One Way or The Other

Chapter 3: Royalty

  They sat there for five minutes, just sipping tea and looking at each other. Wired Fix smiled and looked at the garden. The flowers were amazing, exploding with colours and fragrances. Rarity put down her cup and cleared her throat.

  “Sorry,” she started. “But, is there anything you would like to talk about? The silence is a little awkward. Anything? Sports, fashion, gossip?”

  Wired Fix took a last sip of his tea before he put the cup down.

  “Actually,” he began. “I want to tell you something. You know Fluttershy.”

  “Yes,” Rarity replied. “What about her?”

  “Well,” Wired Fix said. “At the birdsong competition, she turned into some kind of monster… Don’t know what happened, but she became really dark. Like she was sucking the energy out of me. It turned into a disaster.”

  Rarity lifted an eyebrow before asking: “What disaster?”

  Wired Fix turned his head towards her.

  “Don’t you remember the chaos she made?” he asked. “The Shutterfly thing, with the amplifiers and everything?”

  “I…” she began before losing the thread. “I have no clue of what you’re talking about, darling. Fluttershy was just putting up two speakers, and starting the bird choir. Nothing bad happened that day.”

  She took a sip and lowered her head.

  “Well, besides you collapsing in the crowd, that is.”

  Wired Fix almost choked on the tea. He looked curiously at her.

  “What do you mean?” he asked. “I just collapsed? Right out of nowhere?”

  Rarity nodded and put a hoof on his shoulder. She sent another concerned look at him. Wired Fix himself put his own hoof to his head. He felt nauseous.

  “B-but…”

  “Shh, darling,” Rarity interrupted. “Nurse Redheart told us what had happened. She said you had a seizure and fainted.”

  “A seizure?!” he replied. “Then how do you explain everypony running around, looking all frantic?! And the buildings getting smashed?!”

  Rarity put her hoof on his mouth to stop him.

  “Wirey!” she yelled. “Shut up and listen, darling! Nopony was running around, no buildings were smashed, and nothing happened! I am worried about you, and I think you should let Twilight check on you.”

  Rarity gave Wired Fix a caring kiss on his cheek, and looked deeply into his eyes.

  “Now, how would you like it? Will you go to her, or do you want me to ask her to come over?”

  After half an hour, Twilight Sparkle came through the gate into the garden. She looked around before finally noticing where Wired Fix was sitting.

  “Hello,” she said and smiled. “Rarity said you were having some memory issues?”

  Wired Fix scowled at her.

  “Everypony would think so, yes,” he replied and sighed. “I know I saw Fluttershy turn into some…thing. She called herself Shutterfly or something like that. And the whole competition turned into a great disaster of great proportions.”

  Twilight looked at him and chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Sorry,” she replied and cleared her throat. “It’s just that I was at the competition. Well, everypony was, you probably know that. But anyways, I didn’t see or hear any of that happen. The birdsong competition went as normal. Well, besides you fainting in the middle of Fluttershy’s birds’ tune.”

  Wired Fix looked up at her. His eyes were focusing on the very depths of Twilight’s. They were like amethysts, sparkling in the sunlight. The deep colours turned the iris into an endless ring-shaped pit of crystals. He couldn’t take his focus away until Rarity bent over in front of him and asked: “Hey, are you listening?”

  “Huh, what?” he said confused and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah…I’m listening…”

  “Wired…” Twilight started. “I’m worried about you. Everypony’s worried about you. Nopony has as far as I remember fainted for no known reason. I heard you went to the hospital for a few days. Is that correct?”

  Wired Fix nodded.

  “And they couldn’t find out what’s wrong?” Rarity asked.

  “No,” Wired Fix answered and put a hoof to his head. “Actually, I’m starting to feel really weird… I’m feeling really nauseous.”

  He rose up out of the chair and stumbled into one of Rarity’s ponds. The emerald-shaped stone on the wall above loosened and hit his head, knocking him out.

  “Where…” Wired Fix asked. “Where am I? What happened?”

  He stood up. The garden was gone. The whole boutique and everything inside it was gone. All he could see was a dark, red void with brown grass under him. The sky was covered by a black fog, closing out either the sun or the moon, whatever time of the day it was. Wired Fix could hear the shrieks of ponies. It was like somepony was being tortured.

  Or even worse: Killed.

  Wired Fix ran towards one of the shrieks he heard. He was met by a body lying on the ground, blood running out from underneath. It was a mare, he could easily see it. She was orange with a wild mane, and covered in a ripped blue suit.

  “No…” he said and dropped a tear. “Not poor Spitfire..!”

  The body moved a little. Wired Fix looked at her face. Spitfire opened her eyes slowly and looked at him. They were pale. All that blood loss had fully taken the colour out of her.

  “Sorry…” she whispered and collapsed again.

  Wired Fix put his front legs around her and cried loudly as he hugged her. He could not believe it. A Wonderbolt was dead. Killed by a major loss of blood, caused by something unknown. Who knows what else he could find?

  He put her down on the ground neatly, and used his magic to make a hole in the ground, ready for a burial. A few minutes later, he planted a flower on her pile. He shed another tear.

  As he woke up, he felt wind blowing through his mane. Was he dead too? He opened his eyes and looked in the direction the wind came from. He could make out the silhouette of Princess Celestia and Luna’s castle in Canterlot. Between it and him were Soarin’ and… Spitfire.

  “Just keep still,” a voice shouted. “We’ll be at the castle in a few minutes, so don’t stress yourself!” It was Spitfire’s voice.

