Neighsay trotted through the Canterlot Castle, on his way to deliver the minutes of the EEA’s last meeting to Princess Celestia. As he walked up to the large doors of the throne room entrance, he found two young mares waiting there. One was a yellow-coated unicorn he recognized very well, and snorted slightly as he passed them.
“Miss Shimmer.” Neighsay gave her a stern look, the young mare had been infamous among the EEA for causing quite a stir upon enrollment to Celestia’s school. “How nice to see you after all these years.”
“Chancellor Neighsay.” Sunset Shimmer greeted smoothly. “Sorry, I’m just here to speak to Princess Celestia.”
“As am I. Who is your companion?” Neighsay asked, looking at the light green earth pony with a forest green mane and brown eyes.
“This is Wallflower Blush.”
Neighsay gave a polite nod to the young mare, who nodded back, hiding behind her hair. Neighsay then knocked on the doors to the throne room, but received no response.
“Your highness?” Neighsay asked
“Strange, there are usually guards to open the doors from the inside.” Sunset remarked, seemingly talking to Wallflower Blush, who remained silent. Sunset and Neighsay opened the doors as one with their magic, and entered the room.
“What in the name of Celestia-?” Neighsay gasped, as they saw the scene in the throne room.
The guards were unconscious on the ground, though one was stirring. Throwing stars were all over the throne room, surprisingly they were made out of paper. Though judging by the scratches in the guard’s armor and the sheared off parts of their helmet tufts.
“What has happened here?” Neighsay demanded once the stirring guard had risen.
“Creatures cloaked in black… they ponynapped the princess!” the guard exclaimed
“You are in no condition to fight.” Sunset told the guard as he tried to stand. “You should take your fellow and attend to yourselves. I’ll contact Princess Twilight to help Celesita.”
“The princess will not be fast enough, she has her school of inferior creatures to run.” Neighsay snorted, setting his papers aside. “Before my time in the Equestrian Education Association I had a small amount of guard training. I can try to find the princess.”
“Alright. Wallflower, do you want to come with me? It’s worth a shot trying to reach Twilight.” Sunset said, but Wallflower was staring at Neighsay, and eventually responded.
“I’m going with him.” She said in a soft tone.
“Alright then. Take care, you two, and good luck.” Sunset said, before using her magic to help the guard carry his injured companion.
“Are you sure you wish to come?” Neighsay asked the mare, who nodded, gaze firm. “Let’s examine the room then, search for any clue for where they’ve gone.”
“The throwing stars seem to be heading for that window…” Wallflower noted quietly, and Neighsay followed her gaze, nodding thoughtfully. “They might have chased Celestia there to trap her, so they would have left with her out of the window.”
“Reasonable. Come.” without waiting for an answer, Neighsay trotted to the window and ignited his horn. “Yes, remnants of a teleportation spell lingers. I can trace it, with some effort.”
“What good would that do?” Wallflower muttered, and Neighsay touched the EEA pendant on the sash of his robes.
“The EEA pendant allows me to use it’s magic to take me to any place I wish to in Equestria. Once I trace the location, I should be able to transport us to wherever they have taken Celestia.”
“I’m not sure it’ll be very easy.” Wallflower looked wary. “From the description the guard gave, as simple as it may be, it seemed that they were ninjas.”
“The legendary dark warriors from Neighpan? Strange, what could they want with the princess?” Neighsay remarked.
“She seems to be very powerful…” Wallflower murmured. “Perhaps they want to take her magic… or believe she has something they want…”
Neighsay heard her, but just barely. He huffed and turned to the window, charging his horn with more power to trace the location the teleportation spell had sent the ninjas. “Be that as it may, we must ensure these foul creatures receive proper comeuppance for what they have done. I knew the other races were cruel but to ponynap another kingdom’s soviergien… it is unthinkable…”
“How can you be so sure that these creatures were not ponies?”
“The guard said so himself. Regardless, most ponies are far too pure at heart to stoop to such foul behavior, especially when concerning their royalty.” Neighsay dismissed, having finished tracing the location. He now channeled his magic towards the pendant, causing a magical rift to appear where the window was. “Let’s go.”
