat together on each table, either drinking and laughing away at each other's company, flirting or failing couples here and there, card games and dice games, with exchanges of insults along the way, and lots, and lots, and lots of flagons of alcohol being served left and right, refilled from the kegs, and occasionally a fancy bottle picked up from below the counter for the more acquainted customers that could see through the menu.
And at one particular table, there sat a particular human and his three friends, each with smiles on their faces, while the human took another swig from his flagon.
Jack was having a lot of fun with his friends. He pointed at Talon and said, "Then he, like, told me to fix it after he broke it right in front of my eyes! Deliberately, too!"
Talon chuckled, before shaking his head and taking another sip of his own drink. "And did you?"
Jack smirked, taking another sip. "You're damn right I fixed it! Fixed it right over his forehead!"
They all chuckled, while Candy pitched in, "You know you guys are going to Tartarus for that, right?"
Talon stuck his tongue out at her. "Ah, what do you know about us guys? Last I checked, you weren't even interested in 'em!"
She stuck her tongue back out at him. "Pfft! Just because I'm lesbian doesn't mean I don't understand guys! Heck, I grew up in a family of all guys, except for my mom and I! So I guess, in a way, I'm just more of a guy on the inside!"
Mint took a swig of his own drink and then looked over at Jack. "So hey, Jack! How about you, man? How's your love life been going lately?"
Jack shook his head and looked into his flagon of ale. "Eh, I'm not really into all that."
"WHAT?!" they all shouted in unison, causing a few of the neighboring patrons to look at them with a mixture of curiosity and frustration.
Jack raised a confused eyebrow at his company. "What? I'm just being real here!"
Talon shook his head and placed a claw on his shoulder. "Jack, man, you can't go sellin' yourself short like that! I mean, heck, we supported Candy here, so now that just means it's your turn to get supported!"
Candy and Mint both nodded their heads while Jack simply shrugged his shoulders, looking at the three of them in disbelief. "Seriously, guys? There's no turn to be had here! Like I said, I'm perfectly fine being single!"
Candy shook her head and placed a hoof on the table. "You didn't say that, Jack. You said you were just being real here."
Jack nodded his head. "Yes, and I meant I'm being real here when I said I'm just not interested in the whole 'Dating Game' thing."
Talon sighed and took another drink of his flagon. "Is it just because none of the options are human?"
Jack scoffed. "Heck no! If I were concerned about dating a non-human, I wouldn't have even moved here months ago!"
"Then what's the problem, man?" Mint asked.
Jack shook his head. "Like I said you guys, I'm just not interested!"
Joy stepped into the tavern and looked around, curiosity and cluelessness clear across her face. She walked around a few creatures who gave her a curious stare, before eventually finding her way over to the bar.
The bartender was a blue griffon with hawk-like features. He was rubbing a flagon clean with a cloth, when he looked over at the mare and snorted.
"Pick yer poison, ma'am." he said.
She blinked confusedly, and just stared at him with a blank stare. He then rolled his eyes and clarified.
"Wha' can I get ya?"
That one, though, Joy understood clearly. "Oh! Umm... I was wondering if I could ask for directions?" she asked.
He rolled his eyes again. "Oh, sure! Jus' lemme pull a map out me arse an' I'll 'and it to ya!"
She recoiled a bit at that. "Uh... s-sorry, I-"
A pegasus waitress approached and deadpanned at the bartender. "Hey, go easy on her, Griff. Can't you tell she's just lost?"
The griffon shrugged his shoulders and got back to wiping the flagon. "Pfft. Nae the best place fer that, now idn't it?"
The pegasus mare paid him no mind, and gently wrapped a wing behind Joy. "Oh, you poor dear. Please pay him no mind!
Trust me, he's like that to everyone. Hmm... I'll tell you what. Just wait here, and I'll be back with an actual map so you can find your way back home easier. Kay, darlin'?"
Joy smiled at the mare and nodded her head. "O-okay... thank you, ma'am."
The pegasus winked at her. "Please, darlin', jus' call me Sugar Drop."
And with that, Sugar went over to the back.
"Ah well, ye migh' as well make yerself comfy, lass. Know any drinks ye migh' want 'fore ya go?" Griff asked, turning his eyes over towards Joy.
