Fallen Eagle

Chapter 48: A Few Good Friends

Hey guys, before I even get to talking about this chapter, I want to say something important. At the time of this chapter update, the story has surpassed 200 subscribers. I know it's not as much as a lot of other stories on here, but for me to reach that is big. I was excited I reached 100 subs for the first time; 200 never even crossed my mind. But I just want to thank every single one of you who have ever clicked on my story. I never thought any of my stories could become this well-liked, but again, thanks to every single one of you; you guys are awesome, and without your support, I doubt the story would be this long.

As for this chapter, when I said it would be a mini chapter, that was a little too vague. What I meant was it would have several mini scenes written in so I could incorporate a few more characters for their own scenes. But I digress. One reason why this chapter took a little longer than usual was because it's Spring Break, and I had to go to Anchorage Saturday for a quick trip, so I lost a day of writing.

Also, this is big for me, with Season 6 premiering on the 26th, I've been writing down reviews for episodes of the shows. So far, I've got the first eight episodes done with scripts written. Starting this week, while coinciding with writing chapters, I will record voice overs for the scripts and post them to my YouTube channel. I will also try and keep up when Season 6 episodes start rolling out while still trying to post reviews for older episodes. Yes, I will try to review every episode of the show, or maybe all of Season 1, and then episodes that really stick out for Seasons 2-5. So, if you're interested in that, you can copy the YouTube channel link on my profile page and subscribe ;) And if you already subscribed, you might want to again because I deleted my other YouTube channel so I can start fresh. I also posted a link to my new Twitter account on my profile page. I know a few of you already followed me on my RacinMason Twitter, but this is other one is specifically for my YT channel.

Nostalgia Cop: Cool, too bad you weren't the 500th reviewer

Dixie Darlin:Yeah, I'm not the best at subtlety :/ But thanks for re-reading!

SkullCrusher550: Thank you :)

Sassymouse: Everyone reacts to news (or tabloids) like this differently; everyone has their own personality. Besides, if the royal sisters had no reaction, they'd just be mindless drones. Some circumstances are exempt, but there are times when it's necessary to feel what the characters are feeling so you can be more involved with the story. And since Inspiration Manifestation is one of my favorite episodes, I thought that was a good place for it to have a callback.

Guest: I love the classic whodunit stories. Clue, for example, is one of my favorite murder/mystery movies

OBSERVER01: Lula Trixiemoon? I think you mean Trixie Lulamoon ;) But those are some pretty good guesses

Srey: Love big reviews like these, and thanks for pointing out some mistakes (mistakes I STILL need to fix by the way. Been busy lately.) I'm liking your suspects though

ShiningShadow1965: Thanks man!

SquirtlePWN: Not a problem whatsoever! Yeah, I was hoping people would catch on, but I'm still a novice at subtlety unfortunately. At least it wasn't TOO obvious, and I didn't let slip who the real culprit is.

So, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It was so much fun to have other characters in the spotlight besides Ivan. I already know that you may have some questions, so please read the post chapter author's note at the bottom; there will be a few explanations.

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(Sugar Cube Corner; 3rd Person POV)

"Sorry, Applejack, but I've got to fix this sooner rather than later," Ivan apologized to his lover, giving her a loving peck on the cheek. She smiled in reaction to the kiss as the human marched in the direction of the restrooms, disappearing as he entered the little hallway. Applejack sighed as she turned around and trotted back to the table where her disturbed friends were.

"Uh, can somepony tell me what in the hay just happened?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Pinkie Pie then vanished from her spot, only to reappear behind Glock. The pegasus guard did a double take, unsure of how the mare snuck behind him.

"Don't you see, Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie placed her hooves onto Glock's shoulders to stand taller. "Cougar said that he'd never date Luna in his life. And Princess Luna was already stressed out from not getting some alone time with Checkered Flag here this morning," she explained. The earth pony racer in question flattened his ears on his skull as his light grey face burned red from embarrassment. "I don't know about you, but I'd be a little irritable about statements like that too, Dashie," Pinkie then stepped down from Glock's shoulders, but not before sniffing quickly.

"Um, Ms. Pie?" Glock asked uncomfortably, not liking having somepony sniff him.

"You have the greatest smelling cologne I've ever sniffed, Glock!" Pinkie exclaimed. "You smell just like a cake!" The party mare then found herself surrounded with Celestia's golden magic. She was then levitated away from Glock and back over to her spot with a muffled thump in her chair. This little incident seemed to amuse the sun alicorn, taking her mind off the horrid story about her and her baby sister for the time being.