“You want me to step through that thing and plummet to my death?” Wallflower asked, and Neighsay rolled his eyes.
“It is a portal, it just so happens to be in front of the window. You will be fine.”
Wallflower still looked unsure, and Neighsay sighed. He reached and gave her head a quick pat of reassurance. Normally friends would do such things along the lines of hugging, to comfort each other. Wallflower seemed to respond well to the headpat, and Neighsay held out his hoof to her.
“I promise you, we will be safe. Do you trust my word?”
“Considering you’re someone I just met… but Sunset knows you.” Wallflower mumbled, mostly to herself, then took his hoof. Neighsay gave her a slight smile, then led her through the portal.
The two re-emerged in a dark tunnel. Neighsay looked around, staring at it.
“I have no idea where we are…”
“I thought you traced the location.”
“Not specifically, all I did was use their spell as a guideline to take us to whatever place they went to.”
Wallflower moved around for a minute, touching a hoof to the walls of the tunnel. “Judging by the lichen growing on the walls, we’re in an underground cave system… there’s more on this side of the wall so there’s water down this way… and where there’s water, there’s life.”
“They would have set up their base near the water, you mean?” Neighsay asked, and Wallflower nodded. “Good. Time to put a stop to these feral creatures.”
“Why do you continue to refer to them as being lesser than ponies? What did they ever do?” Wallflower asked, trotting along behind him.
“Ponies have been the master race for centuries, all other creatures have proven to be nothing but dangerous or inferior.”
“You don’t believe some to be capable of good?”
“There’s always the odd exception, but rarely is an entire species good enough to be considered safe. Mere unintelligent, common, disgraceful sentient beings-”
“And you think ponies aren’t capable of being just as disgraceful?” Wallflower snapped, and Neighsay turned to look at her in surprise.
“I am aware there is the odd one or two but most had been corrupted by magic-”
“-And don’t other species deserve the same benefit of the doubt?” Wallflower shot back
“They have no magical artifacts to corrupt them! The ponies stowed all known magical artifacts away for safekeeping a long time ago, even recently discovered ones go straight into a secret vault.”
“So you think they don’t deserve a second chance if they are evil of their own will?” Wallflower asked harshly.
“I believe they have no place in Equestria, despite what many believe. The dragons and changelings are most likely biding their time until the right moment to strike. The yaks have a fragile alliance with us and their tempers make it bound to snap at any moment, the griffons will drain our treasury out of need for bits because they are nothing but greedy, gold hoarding savages, and the hippogriffs should have stayed underwater.”
“You’re just randomly biased against any creature who’s not a pony for random reasons, aren’t you?” Wallflower snarled, jabbing an accusing hoof at him.
“Why are you arguing? You know I’m right!” Neighsay argued
“No, I don’t know that!” Wallflower glared at him. “I’m not even really a pony!”
“What?” Neighsay blinked. “A… changeling?”
“No.” Wallflower brushed her mane out of her eyes. “I’m from another world. The one Sunset lives in now. It’s called Earth, and like everyone else sentient there… I’m a human. And sweet Goddess, I thought we were racist, but you… I’m starting to wish I didn’t offer to come with you.”
Neighsay gaped at her. “You… didn’t have to offer to come in the first place.”
“I offered because I thought you looked kind of cute, so sue me.” Wallflower muttered, blushing, though she still glared at him. “But now I see you’re no better than the jerks back home, and we have plenty of those.”
“I’m not trying to-”
“And yet you speak so brashly about species when for all you know they could be nothing like you think they are.” Wallflower snarled
Neighsay sighed. “I apologize, perhaps I came on about my opinions a bit strongly. Please, tell me, what do you mean, racist?”
Wallflower sighed. “It’s a term for people who are biased against others simply for them having a skin color that’s not a light color. You know, like dark blue, dark green, any dark shade is cause for being classified in a single ‘race’ and there are many negative stereotypes about them. It’s not right, and there are a bunch of other ways you can be biased against someone, judging them by their ethnicity or their gender or their sexual preferences… our world is a mess… I thought this one might be more pure but apparently not…”
“Is that why you came here?” Neighsay asked as they continued walking.
