The city began to illuminate itself as the sun went below the horizon. Street lamps lit up along with wagon lanterns bobbing from side to side. A number of buildings were aglow, the windows of office buildings either switching on or off. Pegasi patrolled the sky, removing clouds from the picturesque scene, and revealing a clearer view of the star covered sky and a better view of the celestial object Luna had raised just minutes ago.
It didn't seem like much to most ponies, but to Aurora, it was something to behold since she never got out of her apartment much. Yes she had a job, and that was practically being one of many of Fillydelphia's weather ponies, but worked the day shift. Most of the time, the cyan Pegasus was in her room watching the outside world go about with their daily lives. It wasn't much, but there wasn't anything to do around the city except for working, eating, drinking and sleeping.
Today was going to be different though. Aurora was going to actually do something with herself, and her friend, Aviator, who was practically her only friend. They were going to venture into the city to meet with a few of Aviator's friends to 'have fun'. Aurora didn't want to know what kind of fun it was going to be, but Aviator urged the mare to go with her, and hopefully make some new friends. Reluctantly Aurora gave into the 'peer pressure', but maybe it would be worth it this time. Aviator was probably one of the most trustworthy ponies she knew, their trust going so deep that Aviator would die for Aurora, so if anything happened there would be a friend to back her up. The mare wished there were more ponies like her in the world, instead of selfish and self indulgent ponies that usually roamed the streets and sky.
Now, the bored Pegasus was staring at her own reflection, her green eyes staring back at her. Aurora brushed her violet mane away from her face as she began to stare off into space. She began to think that Aviator forgot about her, or maybe that she was just running late. She honestly liked the second idea more than the first. Aurora may not have gone out much, but if there was a chance for her to go somewhere with Aviator then she'd take it. They weren't in love or anything, but Aurora felt as though they were sisters.
"Knock, knock!" A muffled voice called from beyond the door. It was Aviator, no doubt about it.
Aurora got up, almost as if she'd woken from a deep sleep and flew over the piles of trash to the door. The mat was probably the only clean spot in the apartment , no papers or wrappers sitting anywhere near it. Maybe because there was a trash can sitting next to it.
"Hey!" Aviator greeted gleefully, more than usual. She was a very pleasant sight, for a mare. Her silky silver coat shone almost without the help of the light, be it from the hallway or the moon glowing through the window. The Pegasus' mane was a shade of azure, and that too seemed to glimmer without light. Aviator's eyes seemed to have an expression of their own, the same excitement as always, along with that smile that always reached ear to ear. She was a real joker and every time someone saw her they knew that fact instantly, since she never walked, cantered or flew without that mischievous look of amusement. "How're you doing?"
"Better than the last time you asked." Aurora responded.
"Let's get a move on!"
Aurora just sighed. She was tired and sleepy, but if there was a chance that she could leave her home to go somewhere and do something then she'd reluctantly take it.
After locking the door, Aviator and Aurora made their way down the building, taking the stairs since the elevator was in the middle of repairs for seemingly no reason. The ponies in the apartment complex were so cautious about everything for no reason at all. The elevator just lagged a bit from what Aurora heard, and now the owner of the complex was taking action against the 'faulty' machine. Of course the stairs were no problem for Pegasi such as Aurora and Aviator, but other ponies always complained when something like this happened.
"Where are we going exactly?" The cyan Pegasus questioned.
"Well, I figured that you needed to get out more," Aviator answered. "So I decided to bring you along to see the meteor shower tonight!"
Aurora almost forgot about the astronomical event. It would be the first time she'd ever seen something like this and there was a chance of a comet streaking through the night sky. It was a once in a lifetime thing, not the meteor shower, but the comet. What lie beyond the planet the ponies inhabited was one of the few things that amazed Aurora.