"Well then," Celestia sighed, tapping her hoof on the table. The breakfast pastries didn't seem too appetizing to the princess anymore. What started out as a great day to spend time with her special somepony now was a day that made her stomach knot up. "Checkered, you didn't seem too displeased with what Cougar said to Luna," she pointed out. The racing stallion had both elbows planted firmly on the table as he pursed his lips, still trying to understand what just happened.

"Eh, I knew what he meant," the pony shrugged. "He and Luna are good friends; I'm positive they'll sort this out. Besides, like Pinkie Pie said, Luna was a little high strung from the interruption this morning," he added. "Not trying to pin the blame on anypony," he waved his hooves around. Twilight groaned as she loudly set her glass down; her tummy was still upset from what she had read. Spike still practically clung to her, massaging her back in between her wings to comfort her.

"I never thought reading something would make me react like that," she muttered, politely wiping her mouth with a napkin. "I apologize for what might happen to your plant, Carrot and Cup," she said, slowly drawing her eyes over to the bakery couple.

"Oh, don't worry over it, dearie," Cup Cake smiled in assurance. "Neither of us blame you for what happened, right Carrot?" She nudged her husband with her elbow.

"Y-yes of course!" Carrot cleared his throat. "Frankly we're happy you didn't get any on the floor," he admitted sheepishly, not wanting to make the poor mare feel worse. Everyone's ears perked up at the sound of trotting hooves descending the staircase. Since Carrot and Cup were already downstairs, Lyra, Bon Bon, Spike and the Mane 6 knew who it was coming down the stairs. Carrot and Cup Cake looked anxiously at each other, unsure if their twin children should be down here at a time like this, even if they couldn't exactly read just yet.

"Mommy!" A young colt's voice cut through the air, "I'm thirsty!" a light cream colored colt pegasus emerged from the staircase. Pound Cake halted as he rubbed his sleepy eyes. His gaze was locked onto the pearly white alicorn and the light grey earth pony sitting at the table.

"Now, Pound honey," Cup Cake tried to get her son's attention. Unfortunately, she wasn't quick enough. Pound Cake turned right around and shouted back up the stairs to his twin sister.

"PUMPKIN! PRINCESS CESTIA AND CHECKERED FLAG ARE HERE!" He screamed. Pinkie, Celestia, Checkered, and Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at Pound's mispronunciation of Celestia's name in his young excitement.

"No, son!" Carrot tried to stop his children from disturbing the princess, but he didn't act quick enough. The pattering of tiny hooves scrambling down the wooden staircase was heard next. Pumpkin Cake seemed to glide as she appeared at the bottom of the stairs next to her twin.

"YAY!" The toddlers cheered, galloping toward the princess and the racing pony. Carrot and Cup Cake tried to scoop them up, but their little ones had too much energy. Pound and Pumpkin leapt up and landed into the laps of the older ponies.

"Oh my!" Celestia exclaimed as Pumpkin landed with a thud onto her lap.

"Woah there!" Checkered grunted when Pound jumped up and down on his lap. Both toddlers placed their front hooves on the chests of the respective older ponies, happy to be in their presence. While they were indeed surprised at first, both Checkered and Celestia didn't mind at all to have toddlers with them. Every other pony at the table, minus Rainbow Dash, couldn't help but smile at the admittedly adorable display. Rainbow on the other hoof only cracked a small smile, still trying to maintain her tough exterior. As for Carrot and Cup Cake, they were freaking out. Carrot's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he passed out right in the middle of the bakery.

"POUND, PUMPKIN!" Cup exclaimed, galloping over to the duo. "SHOW YOUR MANNERS! You don't jump onto other ponies, especially Princess Celestia!"

"Pretty!" Pumpkin waved her hoof through Celestia's translucent mane.

"Aww, you're so sweet, little one," the princess patted the toddler's head gingerly as she smiled down at her. Celestia giggled as Pumpkin's eyes were firmly locked onto and played with this strange other mane she had never seen before. "My you're the curious little filly, aren't you? Aren't you?" Celestia tickled Pumpkin's belly with her hoof. Cup Cake almost felt like collapsing like her husband.

"Checkered!" Pound sat onto the racing pony's lap, waving his forelegs around. "Y-your da bestest racer!" He said with a proud smile. Checkered chuckled heartily and placed his larger hooves onto Pound's smaller ones.