“Not exactly… you see… one of the reasons I got upset about you degrading them as villains incapable of change is because… well, I used to be one of those villains myself. I found an Equestrian artifact and used it, without knowing the consequences… Sunset and her friends stopped me, and showed me I had a chance to change…”
“You came here to return the artifact, correct?” Neighsay assumed.
“Sort of, it may have-”
There was suddenly a loud commotion up ahead, and the two immediately rushed ahead to find the source.
Princess Celestia was attempting to get free, as each of her hooves were tied to rocks with very strong looking ropes. A inhibitor ring was locked around her horn and her wings were bound. The ninja creatures had surrounded her, the one in the lead not wearing any kind of ninja outfit at all.
“Who are these creatures?” Neighsay breathed as one in the front began to speak.
This creature was a unicorn. Rather than being clad in a ninja jumpsuit, wearing a slim-fitting black shirt and yellow, punk-style jacket over her white coat. Her tail and mane were black and white, her mane styled in two tall buns, and she had almond shaped orange eyes. Two small pink satchels rested just below the knees of her forelegs, where colorful papers peeked out.
“Ah-ah-ah princess, the more you struggle the tighter they get.” the pony told the princess.
“Who are you, what do you want from me?” Celestia asked, eyes narrowed.
“You can call me Papyrus.” the unicorn smirked at her. “And we’re looking for some things in your vault.”
“I’ll never tell you how to get in!” Celestia spat
“Oh… too bad we’re already in.” Papyrus grinned.
“Come on, we have to help her.” Wallflower whispered
“I thought after we found the culprits we could send for help-”
“No help would get here in time!” Wallflower hissed. “We have to help her now, are you with me?”
Neighsay looked at the slightly younger mare, then nodded, feeling warmth somewhere inside him. He took her offered hoof, and they charged, leaping away from the shadows. The ninjas turned to see them emerge, shouting in alarm.
There seemed to be a couple griffons, one dragon, another pony-though it was impossible to tell if they were pegasus or earth pony under their ninja suit-and an unreformed changeling; a rogue one, clearly.
“Get them!” Papyrus shrieked, and the other ninjas flashed their forelegs-the dragon flashed it’s arms-to reveal satchels similar to hers strapped to them.
Each creature drew out small squares of paper from their satchels, charging as Wallflower sunk low in what seemed to be a feeble attempt at an attack stance. Neighsay charged up his magic as each ran at them. Colorful blurs shot past them, digging into the cave walls. Neighsay turned briefly to see what they were. Throwing stars of folded paper. So that’s where the ones in the throne room had come from.
“Toxin! After them!” Papyrus shrieked, and the unreformed changeling lunged, pulling a small vial from out of her suit and uncapping it with her teeth, tossing it.
“Wallflower, move!” Neighsay shoved her out of the way and they both hit the ground to see the vial shatter where Wallflower had been moments before. It hissed and burned a small indent in the stone. Neighsay shuddered, it had almost hit Wallflower.
“Thank you.” Wallflower murmured, before a sharp blade of paper dug into the stone by her head, and they jumped back into the fight.
“Red is a smart color for you, stallion.” Papyrus said, grinning as she held up a perfectly folded throwing star in her magic. “It will hide the stains.”
With that, she flicked her magic to reveal the many throwing stars that had been hiding behind the first. They came all at once, and only Neighsay throwing up a shield prevented he and Wallflower from getting shredded to pieces. The throwing stars lodged into the shield, and Wallflower grabbed a rock and tossed it, knocking the satchel off the dragon. But there were still plenty more creatures.
“Wallflower, with me!” Neighsay shouted, and she raced to him, crouching low.
Neighsay jumped over her and ran for Princess Celestia, the throwing stars following him as Wallflower did the same. Neighsay sliced through the ropes on the Princesses’ wings with his magic, as the throwing stars accidentally sliced through the ropes. Wallflower crashed into Neighsay, getting cut by the stars being aimed at him in the process.
“Are you alright?” Neighsay asked her
“Tis a scratch.” Wallflower giggled softly, smiling at him, and he offered a small smile back.