There was just one thing that Aurora was afraid of, and that was meeting Aviator's friends. Who knows what they were like? Maybe they'd try and hurt the cyan Pegasus when the silver mare wasn't looking, or they might try and separate the two from being friends. Ponies in Fillydelphia were unpredictable and would stab any pony in the back just to get what they want. Maybe that wasn't the case with Aviator's friends. Maybe they'd be different unlike the rest of the city's civilians.
There's nothing to worry about Aurora mused. Knowing Aviator, they'll be just like her. Except maybe they are stallions or earth ponies.
The cyan mare kept pondering the different varieties of what her friend's friends would be like and found herself at the bottom of the steps and right in front of the entrance. Aviator opened the doors for Aurora and a cold gust of winter air slapped the mare harder than a drunk beating their family. snow covered the ground and moistened Aurora's hooves with each step. A mist appeared whenever the mares exhaled, and both were beginning to wish they had brought something with them to help combat the cold.
Standing in front of both mares were two stallions. They must have been brothers or in some way related, because they were just inverted versions of each other. One was an azure earth pony with a straight yellow mane that almost covered his eyes, while the other one was a golden unicorn with a blue mane that was brushed back. There was almost no other difference between the two stallions other than the way they were colored.
"Aurora this-" The mare said pointing a hoof at the golden unicorn. "-is Ace? and that is.. uh.."
Reluctantly the stallion spoke up. "Wild Card."
Aurora grabbed Aviator, who happened to be admiring Ace at the moment, and yanked her out of the trance. At first there was a look of anger on the mare's face, but then it twisted more into confusion.
"What're you doing?" Aviator asked silently while trying to get a better look at the stallion of her dreams.
"You didn't mention that your friends were two stallions," Aurora whispered. "Do I look like I want a man in my life yet?"
"You sure as heck sound like it." The alabaster Pegasus flew out of her friend's grasp. "I'm not trying to hook you up with someone or anything, I just thought you should spend more time out of your place. Don't let the fact that there's two nice big-"
"Yeah," Aurora sighed. "I get it."
The two may have been friends, but sometimes Aviator could pull off some stupid things just to get someone to be with her. It never got in the way of their relationship as friends though. The last time Aviator was with a stallion, she left him, just because he said one joke about Aurora, but that was enough for the mare to leave and continue on with her life. It wasn't like that most of the time, but Aviator was Aurora's best friends, and best friends look out for each other as demonstrated numerous times by Aviator.
She turned two the two stallions who were politely waiting for the two to exit their current conversation. Before Aurora could speak, Aviator decided to be her speaker.
"Guys this, is Aurora, one of my best friends."
The mare smiled shyly, but was forcefully grabbed by Aviator's hooves so she was literally having the life squeezed out off her.
"And if you do anything to her, I'll find you and I'll cut you or....Something!"
It was probably the most enthusiastic Aviator sounded when making a threat to some pony, but Aurora didn't care. She wanted to live and that required the ability to breath and have no broken bones, ribs in this particular moment. Before suffocating any further, Aviator released her grip on her friend and let her fall to the ground, coughing and struggling to breathe. The cyan mare regained her composure and again smiled sheepishly. The stallions chuckled and began their journey to one of the many city's parks. Aurora felt embarrassed and felt like running back inside her apartment, but didn't want to abandon her seemingly dull-witted friend. She decided to follow, but half the speed in which the ponies were going.
Aurora paid no attention to the city's inhabitants rushing past her to get to the park, but she paid more attention to the ponies in front of her. They didn't seem to notice that she was falling behind, and were probably thankful. Especially Aviator, who was taking a liking to Ace. She forgot the golden rule of the city, which was to watch where you were going. Ponies glared at the aloof mare, who didn't listen to the stallion who warned her of oncoming traffic. Aurora's gaze shifted from the two ponies, over to the lone stallion who didn't seem annoyed with whatever his friends were discussing. Either that or that was just his regular expression. Blank and plain, unlike his inverted brother who was just like Aviator; the same grin that said I'm going to deliberately make trouble just to piss people off! Instead Wild Card hinted more maturity, both mentally and physically. He was more focused on getting to their destination than answering the questions Aviator threw at him. He also was less tense than his brother.