"Always nice to meet a super fan," the racer grinned, moving the colt's hooves back and forth. He then took notice of Pound's wings, "Except you might be a future Wonderbolt instead of a racer for the earth ponies, huh?" He lowered his head to Pound's level. "Rainbow, looks like you might have a future trainee here," he mentioned. Rainbow Dash cocked her head, realizing that she'd never thought of that possibility before. Then again, Pound was still extremely young.

"Uh-uh!" Pound shook his head, moving his hooves away from Checkered's. "Wanna be like Checkered Flag!" Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight awed at that notion by the little colt.

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed!" Cup bit her lip. "I apologize for my children; they're just excited," she tried to explain. The mother reached over and scooped Pumpkin away from Celestia gently. "Again, I'm so sorry, your highness," she cringed, afraid of what would happen.

"It's no trouble, Mrs. Cake," she waved to Pumpkin who was now cradled in her mother's foreleg. "I always love seeing the future of Equestria so young, excited, and vibrant. Sometimes I wish I could've taken the step to motherhood long ago," she added, looking downward for a brief moment before casting her gaze over to Glock. The pegasus cocked an eyebrow before catching on what his marefriend was talking about.

"Uh, well," the guard mumbled, "m-maybe we shouldn't rush things like that Tia," he blushed, failing to keep his stoic demeanor.

"I'm only teasing Glock," she playfully shoved his shoulder, "for now," she whispered, winking at him.

"Come on, Pound," Cup called, trying to get her son to leave Checkered Flag alone. "I'll get you your drink, but Checkered Flag is very busy right now." As she said this, Carrot Cake awakened, shaking his head after fainting. He rubbed his eyes only to see his daughter in Cup Cake's foreleg.

"Oh, he wasn't bothering me, Cup Cake," Checkered assured her. "I like kids; I've got to deal with a lot of them at races," he picked Pound up by his sides, trying to hand him to Cup Cake.

"You put the babies up, Honey Bun, and I'll get back to work on the Hearts and Hooves orders," Carrot Cake shook his head back and forth. He wanted to help his wife with their kids, but because of this whole morning fiasco, they were a few hours behind on orders.

"NO! WANNA STAY WITH CHECKERED!" Pound wailed, trying to get away from his mother's grasp. Cup Cake set Pumpkin on the floor, now free to use both forelegs.

"Please don't fuss, sweetie," she begged. "I'm sure he won't mind signing something for you if you behave like a good colt." The colt continued to wriggle around in Checkered's grasp, not wanting to leave him. "Pinkie, could you help me, please?" Cup Cake requested.

"You've got it, Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie sprang up from her seat with a salute. "Now then, where did I put that extra bag of flour?" She tapped her chin.

"Sorry Pinkie, but we need the rest of the flour in the shop to fill these orders!" Carrot called from the kitchen. Checkered, not wanting to accidentally drop the colt, held him close before standing up from his seat. He clutched the toddler to his side as he walked on three legs.

"I can help you put them up for a nap if you'd like, Cup Cake," he smiled. "It's no trouble," he added when the mother opened her mouth to object. "And I don't blame your husband at all; it can't be too easy raising twins while running your own business." The baking pony sighed, yet it was a sigh of relief. She smiled warmly as she placed her daughter onto her back.

"Thank you, Checkered," she said. "And don't worry about Carrot; we take turns baking and taking care of our children." Pound finally stopped fussing as Checkered gently placed the colt onto his back, allowing the colt to grab onto his neck for support.

"Hey Pound, wanna see how fast I can go?" Checkered offered. The colt squealed in glee, bouncing up and down on the stallion's neck. "Let's see if we can beat your mother and sister," he winked at the mare. Checkered then counted down from three; he and Cup trotted quickly up the stairs as Pound and Pumpkin made racing noises. The bakery felt strange as the quietness set in.

"Well then," Rarity exhaled with a smile. "I hadn't a clue Checkered was that good with foals," she complimented, moving her glass of water around gingerly with her magic.

"Luna's a lucky mare to have somepony like that in her life," Lyra nodded, though held Bon Bon close.

"Ah've seen him stop ta talk ta a few foals before 'n after races," Applejack replied. "He's a good pony," she added, looking solemnly toward the hallway where she last saw her lover go. It'd been only a few minutes, but it felt like hours, especially with everything they'd been through the previous night and this morning.