  “Can somepony please tell me what’s going on, so I don’t have to disobey?” Wired Fix replied and sighed. “I’m getting tired of this mystery.”

  “You’re on a sky-kart,” Soarin’ answered. “And we’re taking you to the castle to see Princess Celestia. We’re hoping she might have an explanation to whatever bugs you.”

  Wired Fix sighed again and sat up in the cart. With him were Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They all looked concerned at him, although they attempted a faint smile.

  “Hey, cutie,” Rainbow Dash said. “Uh, I mean…friend..? Is that okay or..?”

  “Right now, Rainbow,” Wired Fix started. “I am too dizzy to be annoyed by your flirting. Just call me whatever you want, if that makes you happy.

  Rainbow smiled. She looked around a little before she whispered something into his ear.

  “Thanks for the you-know-what earlier.”

  “Don’t get too used to it,” he replied. “But you’re welcome.”

  They arrived at the border of Canterlot, where they were met by the royal guards. In front was Shining Armour, wearing his suit, helmet, and a crest Cadance had made for him, which he actually thought was embarrassing, having to walk around with a large pink flower on his chest at all times.

  “Stop there,” one of the guards called and raised a hoof. “What do you carry?”

  “It’s just a pony carrier, sir,” Soarin’ replied and saluted. “Spitfire and me, Soarin’, of the Wonderbolts are pulling it, and inside are Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Wired Fix. We’re on our way to the castle for some royal help.”

  Shining Armour took off his helmet and approached the sky-kart. He smiled when his sister stood up and gave him a great hug.

  “Twilight!” he said. “How are you doing? Sent any letters to the princess lately?”

  “I’m fine,” Twilight replied and laughed. “But we got some work to do. We wanted to ask princess Celestia if she could help our friend here, Wired.”

  Wired Fix sat up in the kart and looked at Shining Armour.

  “Okay, you go on through,” Shining Armour said and signalled to the gatekeeper to open the gate. Soarin’ and Spitfire pulled the kart through the gate and into Canterlot, heading for the castle.

  When they arrived at the castle, Spitfire knocked on the door. A hatch was opened, and a guard peeked out.

  “Can I help you?” he asked in a strict voice.

  “We need to ask for some advice from princess Celestia,” Spitfire replied. “Our friend here has had some hallucinations, and we’re really worried about him.”

  The guard looked at Wired Fix, who was starting to look really weak. He nodded, closed the hatch and opened the door. The group walked on in, Applejack carried Wired Fix on her back.

  They entered the main hall, where Princess Celestia and her sister Luna had a nice cup of tea. They looked at the group coming in, and Luna stood up.

  “Yes, what seems to be your errand?” she asked.

  Applejack put Wired Fix down on the floor, assisting him until he could stand.

  “Princess Celestia,” Twilight said and took a few steps forward. “Our friend here, Wired Fix… He’s been feeling really terrible lately. He’s started having wild hallucinations, but seems to have some amnesia afterwards. We’re really worried, and would ask if you could give us some help finding out how to treat it.”

  The princess smiled and took a last sip of her tea before standing up herself. She came down the steps and looked at Wired Fix. When he looked back into her eyes, she stopped smiling. She actually started to look even more worried than the group.

  “During all the years of my reign,” she said. “I’ve never seen such a cloudy pony mind. You did the right thing bringing him here. Luna, get a few pillows."

  “Yes, my sister,” Luna replied and trotted into the next room for some pillows.

  They let Wired Fix down on a pile of pillows, and Celestia led the group away.

  “Wired Fix needs to rest,” she said and looked at the group. “Luna and I will look after him, and see what we can find out. Until then, you should leave him, and go back to Ponyville.”

  “Um…princess?” Applejack asked. “Ah don’t want to go against yer’ will or anything. But ah am really concerned. Can’t we stay in Canterlot and look after him? Ya know, talk to him, help him get his food and such?”

  “Applejack,” Luna started. “It’s for his own best, dear. Trust Celestia, she knows best.”

  Twilight put a hoof on Applejack’s shoulder and nodded. The group left with a dark mind. Luna walked up next to Celestia and looked into her eyes.

  “You don’t think it could be? Not after this many years?”

  Celestia put a hoof on Luna’s shoulder.

  “I don’t know,” she answered. “But I sure don’t hope so.”

  As the three ponies sat on the train back to Ponyville, they all looked out the window back towards Canterlot. They all hoped Wired Fix was okay.

  “What do ya think it could be, Twi?” Applejack asked.

  Twilight lowered her head and closed her eyes.

  “I don’t know,” she replied.

  Rainbow Dash sat back in her seat and stared aimlessly into the air, with a few tears dripping from her nuzzle. She started to sob a little.

  “Aww, shucks,” Applejack said and sat down next to Rainbow Dash. “Ah know how ya feel. We’re all worried about Wired, but he needs his rest. Ah am sure he’ll be good soon.”

  “You have no idea how I feel,” Rainbow replied. “You are worried as a friend. But it’s heavier for me.” She put her face in her hooves and cried.

  Twilight sat down on the other side of Rainbow and put a hoof over her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

  “What do you mean?” she asked. “How is this heavier for you?”

  Rainbow kept crying for a minute before she finally got a chance to catch her breath. She looked at Twilight, then at Applejack before she returned to Twilight.

  “I don’t feel like telling you,” she answered. “You won’t understand.”

  “Sure we’ll understand, sugarcube,” Applejack said and held around Rainbow. “Just tell us.”

   Rainbow lowered her head, took a deep breath and sighed.

  “I love him.”