Wild Card, after answering numerous questions and being the center of Aviator's attention, slowed his pace to leave the two by themselves until they got to the park, that wasn't very far from them now. Just like Aurora was doing before, the ultramarine stallion paid no mind to the things around him, but rather was caught up in his own thoughts. When Aurora walked near him, did Wild Card decide to come out of his thoughts and back into reality.
"Hi." He said simply, scaring Aurora.
"Hi." The mare replied nervously. It was times like this that made her wish that she had gone out more and was more social like her father.
The two walked at the same pace, Aurora hopping occasionally so she didn't get her hooves wetter than they already were. She didn't know what to say, and judging from the quiet stallion, he didn't know what to say either.
"Ever seen a meteor shower before?" Wild Card finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"No." Aurora answered. "This would be the first time I've seen anything like this."
Again silence overtook the two ponies as they crossed the street and entered the path that led to the clearing where they would watch the astral objects fall from the sky.
"It's a good thing you came." Wild Card said.
Aurora didn't know how to respond. She felt herself blushing more than she'd like, and turned away so the stallion wouldn't see.
"I wouldn't like to listen to Aviator talking the whole time. Gets annoying after a while, you know?"
"Yeah.."
Aurora looked at her friend and the stallion she was conversing with. It was surprising that Ace was lasting as long as he was without needing to take a break from all of Aviator's talking. In a way, Aurora wished she could say the same about herself and Wild Card. Not that she wanted to agitate the stallion, but she wished she had the ability to converse with him without the fear of saying something stupid. Instead Aurora had to be the silent one that spoke when someone else spoke to her.
"Well," Aviator announced. "Here we are!"
The clearing allowed for everybody to look up and gaze upon the nighttime sky. Stars dotted the sky, along with Luna's orb. Pegasi flew about, either to join the group of ponies watching for the celestial shower, or to get back to their homes. Colts and fillies ran around playing tag, or sitting with each other talking, just like the adults, to pass the time until the first star shot out of the sky. Aviator sat on the ground and leaned on Ace, who was talking about his time working in a bar not so long ago. Again, Aurora mused about doing the same with the earth pony next to her, but her nervousness kept getting in the way.
While Aurora was staring at the ground, she soon realized the stallion beside her was staring at her. When she lifted her head up to look, he just turned his head away. Both wanted to say something to each other, but couldn't find the words they were looking for.
"Hey, look!" A bystander was shouting. "It's starting!"
All the ponies in the clearing stared towards the heavens to see the first of the falling stars. Each with a wispy tail following behind, and eventually burning out before entering the planet's atmosphere. It amazed Aurora sometimes about how big the place they lived in really was. She wondered if there was any kind of life beyond this planet, each with a leader that controlled the stars and probably even the moon. She wondered who controlled the meteors, thinking that there was another princess in Equestria. It was a silly and childish idea, but it was a good possibility.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Wild Card asked.
"Very." Aurora answered. "Makes you wonder what else is out there."
The mare thought she saw the stallion bring himself closer to her out of the corner of her eye. If he did, then she wouldn't mind. She might have acted like her job came first, but she knew that it didn't. Although she wasn't interested in meeting the stallion, but for some reason, she felt different about this one, as if they had known each other since they were kids.
Aurora soon found herself creeping closer to the azure earth pony, until they were almost touching each other. They both continued to stare into the heavens, even when the Aurora began to lean on the stallion.
"Look," Wild Card said pointing a hoof towards a white streak across the sky. ", There's that comet we were scheduled to have."
The frozen ball was traveling at a moderate speed. The tail trailing behind stretched on, by what seemed to be inches on the land, but in space terms, it was considered almost a mile in length. It was amazing to see something as magnificent as that for the first time.
Aurora looked at Wild Card, who's eyes reflected the comet, and was glimmering from the light.