"Can I get you anything else, mom?" Spike asked with hope. The purple alicorn, although feeling better after seeing the display of Checkered and Celestia with the Cake twins, was still feeling ill, so she wasn't doing much at all.

"Just, stay the good son you are, please," Twilight smiled weakly, folding a wing over Spike's back.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

Everyone yelped at the sudden clap of thunder as their manes stood up straight from the sudden flash of lighting. Spike clasped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing at the ridiculous mane styles his friends and mom now had. "What the tartarus was that?" Bon Bon smoothed her mane back into its original form. All of a sudden, it began to rain, inside the bakery. But instead of water droplets, globs of red something fell onto the floor, tables, chairs, and heads of the ponies and dragon.

"Eww!" Rarity shrieked, grabbing an empty plate and covering her head, "GROSS, GROSS, GROSS!"

"Is that, slime?" Rainbow kept shaking her head to get the globs out of her mane. It already had enough colors and looked badass; getting sticky stuff out of it was a pain in the ass. Curious, Pinkie Pie collected some in her hoof before licking it like it were ice cream.

"Don't put your tongue on it!" Rarity gagged. Celestia cast a quick spell that made the gooey stuff fall around everyone instead of on them. Pinkie Pie gave the substance another lick before her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

"Raspberry," she said in a Batman-like voice. "There's only one that I know that would dare make it rain raspberry jam," she collected more in her hooves and began to eat it up. "And it's delicious, Discord!" She cheered as another glob, one with yellow eyes, landed on her hoof. The glob's eyes looked up at the pony before they literally rolled out of the jam and onto the floor like a pair of billiard balls, landing with the red pupils face up.

"I thank you for not licking me, ugh," Discord shuddered as his hodgepodge body materialized on the floor. "Sorry for the sticky entrance, but I didn't want to scare the little ones. Nothing can ruin a mood more than a crying brat," the draconequus stretched his arms with a groan. Fluttershy grinned and waved at one of her closest friends, perhaps he was her closest friend. A visit from him may just be what the doctor ordered to perk her spirits up even more than the Cake twins did.

"Hello Discord," Twilight grumbled. While she still didn't mind the master of chaos as much as she did before, the Princess of Friendship was NOT in the mood to deal with his antics for the time being. Discord summoned a little plate, a blueberry cruller, and a mug of coffee from the table before seating himself between Glock and Celestia.

"Don't mind me, though you may want to scootch your rather large rump over, Celestia," Discord winked, dunking the plate into his coffee before taking a bite out of it.

"I beg your pardon!" Celestia exclaimed, her cheeks turning red from astonishment and embarrassment.

"Hey! You watch what you say to your princess," Glock growled, though the lord of chaos didn't care what he said.

"Now, Discord, I don't want to sound rude," Rarity cleared her throat as the draconequus munched his plate, using the cruller to wipe his mouth.

"Oh, I DO!" Rainbow butted in and pointed a hoof at Discord, "We're not in the mood to deal with whatever crazy and backward crap you have cooked up for us!"

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy gasped, dropping her jaw a little. She was used to Rainbow being more blunt than any of her other friends, but that didn't mean she approved of it. "Sorry Discord," she apologized, looking back to her friend, "we've all had a somewhat frustrating and disheartening morning," she explained. He swallowed his bite and sipped some of his coffee.

"So Lyra, how goes the married life?" He completely ignored Fluttershy as if she weren't even there. The married couple was dumbfounded that Discord even knew they existed; the three had rarely, if ever, spoken to each other. "Are you two sick of each other yet?"

"Um, we're doing fine?" Lyra leaned back from Discord, not trusting anything he had to say or do.

"Well, isn't that fantastic?" Discord let out a little belch. "It's good to know that you two trust each other so much," he sort of sneered. The atmosphere around the table changed yet again. This time from cheerful because of the Cake twins, to awkward because of Discord.

"'Scuse me, Discord," AJ leaned forward, "Ah think Fluttershy was speakin' to ya," she narrowed an eye at mismatched creature, letting him know he was being rude. The yellow pegasus in question did in fact look a little hurt that Discord had ignored her greeting, but brushed it off as he probably wanted to know how Lyra and Bon Bon were doing on their first Hearts and Hooves Day as a married couple.

"Say, where is your biped of a coltfriend, Applejack?" Discord retorted to the farm pony. "I figured you two would be all snuggled up on a bail of hay, listening to the newest Pony Keith record," he teased, puckering out his lips and making kissing noises. The mare bit her hoof as she blushed, embarrassed to admit that that actually sounded like a great idea to do once her coltfriend was done talking to Luna.