Joy thought for a moment. Truth be told, she could remember a particular beverage her mother occasionally drank after a really, really hard day of work. However, she never actually could drink any of it herself, because her mother never really let her even try alcohol in her life... let alone, that particular drink.
She was tempted to decline his offer, until another thought occurred... she was likely to never have this kind of opportunity again! Once the guards find her, she'd be locked away in her room, in the castle, with no other chance of trying that which her mother forbade her of.
She'd just be her 'Mommy's Little Filly' again... and she would damn herself before she let that happen!
And so, she cleared her throat. "Actually, I would love to have a Nightshade Meadow, please!"
Immediately, the tables around her went silent, and several eyes turned to face her in shock. Even the bartender was taken by surprise by this request, as he nearly dropped the flagon in his claws.
"Erm... h-heh! HA! Now tha' there is quite a joke, lassie! Fer a second there, Ah could'a sworn ye said ye wanted a 'Nightshade Meadow'!" he began, only to notice the determined look in her eyes. "Ah, ye poor lass... ye migh' wanna rethink tha' order!"
She shook her head and folded her forehooves over her chest. "Nope! I am quite certain of my choice!"
Several eyes then drifted away from her, and back to their own company, as they couldn't bear to watch. Most of them, however, had their eyes practically peeled to her.
Griff then shrugged his shoulders and reached down below the counter. When he re-emerged, he had a dark purple bottle with a black label and a red warning symbol on the top.
"Alrigh' then, lass. Ye gonna 'ave ta pay before ye drink some o' it."
"P-pay?!" she asked in shock. Several of the background creatures began to laugh, as she fiddled around her body, remembering one small detail that she forgot to prepare for... she didn't bring any money with her!
Griff grumbled and rolled his eyes, as he began to lower the bottle back towards its designated spot. "Aye, lass. These bottles are quite rare 'round these parts! An' fer good reason, too!"
"W-what do you mean?" she asked, to which the stallion sitting near her right answered.
"The Nightshade Meadow is one of the rarest, most potent wines around. They say it's so strong, you'd have to literally have alicorn blood in your veins to remain sober after so much as a single shot! Any other creatures just pass out on the spot after one or two sips of it. Some of 'em even die by alcohol poisoning when they manage to down one shot alone! And even though an alicorn could probably handle a shot or two, they couldn't possibly down an entire bottle and not have one serious hangover the following morning!"
She blinked in surprise, before looking back at the bottle. "Oh... w-well, I... uh..."
Griff rolled his eyes and picked the bottle back up. "Tell ye what, lass. If ye think ye can 'andle it, then how 'bout a wager? If ye can 'old it in fer 'alf a shot, I'll letcha choose any amount of other drinks fer free!"
"Deal!" she quickly shot at him, only for him to raise a talon.
"HOWEVER! If'n ye can't 'andle it, an' ye go passin' out on the floor there, then ye 'ave ta work for us fer a month, 'n pay it back off tha' way!"
Her ears folded back at that. She had a lot of reasons not to agree. She should've just dropped out there, and headed on her merry way... but then, she recalled that she was, technically, half alicorn, which meant that she likely could handle at least a half-glass. Although, she never really did drink a single drop of alcohol in her life, so this would be not only the first alcohol she had, but also the most powerful one she could ever hope to handle.
And so, after closing her eyes and gulping, she opened her eyes again and, with determination, looked Griff in the eyes and nodded her head. "It's a deal!"
Griff shrugged his shoulders while several of the creatures watching awed in excitement.
Jack sighed as he placed his hands in his forehead. "Seriously, guys, I don't need a mare, griffon, yak, heck even another human in my life! I just want to get through the days, maybe get a better job, and then I might consider it."
Talon rolled his eyes. "C'mon, man! You and I both know that ain't gonna happen until your hair goes white!"
Mint nodded his head in agreement. "And even then, you might not get that!"
Candy sighed and looked over at her friends. "Guys, maybe it's not like that? What if he just doesn't like females in general?"
Jack looked at her like her answer to 'one plus one' was 'quack'. "Uh, no! Definitely not! Besides, if I were gay, I would've asked Mint out already!"