"Amazing, it's like a once in a lifetime thing."
Aviator flew by Aurora, trying her best probably to not disrupt the moment. She couldn't help herself. Words began to flow out of her mouth about 'how cute the two of them looked together' and 'maybe they'll do it again or something like this some other time by themselves'.
The mare and stallion turned red, looking away from each other. Aurora thought that Aviator was right though; she would've liked to spend more time with Wild Card, and hopefully next time, alone with no distractions, even if they did just meet each other. She just hoped that the stallion felt the same way. The mare knew that they just met, but she felt like there would be a true connection between them.
Ace, being the nice stallion that he is, decided to take Aviator home, and Wild Card did the same with Aurora. They weren't exactly what Aurora would call talkative, but she felt more comfortable with the earth pony, than she did when Aviator was around. They learned a small portion of information about each other, and were enjoying their time alone. Aurora told the stallion more things than she did when she first met Aviator; more personal things, but nothing too personal. Wild Card did the same, but was more hesitant and reluctant to do so. He seemed more nervous than Aurora did, even though he was calm and relaxed thirty minutes ago.
Aurora and Wild Card stopped in front of the entrance to the apartment complex.
"We should do something like this again sometime." The azure earth pony suggested.
"There's not going to be another meteor shower for a while. How about dinner?"
"Sounds good. Tomorrow night?"
"Sure."
Aurora went inside and watched as the stallion left the premises. She noticed an emerald glow to the stallion's eyes as he turned the corner. The mare walked up the stairs and soon began to steadily fly up the steps, thinking about things she never thought about in her entire life. Conflicting feelings resided within the mare, some telling her to forget about the stallion, and the other telling her that she should go for it and to stop skulking around all the time. She was drifting more towards seeing the stallion again to see if there was something they could work out, but the option of leaving him alone was also toying with her mind for unknown reasons.
The cyan Pegasus unlocked the door to her home and gazed at the place she called home. It was disgusting. Trash was scattered all over the hard wooden floor. Some of the paint was peeling off of the walls and ceiling. How was she able to live in such a messy environment?
Right away, the mare began picking up trash, and tossing it down the can. She went from room to room in order to clean up and try to impress the stallion she had just met if he had ever walked into her house. This was the first time Aurora had ever worked this hard. She wanted to take a chance with the stallion, and see where it would go. If it didn't work then she would probably learn from past mistakes.
Why am I so interested in this stallion? Aurora tried to find the answer to that question, even as she worked on cleaning her home. It was only a matter of time before the mare's apartment was orderly, no piles of papers or food wrappers on the hard wood floor. Aurora couldn't comprehend why Wild Card was one of the only things on her mind, the other thing being getting her home clean.
"This is some good food!" Wild card remarked.
"Yeah, they have some of the best chefs." Aurora spoke. "I'm sorry we couldn't do this last week. I had to do loads of work."
"That's alright. I'll be honest, I had some work of my own to do."
Throughout the week, both ponies ran into each other, literally at one point, but each time the two conversed about their days and what not, telling each other that dinner would have to be rescheduled. When they weren't near each other, both thought about being in each other's company, not able to wait for their plans together when they were finally able to meet. When the two finally did meet it was hours before dinner.
The two had spent majority of the day together, avoiding Aviator and Ace's attention. Both ponies were engrossed with each other, sharing stories as they ate their late night meals. Wild Card paid attention to everything Aurora had said, giving the mare his undivided attention. The mare delved deeper into her personal life, things like family and how she got where she was now. It wasn't much of a story, just moving away from family to escape the country life. Joined with Aviator in the weather patrol around the vast expanses of the city.
"You seemed like a very social pony back then. Very lovable." The way the stallion said that sent chills down Aurora's spine. "What happened?"
"I...uh..gosh, I really don't want to talk about it if you don't mind."
"That bad huh?"
"I wouldn't call it 'bad'," The mare spoke blushing. "I'd call it embarrassing."