"We had plans today," Applejack coughed, "but they sorta got pushed ta the side- HEY! Don't change the subject one me, ya varmint!" She snapped.

"What?" Discord asked innocently, turning into a younger, more innocent-looking version of himself. "It IS Hearts and Hooves Day after all; I just want to know how the happy couples are doing today. I only ask because on my morning stroll through Ponyville, I noticed there was very little Hearts and Hooves Day activities, and more whispering behind closed doors so to speak."

"What do you care what goes on in Ponyville?" Spike questioned.

"Oh, well normally on Hearts and Hooves Day, everypony is making either googly eyes with each other or making baby ponies," he shrugged nonchalantly, causing Pinkie Pie to spit out her milk. "So I was doing what I do best: Changing words on those stupid heart candies, writing different names in those dumb cards, making flowers smell like spoiled cottage cheese, those sort of things."

"I didn't know you-" Fluttershy attempted to chime in, but was interrupted by Discord.

"But then a newspaper caught my eye," he said grimly as the lighting in the bakery dimmed, mirroring that of a house in a horror film. "And that's when a certain article made its way across my gaze," he snapped his eagle talons, causing a newspaper to appear in front of him. "I suppose you may trust your, whatever Bon Bon is in your relationship, a little too much Lyra!" He exclaimed, shoving the article into Lyra, Bon Bon, and Fluttershy's faces.

"Oh no…." Fluttershy's pupils shrank as the color drained from her buttery yellow face.

"I had a feeling we forgot something important," Pinkie Pie scratched her chin. "Uh, Discord, you do know that the whole article is fake, right?" She questioned. Discord snorted, ignoring the earth pony's explanation as he ripped the paper away from Fluttershy, Lyra, and Bon Bon, sitting back down with a growl.

"Why do you care about our love life?" Bon Bon furrowed her eyebrows at the draconequus, bracing her forelegs against the tabletop. "And to be honest, we've," she pointed between herself and Lyra, "never had much of a conversation with you before," Bon Bon added.

"Oh PLEASE!" Discord summoned a hammer and nail, proceeding to hammer the nail into his head. "I'd rather hammer nails into my skull all day before I'd want to hear about your, blech, love life," he shuddered before the hammer and nail disappeared. Bon Bon shook her hoof at Discord as Lyra stuck her tongue out.

"D-Discord?" Fluttershy stuttered. She knew that the mention of her and Caramel in the paper had the potential to bite her, but she honestly didn't even think that Discord would get ahold of the Ponyville Gazette. "P-please don't believe-"

"Hmm, why did anypony else hear that?" Discord dug a talon into his inner ear before cupping the entire ear with his hand. "Why I believe Cup Cake and Carrot Cake may have a mouse problem," he said, still rudely ignoring Fluttershy. The meek Pegasus pouted and slumped into her chair. She even sniffled a bit and quickly wiped her eyes with her hair. Everyone glared at Discord for his behavior, waiting for him to finally respond to Fluttershy.

"That is IT!" Celestia slammed her hoof onto the table. "Discord, I demand you answer your friend Fluttershy this instant!" She growled, causing golden sparks to shoot out from her horn. It was rare to see Celestia a little miffed, let alone this angry. The rest of the table cowered slightly at her rage, uncertain of what she'd do next. "If you are truly worried about what this newspaper says, then let her explain it since you two are close friends!" Discord sneered at the princess and opened his mouth to reply.

"Oh why don't you stuff more cake into your mouth, Celestia?" he scoffed, pointing a finger from his lion paw at the alicorn. The princess dropped her jaw, along with everyone else who gasped loudly at the remark. Discord was known for more fun-loving teasing, but he said this with a large hint of malice behind it.

"How...dare you!" Twilight finally picked her head up from the table. "HOW DARE YOU!?" She screamed, flaring her wings out and accidentally smacked Spike in the face. The dragon rubbed his cheek as Discord's face remained stoic and uncaring at his brash remark.

"Please be calm, Twilight," Celestia requested through gritted teeth. She was used to his nearly 24/7 insults, but he was starting to get under her skin; she didn't have much patience this morning.