Talon chuckled. "Pfft. Mint?! C'mon, man, you know he'd be an easy target, since he'd leap at anything that moves!"
Mint deadpanned at him. "Hey! Just because I'm pansexual doesn't mean I'd jump at anyone, you know! They need to have the looks, the charm, and the honesty! I just... y'know... have a broader range than most!"
Talon chuckled at his friend and placed a talon on his back. "HA! C'mon, dude, you know I'm just joking with you!"
Jack sighed and shook his head. "C'mon, you guys. Let's just enjoy the time we've got, and celebrate Candy's new marefriend! Y'know... like we originally planned?"
Candy scooted a bit closer to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I know I can't speak for them, but... if it makes you uncomfortable, then I'll drop it now."
Jack smiled at her. "Thanks, Candy... look, guys... I appreciate the gesture, but this is reality, not some fairy tale. It's not like some magical princess is gonna just walk into my life, and become the 'one true love' that carries me into her magical castle, where we all live happily ever after! It doesn't work like that, and I doubt if it ever will!"
"OI, JACK! GET YER ARSE O'ER HERE FER A MINUTE!" Griff shouted from the bar, catching everyone's attention.
Jack sighed and shook his head, before standing from his seat and approaching the bar. "Now if you guy'll excuse me, I have some dumbass to talk some sense into."
It was no shock that he was probably one of the most level-headed, trusted members in the bar. After a certain situation where a particular drunk was causing a raucous, Jack was quick to put him in his place by dragging him outside, which earned him respect among the community here, both workers and patrons alike. And so, he was probably being called for a similar situation, involving the mare that was looking a bit uncertain of what she was doing.
He didn't even need to ask. He knew at first glance that she was very, very new to the game, and was about to play a very, very stupid hand in the process.
"So, what's the trouble, Griff?" Jack asked.
Griff motioned towards the mare, who crossed her hooves over her chest and looked away from him angrily. "Lassie 'ere has a death wish in the form o' the Nightshade Meadow!"
Jack tilted his head confusedly. "Nightshade Meadow? The hell is that? It isn't even on the menu!"
Griff nodded his head. "Aye. Special Request, only. An' the lassie 'ere wants ta give it a go, but... well... if'n she passed out from the stuff, she'd need ta be pumped inna hospital afore she dies, so she might need some o' yer persuasion before she makes the biggest mistake o' her life!"
Jack sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before nodding his head and having a seat next to her.
"Listen, ma'am. This griffon here? He knows his alcohol like the alphabet. If even he says that you're making a mistake with your drink, then the chances are, you're making a mistake with your drink."
Joy harrumphed. "Humph! I do believe that I have made myself very clear!"
Jack shook his head down and sighed. "Yeah, well facts are facts, ma'am. I mean, what good will it be if you did somehow manage to pull a miracle out your ass and win this argument? More booze? Winning some pointless dare with some friends of yours? Seriously, I can even smell your fear! And it's very, very potent!"
Joy glared up at him and huffed. "And once more, I believe that I have made myself clear! I want to partake in this challenge, and prove that I can handle whatever this world throws at me!"
Jack groaned and glared back at her. They had a bit of a stare-off, before he shrugged his shoulders and turned away from her. "Damn, you're a stubborn one... alright, fine. If you're that inclined to throw your freakin' life away, then be my guest."
He then looked at Griff and tapped on the counter. "Tell me when she hits the floor, and I'll haul her ass to the hospital, myself. And don't worry, I'll work out whatever debt she owes you if she doesn't make it back over here."
Griff raised a curious eyebrow at him. "Ya sure, lad?"
Jack nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm sure. Just tell me the damage we're talking here, and I'll be ready for it."
"One month o' hard labor, or 5,000 bits in cash."
Jack nodded his head, then immediately reeled back in shock, staring at the bottle in the griffon's talon. "F-FIVE THOUSAND BIT... W-WHAT THE HELL IS EVEN IN THAT DRINK?!"
Griff motioned towards the label. "Enough ta knock a dragon out, lad."
Jack placed both hands over his face and groaned. "Oh, man, this is gonna suck..."
He then sighed, before pointing at the mare, who still held her determined glare at him. "You owe me big for this, y'know..."