The two stood and ran, the Princess taking to the air, out of range of the creatures who couldn’t fly-the two ponies. The others with wings were too distracted by Neighsay and Wallflower’s efforts to pursue her, allowing her to flee down the tunnel.
“Come on Neighsay!” Wallflower shrieked, rushing for the tunnel. Neighsay followed her, but a throwing star suddenly sliced the pendant off his sash.
“No!” Neighsay whipped around to search for it. The pendant was their only way home with the Princess’ horn still blocked with the ring, not to mention the EEA would have his head if he lost it.
“Neighsay, leave it!” Wallflower cried, as Neighsay raced for where it had landed. “It’s not worth it!”
“It’s our only way back!”
“It’s not as important as you!” Wallflower grabbed his hoof and started tugging him towards the tunnel. “Please Neighsay! It’s okay, leave it!”
Neighsay struggled, until Wallflower leaned in and kissed his cheek, whispering into his ear.
“It’s not worth your own safety.”
Neighsay turned red around the cheeks and then nodded, allowing Wallflower to pull him into the tunnel. A misaimed throwing star-only one-stabbed into the rock above the tunnel.
“They must be out of paper.” Wallflower whispered, as Neighsay nodded.
“Now, to make sure they can’t follow us.” Neighsay’s horn crackled to life, and the entrance collapsed, they could hear shrieks behind it. “They will find another way out…”
“There was definitely a water source nearby, you could tell by all the moss. There’s a back entrance, but let’s hope it comes out another way we will.” Wallflower remarked, and Neighsay smiled at her.
“Yes. Let’s hope.”
“I know it probably wasn’t easy to give up that pendant. It seemed important.” Wallflower remarked as they headed down the tunnel to find Celestia.
“It was necessary, as you said, it wasn’t worth risking my own safety. The EEA may tear me a new one, but perhaps it will turn up again.” Neighsay said
“Perhaps.” Wallflower smiled at him, as they headed out of the tunnel.
Though neither realized until it had already happened, their tails became intertwined with each other. Neighsay looked at Wallflower with a blush, and she returned the gaze.
“You are… only eighteen, correct?”
“Nineteen. But once I have become twenty, I will be free to go where I please.” Wallflower told him, and he smiled at her, leaning close and kissing her on the cheek.
“I will look forward to that day.”
“As will I.”
Neighsay paced before a glowing mirror nervously, alone in the library of crystals. Starlight had been there before to show him how it worked, but she had a school to run. Neighsay was alone, which he did not enjoy at the moment.
The mirror suddenly began swirling, and Neighsay turned fast enough to give himself whiplash. He grit his teeth, rubbing his neck as a single hoof stepped out of the mirror. This was followed by the familiar form of an earth pony he had met only a few years before.
“Ney!”
“W-Wallflow-!” Neighsay was cut off as the mare tackled him into a hug. “Wallflower…”
“I missed you…” Wallflower murmured, rubbing her head under his chin. Neighsay blushed but smiled at her.
“You’re picking up pony customs already?”
Wallflower blushed. “Sunset gave me a few tips… besides, this isn’t the first time I’ve been a pony!”
“I know, I know. But a couple short dates don’t really count.” Neighsay told her, and she smiled at him.
“Oh you.” Wallflower pecked him on the cheek and snuggled closer into his chest. “So, how long do I get you for today?”
“The rest of your life.” Neighsay replied, taking her hoof in his. “I-If you’d have me…”
“You mean…? But Neigh, i-it hasn’t been that long…”
“Three years, five months-”
“-And twelve days…” Wallflower finished in a hushed voice, smiling at him shyly. “A-Are you sure…?”
“I’m positive, Wallflower Blush.” Neighsay smiled at her, pulling a golden hoofband out from a pocket in his Chancellor robes. He slipped it onto her hoof, and she hugged him tightly. “I love you.”
“I love you too…” Wallflower whispered, kissing him deeply.
As Neighsay returned the kiss, their bond sealed, Wallflower’s hoof shifted, the gold band glinting. The words Ever After were inscribed on the metal. But at the moment, neither pony cared too much to discuss the words Neighsay had paid extra for. They had each other, and that made the day magical enough already.
Author's Note
Hope you enjoyed!
~Melody Song