"YOWCH!" Discord whined when a golden lightning bolt from Celestia's horn zapped him in the rear, catching it on fire. The draconequus materialized a fireman's uniform onto his body as he sat into a bucket of water, sighing in relief as the water soothed his burning bum. "I think that was a bit rude, don't you think?" He suddenly found himself frozen in a golden mist, unable to move of his own will. He was then turned to face the sun alicorn's fiery glare as she leaned him close to her face.

"You…" she said grimly, pausing to choose her words carefully. "Will answer your friend Fluttershy this instant, Discord," Celestia growled, "or you can say bye-bye to your powers, forever," a large flame appeared in both of her eyes. The alicorn then pushed Discord onto his back, allowing herself to tower over him. Pinkie brought up a bucket of popcorn from under the table, intrigued at seeing an angry Celestia.

"B-but!"

"If you think I'm bluffing, don't forget that myself, Luna, and Cadence transferred our powers into Twilight to hide them from Tirek. I can just as easily take away yours if you continue to act like a selfish brat to your first and closest friend," she jabbed her golden hoof plate into his face.

"Woah…." Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. Discord, knowing that Celestia wasn't bluffing whatsoever, gulped as rivers of sweat streamed down his face.

"Oh F-Fluttershy, there you are!" He stumbled, darting his eyes over to the meek pony. "M-may I have a word with you, dear friend?" His voice cracked. His red and yellow eyes shifted back over to Celestia as she narrowed her own eyes at the creature beneath her. With a loud snort, the golden mist surrounding Discord dissipated, allowing the draconequus to move. Like a snake, he slithered out from underneath the alicorn, only to appear next to Fluttershy. Just as he was about to speak to the hurt pony, Discord realized that everyone was staring at him. Regaining a bit of his snarky side, Discord put his lion arm around his friend. "Ahem, could we have a friends only moment?" He snapped his eagle talon, making the duo disappear and reappear on the other side of the dining area.

"Aww!" Pinkie Pie groaned, "Just when it was getting good!" She dropped her bucket of popcorn on the floor. Back over with Discord and Fluttershy, the latter was having a hard time looking at the former, still feeling hurt that he ignored her, and worried about his issue with the newspaper. Discord on the other hand was having difficulty finding a good place to start. Scratching at his chalk white goatee, Discord thought hard about something that really defined what the two of them did together. He couldn't start off a conversation and ignore the fact that he treated Fluttershy as if she were dead; that would only hurt her further. 'Well, we've always had tea together,' a mini Discord appeared on the original Discord's shoulder. 'Perhaps that can lighten the mood a bit?' The mini Discord whispered into Discord's ear as it sat in a recliner with a pipe. With a quick drum of his talons atop the table, a tea set appeared between Discord and Fluttershy.

"Tea for 400 bits, please," Discord chuckled, levitating a full cup over to Fluttershy. The pegasus looked up from her reflection in the table to the tea before looking back down. "Aw, you always love that joke, Fluttershy," Discord set the tea gently down in front of his friend. When she still didn't respond, Discord gasped as another idea oozed from his brain. And as he sucked his brains back into his head, he pulled out a giant mallet, holding it above his head. "Would you like one lump, or two, Fluttershy?" He banged his head hard, forming two lumps in between his horns. The lumps rolled off his head, down his nose, and landed into Fluttershy's tea cup. The two lumps turned into Discord shaped sugar cubes with smiley faces.

"…." Fluttershy mumbled something inaudibly. The Discord sugar cubes turned to frowns before melting.

"Apologies," Discord stuck a giant Q-Tip into his ears, pushing it in and out between his head, "but could you please repeat that?" The animal lover sighed sadly, pushed her tea cup away and tried to pick up the volume of her voice.

"You…..rt…..e," she said softly. Ears and horns drooping, Discord pouted, knowing he'd done far more damage than he realized. When not even his usual breaking the laws of physics gags would cheer up Fluttershy, there was only one thing he could do. With a sad smile, he reached over his eagle talons and lightly stroked Fluttershy's bubblegum colored mane.

"Fluttershy please," he begged, "I really do wish to talk of my own accord, not because of what Siz- Princess Celestia ordered," he caught himself from making another immature joke. Slowly, Fluttershy raised her big, teal eyes upward with a quivering lower lip.

"You really hurt me, Discord," she said solemnly.

"That much I know, and I took it too far," he admitted.

"But why?" Fluttershy's hoof touched Discord's talons. She didn't move his talons away; she just sort of held his talons within her hoof. "I'm your friend; friends don't treat other friends like that," Fluttershy blinked a few tears away. "Please, just tell me why you acted like I didn't exist or even matter over what you read in a dumb newspaper!" She rose her voice just a little. Discord raised his lion paw and began to chew on its claws.