She closed her eyes and harrumphed again. "Humph! I don't need some creature to tell me what I can and can not handle!"
"Ooh!" several of the crowd that gathered around her went. Some of them were already placing bets, while others were getting cameras and camcorders ready for whatever was to come.
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled sarcastically at her. "Well... your funeral!"
And with that, he walked back to his table, while Griff reached over and picked up a small shot glass. After placing it on the counter, he uncorked the lid of the wine, and carefully started to pour it into the glass, until it was only halfway full.
When Jack returned to the table, he groaned and rested his head on his hands.
Talon looked over at him and shrugged. "Well? Was she hot? Did you get a mailing number, at least?"
Jack pointed at him and said, "First, she's way too high-maintenance. And second, you now owe me lunch for a month."
The three of them reeled back at that. "A month?! C'mon, it can't be that bad, dude!"
Jack held two fingers up. "Nightshade. Meadow."
They all gasped, before looking, in shock, towards the lavender unicorn mare, who was now staring into the black liquid uneasily.
Talon then quickly nudged Jack in the shoulder. "Dude, you have to stop her! She's gonna get herself killed drinking that!"
Jack shook his head. "I agreed to take her to the hospital when she passes out. Now I'm just sitting here, waiting for the inevitable to happen."
Mint shook his head and sighed. "That's screwed up, man..."
Jack shrugged his shoulders before drinking the last of his flagon of ale. "It is what it is."
Joy stared at the jet black liquid for what felt like eternity. With the large crowd now gathered behind her, she was determined as ever... but after hearing the warnings of that strange human, along with the bartender himself, she was now beginning to doubt if she was truly cut out for this.
She then lifted the glass up with both hooves, and watched the liquid ripples shift with each shaky motion she took.
"Okay... maybe just a small sip, first, so that I know what it is I'm dealing with!" she thought to herself.
She lifted the glass up to her mouth and lapped a small drip of it in her tongue.
Immediately, she set the glass down and started to cough, winning a few laughs from the crowd, and the bartender to casually shrug his shoulders.
"Tried ta warn ya, lassie. Now tha' ye got yerself innit, can ye get yerself out?" he asked.
"U-umm... w-well..." she stuttered, as the crowd behind her started to mumble among themselves.
"Heh, she's so screwed, now!"
"Oof, never thought I'd see someone in deeper crap than I am!"
"Someone get me a camera!"
"Hope she doesn't spew!"
"Betcha she won't even last half a second!"
She closed her eyes and the sound of the crowd faded into the back of her mind. Then, she saw an image of her mother, standing there before her.
"That's it, my sweet little bundle of Joy... don't play their game! Just come on home, now... where it's safe..."
"Ugh! I don't care about safety, Mother! I just... I just want to belong somewhere that isn't in the castle!"
"But sweetie, the castle is where you belong! You know it!"
"No! It really isn't! Why can't you just LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE? I WANT TO LIVE MY OWN LIFE!"
"Come home, sweetie... I promise, you won't have to ever be outside again! I'll make sure of it! And you can live your life in your room, while all the servants and all the maids can bring you whatever your heart desires!"
She screamed loudly on the inside. She was in too deep at this point. She wasn't one to give up, and she sure as hay wasn't going to let some group of creatures tell her what she can and can not do anymore!
No. From this moment on, she's either a little filly, or a fully grown mare!
By the time the voices of the crowd returned to her ears, her eyes shot open, now once again with her determined glare. With both of her hooves, she lifted the shot glass up, opened her mouth, and knocked the drink directly into her throat, then closed her eyes, swallowed the contents, and breathed heavily from her nostrils. Fire was immediately forming in her throat, and she was fighting the urge to vomit, but she held her ground firmly.
Immediately, the entire tavern went silent, as all eyes were now focused on her, save for the human who was too focused on the backs of his hands.
One second became five, and five became ten. By the time thirty seconds had passed, she opened her eyes and exhaled deeply, before slamming the glass on the counter, nodding her head at Griff triumphantly.
"So... what else do you have?" she asked the dumbfounded griffon.
Immediately, the crowd cheered loudly, with many of them paying their friends for their bets, though their friends were just as shocked as they were, thinking that they had the short end of the stick.