The stallion took a reluctant bite out of the bowl of rice he was given not to long ago. Aurora paid on mind to it, as strange as it seemed. Instead she found herself in a trance; blotting out the outside world, and focusing on Wild Card. As strange as it seemed, the mare wasn't actually listening to what the stallion was saying, but never in her mind questioned why.
"Aurora!" A voice called. It was Aviator, standing about twenty feet away from the cyan mare. "Come, I really need to talk to you!"
Aviator didn't seem as enthusiastic as she was a few days ago, but rather scared. Probably the most frightened the Pegasus was in her entire life. Instead of her normal joker expression, Aviator had a more weary one on, always looking behind her, as if she were being followed by an unknown entity. When Aurora reached the mare, she was instantly grabbed and hauled over to the entrance.
"Aviator, What are you doing?" The cyan Pegasus questioned.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your date, but this is really important!"
The mare wasn't joking; even if she was, there'd be some kind of subtle grin on her face, but this time, there was none.
"I think Ace is trying to kill me!"
Aurora jumped back. The two had met only last week, why would Ace try and kill her? Aviator might have caused some kind of trouble, but nothing that would cause any pony to want the mare dead.
"That's a serious accusation Aviator," Aurora whispered. "Why come to me?"
"Because I think Wild Card will do the same thing to you!"
"Why didn't you go to the Royal Guard instead? That would've been a lot more simpler."
Aviator thought for a moment, barely able to break eye contact. Obviously, the question stumped her, and knowing Aviator, she was most likely going to leave and do just what Aurora suggested. Except for one problem standing in her way.
"Aviator!" Ace said, smiling and causing the mare to shriek. "I've been looking all over for you. Let's go."
Without another word, the stallion dragged the mare, who was breaking down as she was being pulled away. The cyan Pegasus noticed that Ace's eyes were glowing a dark hue of green. Weren't they blue before?
Aurora wanted to do something to help her friend, but her urge to go back to Wild Card overcame her urge to help her best friend. The Pegasus went back to her seat in front of her new found lover.
"What happened?"
Aurora thought for a second. "Nothing, just a little joke."
The two continued to eat their meals until they could no longer do so. Wild Card paid for the expensive food, leaving a tip possibly higher than the waitress's pay check. Aurora had no idea that a stallion could have so much money, but then again, the stallion did work at a casino after all.
Both ponies left the 'high class restaurant' and Wild Card began walking Aurora home. They were both silent on the way to the apartment complex, not knowing what to say to each other. Aurora was beginning to think about what Aviator was talking about earlier; about Ace might wanting to kill her. Since Wild Card was friends or brothers with the stallion, would she have to worry of her lover trying to murder her?
Probably not. Wild Card wasn't that kind of stallion, as big as he was. The stallion would have you think that he was as tough as an oak, but both ponies knew that that wasn't true. Instead he was just as soft as a pillow, but tough enough to stand up for others that couldn't stand up for themselves. That's what Aurora liked about the stallion, always helping others, even if he didn't know the pony he was helping.
"Mind if I come in?" Wild Card asked the mare. They were in the hallway of the apartment complex, right outside the door to Aurora's home. The mare was still debating whether or not she should let the stallion into her house. It wasn't a mess anymore so there was that, but there was also nothing for them to do inside, except for maybe talk and listen to the radio.
"Sure." The mare opened the door, and revealed her apartment to the stallion. It was as spotless as she left it. The floor was cleansed, as well as the kitchen sink and Aurora's bedroom. The Pegasus gestured for the stallion to sit on the beige couch next to her. The mare was anticipating the stallion's reaction to her home, but received none, instead just a seat next to Wild Card.
"I'm sorry, but there's not a whole bunch we could do in here." Aurora apologized. The stallion continued to stare at the ground, deep in thought, but his ear twitching let Aurora know that he acknowledged. A saddened expression came across the pony's face, but then Wild Card seem to regain his grip on reality. He turned to Aurora and just grinned.