"Fluttershy, we've been calling each other friends for some time, correct?" He asked in a cracked voice. Fluttershy nodded in response. "Well, I recall we made a pact to always be honest and truthful with each other like your friend Applejack over there cherishes," he pointed to the orange pony that was still staring in the direction of the bathrooms. "I've answered every question you've ever asked and even told you a few secrets that even Celestia doesn't know."

"But….I've done the same in return," Fluttershy replied, feeling lost.

"Then imagine how I felt this morning after working hard to dirty my dishes and putting fresh dust bunnies in the corners of my house, only to see an article that claimed you were courting Caramel," now it was Discord's turn to look and feel hurt. He shut his eyes and let his head droop low. "You told me that you only performed that certain act with him because you didn't have enough time to properly prepare yourself for the Estrus. And that taking him to the Grand Galloping Gala was your form of apology," he added.

"And it was!" The pegasus defended.

"I just….felt like you lied to me and that if you were keeping your courtship secret from me, you didn't trust me enough as a friend. That's why I treated you like I did."

"Discord, that newspaper article you read was just a tabloid," Fluttershy repeated what Pinkie Pie had said earlier. A sudden alarm went off in Discord's head.

"…Tabloid?" Discord gulped as a boxing glove appeared from thin air and socked him in the face.

"Yes!" Fluttershy exclaimed, making him remove his talon from her hoof. "I would never lie to you; and I do trust you as one of my closest friends. And if I were courting somepony, I would tell you before anypony else, even Rarity," she plopped back in her seat, holding her muzzle with her hooves. Her true feelings for the draconequus were beginning to surface. She had to stop and think about what to say next or risk blurting out that he'd be the somepony she wanted to court and send everything to tartarus. "I really wish you would've come and asked me if it was true."

"Well, I feel like a jerk," Discord's face briefly turned into Christian Bale's as he put his talon back onto Fluttershy's hoof. Although he couldn't admit it to Fluttershy, and he really did feel like she lied to him earlier in the morning, he was actually filled to the brim with jealously that Fluttershy could potentially court somepony else. She would always be his first friend, the first pony who actually cared about his feelings and wanted him to know that she would be there for him. There was a possibility the feelings for friendship he felt for the buttery pegasus had grown stronger over time, but he could never tell her. How would she know if he was joking or not? Or what if it was so awkward that she couldn't face him anymore? The jealousy he felt at the idea of her with somepony else was truthfully the anger he felt toward himself for not being able to tell her, especially since they vowed to tell each other everything as he pointed out. "F-Fluttershy I know there's no excuse for my behavior," he flat out admitted.

"Everypony has their bad days, Discord," Fluttershy replied, knowing that her friend truly felt bad about jumping to conclusions.

"Yes, but a simple apology won't do; you're too special to just throw an apology at, even if it's heartfelt," Discord held his chin in his lion paw. "My behavior must be punished," he added. An idea suddenly sprang into Fluttershy's mind.

"Give up your powers for a day," she said with a smile.

"Excuse me?!" Discord's head exploded into confetti before reappearing on top of his body.

"We can spend the rest of the day as friends since you're already here, but you can see what it's like to live without your magic for the rest of the day," Fluttershy explained.

"Um, I was imprisoned in stone for thousands of years," Discord briefly turned to stone before he broke free. "And I couldn't use my magic then," he reminded her.

"I know, but then you wouldn't have to feel like you have to use your magic to keep my attention. You can just be the gentle soul I know is underneath all of your mismatched body parts. And I'm not saying I'm bored of your tricks, but you don't have to do them all the time with me. We can just talk like we're doing now, or maybe have a picnic with my animal friends," she suggested as the slightest shade of pink appeared under her yellow fur.

"Would that really help?" He questioned, lifting his chin up.

"If you can give up your powers and just be my friend for the rest of the day, then I know you're truly sorry, Discord," Fluttershy smiled as she flapped her wings and floated over to Discord, wrapping her forelegs around him. The draconequus was thankful she couldn't see the blush rising up into his face. He patted her back as he returned the hug. With another sigh, they released the hug. Discord snapped his talons, and made a large jar appear. He levitated himself above said jar before wringing out his slender body like a towel, causing a blue substance to be squeezed from his body.