"Un... FREAKIN'... believable!" Talon gawked as he, Mint, and Candy all stared at the mare in shock. Talon then tapped on Jack's shoulder.
"Lemme guess... she lasted more than a second?" Jack assumed.
"No, dude! She freakin' KNOCKED it all in one gulp... and freakin' won!"
Jack lifted his head from his hands and stared at Talon in disbelief. "Wait... seriously?!"
Sure enough, once he turned around, he saw her now being patted on the back by several of the patrons, as they made their way back to their tables - her glass completely empty, now. She looked over at him and gave him a smug smile, before turning back over towards the griffon and reading out the items on the menu that she wanted.
Needless to say, the griffon was much, much more quick to oblige.
Jack groaned, before looking at his flagon again. He was lost in thought for a moment, as he was usually right about these kinds of things... so then, what was so different about this mare? How could one little unicorn handle a drink that can literally plaster a DRAGON with one measly bottle that's less than one thousandth of their entire stomach?!
Shaking his head, he gripped the handle and picked it up. "Screw it, I need another drink."
As the rest of the crowd cleared back to their tables, Joy decided on just a simple flagon of ale. As she went to lift the flagon to her lips, though, she noticed a gray coated stallion with a white mane and tail take up a seat next to her.
"Hello, ma'am! Mind if I have a seat here?" he asked.
She thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "No, not at all, good sir! Please, do!"
"Heh... thank you, ma'am!" he said with a grateful nod. He tapped on the counter and cleared his throat. "Hey, barkeep! I'll have what she's having!"
Griff gave him an understanding nod and filled another flagon for the stallion. When he picked it up, he looked over at Joy.
"So! I couldn't help but admire the way how you handled that, ma'am!" he said as he took a sip of his drink.
She raised an eyebrow at him and began to drink from her own, albeit much much slower. "Oh? How so?"
He lowered his drink and chuckled. "Well isn't it obvious? It isn't every day that someone comes in here and proves the bartender of all creatures wrong! Not to mention everyone else inside the building!"
She smiled a bit and smirked. "Oh, well what can I say? One must not make assumptions of what a mare can and can not do!"
He nodded his head. "Heh... you can say that again!" He then took another sip and asked, "By the way, what brings a pretty young mare like you to this side of town?"
She took a double-take, as her cheeks began to blush. "P-pretty?!"
The stallion nodded his head and casually shrugged. "Well, yeah! I mean, you do get called pretty a lot, don't you?"
She looked into her ale and brought it closer to her face, in an attempt to hide her blush. "W-well, yes, but... not by folk I've just met, though..."
He gently placed a hoof on her back. "Well, it's true, isn't it?"
Jack took another sip of his flagon and sighed, shaking his head. He looked over at Talon and smiled weakly. "Well, at least you don't have to cook for a month, bud."
Talon deadpanned at him and groaned. "Come on, man! You can't just pass this one up! I mean... a mare like that doesn't just come and go every day! Clearly there's something special about her, and you might miss the opportunity of a lifetime!"
"Look, dude, it's fine. I'm sure I'll get a chance when it's time!" Jack said, before looking towards the mare and motioning towards them. "Besides, it looks like she's already hitting it off with someone, anyways."
Talon planted his face into his talon. "Ugh, dude! The Game of Love doesn't have a line for you to wait in! It's a freakin' war zone! You don't just back away when someone approaches your girl! You gotta go up there and show 'em who's boss!"
She broke into laughter, causing their eyes to look her way.
Jack sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure I'd just look like a prick if I played Alpha Male in this game. Then she'd say no, and help that guy back to his home."
Talon sighed and looked back at his flagon. "Dude, you should've at least put forth a little effort there..."
Jack shrugged his shoulders and took another sip. "Eh, once again, it is what it is."
After laughing, Joy took another sip of her ale and looked inside the nearly empty cup. "Oh, wow... s-so you actually got your Cutie Mark by doing that?!"
The stallion shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Well what can I say? It's true!"
She giggled a bit, before placing the flagon on the counter. "O-oh, where are my... m-my manners?! I haven't even caught your name, good sir!"