"Why are you..?" Aurora could feel herself blushing. The mare began edging away from the stallion, who was grinning as if something were funny. As the Pegasus moved away, the stallion moved closer, until the point where Aurora was at the hoof rest of the couch. "Wild Card, what are you doing?"
The stallion didn't speak, but instead just moved towards the mare. At first Aurora was scared of what the stallion was trying to do, but then all her fear left her body and was replaced with a strange sensation. A warm feeling came to the mare's chest and neck, and she was sure that the stallion had felt the same, as he was slowly approaching her. The feeling was one Aurora never knew, but after pursuing a relationship with Wild Card, she was sure that this relationship would last for a long time, if not then it could be forever.
Aurora almost shrieked when Wild Card's lips met hers, but after the stallion pulled away, the mare went back to him, closing her eyes as their lips rejoined. The azure stallion put his hooves around Aurora, bringing the mare closer, until he could feel her body pressing up against his. Aurora found herself on top of the stallion, eyes still closed and still caressing him. She had a conflict of feelings, thinking about what Aviator said about Ace.
Aurora let out a soft moan when Wild Card began to stroke her body with his hooves. The mare broke free of the kiss and looked the azure earth pony in his eyes. He had a look in his eyes that practically asked the question she was going to ask.
"Not out here." Aurora whispered, getting on all fours. She gestured for the bedroom, opening the door for the azure stallion. Aurora was glad that she had a bed large enough for the two to 'bond'.
The next morning, Aurora woke later than usual, the feeling of last night's experience still fresh on her mind. The radio was on, Wild Card sitting next to it.
"Reports coming in from the west side of the city," The news pony began. "There was a strange murder in the middle of 54th avenue. The body is that of a Pegasus, almost unrecognizable. Royal Guard investigating the scene claim the Pegasus to known as Aviator, a weather pony, who was last seen with a golden unicorn. Guards have a reward for any pony who could identify the stallion last seen with the Pegasus."
Aurora's heart skipped a beat. Ace really was trying to kill her, but actually succeeded in doing so. A deep lament came over the cyan mare. Why couldn't I listen to her when she asked for help? The Pegasus tried to move from her position on the bed, but to no avail. The mare began to panic, catching Wild Card's attention. The stallion looked hurt, a single tear racing down his face.
"You're awake." He stated obviously.
"Why can't I move?" Aurora asked. "Please, help!"
Wild Card sat on the bed, next to the mare, and stroked her mane. "I'm sorry I had to do this, but-" The stallion's emerald eyes shifted, altering into a bright blue color. "-I was hungry, and you were just perfect."
"You're a..a" Aurora could barely scarcely speak, the feeling of life draining from her body.
"I know what I am." Wild Card didn't change his whole form just yet. "I may have enjoyed our short time together, but my hive needs food after what your kind did to it. This was probably the best experience I've had with anyone. For once, I almost forgot who I was."
Aurora felt tears streaming down her cheeks, but couldn't do anything to prevent the stallion from wiping them off. For the first time in her life, she was close to having someone she really cared about. Now it had to be ruined by a freak of nature, a predator who had fallen in love with its prey.
"Please, just know that I was just trying to survive. I must leave, my queen demands it." The stallion's azure coat disappeared, and was replaced with an onyx shell, shining from the sunlight. Transparent wings stretched from the beast's back and a curved horn protruded from its head. Aurora shuddered at the sight of the foul creature, the Changeling.
With a simple blast with his horn, the onyx shelled pony shot an emerald orb at the Pegasus.
"I'm sorry Aurora." The beast spoke, a raspy voice instead of the casual one the mare was used to. "I hope you understand why I'm doing this."
Before shutting her eyes for the last time, Aurora could feel the love for the Changeling she knew as Wild Card vanish, now replaced with a bitter resentment. There were numerous things the pony was thinking before her vision turned black, and as her body became a lifeless husk.