He shook his head and smirked. "Oh, nonsense! It's my mistake for having jumped too far ahead, myself!" He cleared his throat. "My name is Char Coal... but you can call me Coal, if you'd like!"
"Coal, you say? Well... if it's all the same, you can just call me Joy, then!" she replied.
He nodded his head and leaned a bit closer to her. "Joy... that is a beautiful name!"
She leaned back a bit at his advancement, but smiled shyly at him. "Oh, well... thank you! And you have a lovely name, as well!"
He stopped leaning closer to her and sighed. "You know, I couldn't help but wonder... they said you were lost. And I know every creature around these parts, yet I've only just met you! So I was curious to know if you actually were lost?"
She sighed, before taking another wobbly sip of her ale. "Indeed, I am, actually... you see, I... need to get back to the Noble Quarters."
His eyes widened. "Oh! The Noble Quarters?! Well, it just so happens that I live close to there!"
"R-really, now?!" she asked in disbelief.
He nodded his head and smiled. "Well sure! It's actually not that far away, in fact! If you want, I could help you get there! I know this whole neighborhood like the back of my hoof, after all!"
"Oh, umm... I-I couldn't possibly ask that much of you, good sir..." she slurred, only to nearly stumble from her stool - the alcohol now starting to kick in.
He reached a hoof out and caught her, shaking his head. "Now, now, it's quite alright! In fact, I'm not even asking to walk you to your house... just to the Noble Quarters, so that you can find your way easier. Your privacy will be completely safe!"
"W-well... when you put it like that, I... I suppose I can take you up on that offer, at least!" she agreed.
He nodded his head and stood from his seat. He held a hoof out to help her up. Then, after fumbling around on her hooves, she and the stallion made their way out of the tavern. Not less than a minute later, and Sugar returned from the back, map in mouth.
She looked around the counter, curiously, before looking over at Jack and approaching his table.
"And there they go..." Talon said with a deadpan. He took another sip and sighed.
Jack shrugged his shoulders before looking at his nearly empty flagon. He wasn't from around Equestria, so naturally, his body was a lot more tolerant to their kind of alcohols. However, he was at least starting to feel a slight buzz at this point, and was going to just call it at this cup.
"Excuse me, dearies? Have y'all seen that lavender mare anywhere?" Sugar called out from the side.
Jack looked over at Sugar and nodded his head, motioning towards the door. "Yeah, she just headed off with that gray guy." His friends nodded their heads in silent agreement.
Sugar's eyes turned to pinpricks, and her jaw dropped. "W-wait... was he a gray stallion with a white mane?!"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah... why?"
"Oh, no, that poor mare!" Sugar muttered, looking over towards the front entrance.
"What's wrong, Sugar?" Talon asked.
She sighed and closed her eyes, then turned to face them again. "That stallion is nothin' but trouble! I can just feel it!"
Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Idunno... seemed decent enough to me."
Sugar frowned at him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "That's what he wants ya to think! But I've been keepin' a close eye on that one!"
"And?" Jack asked.
She rolled her eyes. "Jack... that mare is the eighth one he's left this tavern with this past month! Now tell me that ain't suspicious in the slightest?!"
Jack looked over at his friends. Talon, Mint, and Candy all immediately stopped their drinking, and stared at her in shock, with their jaws practically touching the table. Then he looked over at his flagon and chugged the rest of the liquid down his throat.
Once the flagon was empty, he let out a frustrated groan, then slammed the flagon on the table and stood from his seat.
"Son of a bitch..." he muttered, before heading towards the exit, quickly followed by his friends and Sugar. He turned towards the waitress as he opened the door. "Tell Griff I'm borrowing his shovel."
She nodded her head and raised a hoof over her mouth, as the group left the tavern in silent pursuit of the mare and her new 'coltfriend'.
As Joy stumbled her way across the road, Coal kept a careful grip onto her. He smiled and chuckled as she continued to nearly trip over her own hooves.
"Wow... I guess that drink must've done a number on you, huh?" he asked her.
She shook her head. "N-no, it's... it's quite alright! I'm fine!"
"Well, that's good to know... c'mon, let's take this alley here. It's a shortcut I learned about while exploring the place." he suggested, taking a sharp-right.
She nodded her head and followed behind him. However, once he disappeared into the shadows, she was a bit confused. It almost seemed like he went completely invisible!
"Coal? Coal, are you there?" she asked.
"Right here, Joy. Just follow my voice!" he replied from straight ahead.
She nodded her head and made her way ahead, but stumbled and crashed her left shoulder into the wall.
"Oof! S-sorry, I... I'm just a tiny bit disoriented, that's all!"
But then, he didn't answer. She raised a confused eyebrow, and approached the inside of the alleyway just a bit more.
"Coal? Are you still there, darling?" she asked.
Suddenly, a pair of hooves gripped her from behind, and covered her mouth, muffling her from screaming. She then felt an intense pressure on her skull, as the owner of the hooves pressed her against the wall. She turned her eyes, and found Coal, although his demeanor has changed completely, as he was now smiling a lot more sinister towards her.
"Mmph! MMPH!" she mumbled, but he shushed her and gently brushed her cheek with his own.
"Shh... don't worry, Joy. I'll still help you back to where you need to go... but first, I need a little down-payment before I release you."
She closed her eyes and winced as she felt him brush his tongue against her right cheek. Then, in a burst of energy, she lifted her hoof up and jabbed him in his jaw, forcing him to bite his tongue.
He yelled in pain and covered his mouth, while she stumbled out of his grip. However, he rushed ahead of her and tackled her to the ground, grinning even more at her.
"Heh... I love a good fighter!" he said, before raising his own hoof and swinging it against her right cheek.
Tears fell from her eyes as she quickly leaned to the left, narrowly avoiding his hoof. However, he griped onto her neck with his other hoof, and began to press down against her.
She started to gag, as she gripped onto his hooves, in an attempt to free herself, but his strength was far too much for her to handle.
He then leaned down at her and licked the tuft of her chest.
She closed her eyes and lowered her forehooves down, in an attempt to keep her privacy protected. But this only made him lick his lips, as he lowered his left hoof down to move one of her hooves away from her teats.
She used her tail to cover her marehood, but he quickly brushed her hairs away, and leaned closer to her folds.
He sniffed deeply, before smacking his lips. "Mmm... a fresh one, too... I'm going to enjoy this."
"P-please, don't..." she begged, but he looked up at her and chuckled.
"Oh, sweetie, keep begging. It only makes it better for me!" he said, as the shadow behind him started to grow larger.
She closed her eyes and shivered in fear. Her heart rate was skyrocketing at this point, as she feared for the inevitable.
He leaned up closer to her face and forced his lips onto hers. Her eyes began to water up, as she tasted the strong alcohol in his breath.
He then leaned back up and adjusted himself to where his swollen member was just inches away from her marehood.
"Don't worry... this'll only hurt for a second. Then, you'll be in your own little world~."
He leaned his hips back, as his tip brushed against her.
He was so focused on her, that he failed to notice the shadow of the large shovel raising up behind him.
And then, he flew into the wall after one loud crash, as the metal tip of the shovel crashed into the back-right corner of his head.
Completely dazed and unable to move, Coal could only see the silhouette of the human's boot, as it quickly lowered into his vision.
Then, everything went blank as he lost consciousness on impact.
"Maybe you should stick to the real world, jackass."
Jack spat on the ground and tossed the shovel to Talon, who was close beside him. He looked over at Joy and sighed, before shaking his head.
"We need to get her to a hospital!" Candy suggested, but Jack shook his head.
"Nah, we can't just take her up there. Nearest hospital is up in the Noble Territory, so they'll just assume we had something to do with her condition... might lock us up and charge us. I'll take her home, while you guys deal with this piece of trash." he said, kicking at Coal's unconscious form.
Talon and Mint nodded their heads, and picked Coal up, while Candy walked over to Joy. She then gently started to rub the back of the lavender unicorn's mane, while Jack walked beside her.
Joy's consciousness was starting to fade, as the dark silhouettes of Jack and Candy grew more distant.
"It's alright... you're gonna be okay. We're here to help." Jack told her.
As she closed her eyes, though, she could only pick up part of what he said, as his voice echoed into the back of her mind.
"It's alright... you're gonna be okay..."
And then, everything went silent.