"There we go," he declared after collapsing onto the tabletop and crawling back to his seat next to Fluttershy. "This jar is 100% Discord power concentrated," he tapped the label that had a winking farmer Discord. "The jar won't open for 24 hours, and I'll entrust Celestia to watch it," he grimaced, missing his powers already.

"I'm proud of you, Discord," Fluttershy hugged his torso.

'Maybe this won't be so bad,' Discord thought to himself. "Um, perhaps we should rejoin our friends," Discord cleared his throat. "In fact, I even forgot Luna and Cougar were here," he pointed to the duo that were approaching their friends.

---

(Time Jump; Ivan's POV)

With my back against the wall for the past few minutes, I stared directly at the Mare's Room sign on the bathroom door. I wanted to patiently await Luna's exit from relieving herself, if she had to that is. I still had the utmost respect for the female gender; barging into the bathroom wouldn't be very appropriate. Still, Luna's reaction to what I said was completely out of left field. She was my friend, and I really didn't have any feelings of romantic caliber for her. Thinking it over, I didn't even say anything too mean; I felt that extinguishing any possibility of that idea right away was the right thing to do. I kept replaying the scene over and over in my mind, trying to look for any clues for her outburst. 'That's certainly what a mare likes to hear on Hearts and Hooves Day!'

While waiting, I heard the Cake twins yelling about Celestia and Checkered being in the bakery which brought a little smile to my face. I even heard Pound praise Checkered for his ability as a racer.

"Did I insinuate that I thought she was unlovable maybe?" I asked myself. There was that possibility, but Checkered Flag was sitting right next to her, how could she think that's what I meant? I was no Sherlock Holmes, but no matter how much thought I put into this, I couldn't come up with a good reason for her reaction. Then again, it was said that she didn't get to have alone time with Checkered earlier…..maybe she was just, pent up and anxious?

"I know you are out there, Cougar," Luna's voice penetrated through the door, causing me to jump. "Do you not realize how loud you talk when speaking to yourself?" She asked, still sounding mighty ticked. I gulped, not knowing what to do. Should I just wait for her to leave, go back to the table, or try and hold a conversation through a bathroom door?

"Luna," I licked my lips, trying to find a place to start, "I just wanted talk to you," I admitted. "I may have said something wrong, but I honestly don't know what," I trailed off, mentally kicking myself for sounding ignorant. There was some shuffling coming from the other side of the door, but I still had no idea what Luna was doing in there. She really could've just gone to the bathroom to think for all I know.

"And you thought talking to me through a bathroom door would be logical?"

"Well, I'm not just gonna go into a women's restroom," I replied with a snort. "I'm not looking to end the day with a broken nose," I added. I was met with some more shuffling. Could she have just been leaning against the wall for support and her fur was brushing up against said wall? "I…I just want to straighten things out, okay?" This time I heard a sigh rather than shuffling.

"Could you just give me a brief moment, please?" She requested. I had to do a double-take; I was surprised it didn't take much to get her to talk to me. Though the few minutes I waited was probably just enough time for her to cool down from her initial outburst. "Are you still there, Cougar?" She asked when I didn't respond.

"Oh, uh, yes!" I replied, shaking my head. "I can wait until you're done," I lightly patted the wooden door before stepping back and leaning back against the wall. Though, I still felt like I had to say something else. "Can I just add that I wasn't trying to say you were ugly or anything-"

"Please stop talking," she cut me off, sounding rather paranoid. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, preventing any other possibly stupid things to come out. After a few seconds of her latest request, I heard the sound of a toilet flushing, followed by the sound of her turning the sink on. "You may enter," she suddenly said.

"Excuse me?" I was positive I heard her wrong while I was trying to think of what to say.

"I am finished; you may enter if you are still wishing to speak to me privately," Luna repeated as she had yet to turn off the sink. Other than Applejack, no other female just willingly invited me into the bathroom before. And since this was NOT AJ, I was completely against the idea.

"Uh, I did want to speak to you privately, but the hallway still blocks the view of anyone from the dining area," I stepped closer to the door so she could hear me better. The mare scoffed at my modesty.

"Besides a pony's bedroom, the bathroom is one of the most private places in existence," she explained. "And the door locks; nopony else will come in," Luna added.

"It wasn't my plan to go into the bathroom while-"

"Just get in here, Cougar!" Luna exclaimed much louder than before. Her silver magic seeped from the sides and underneath the door like smoke. The door quickly slammed open to reveal the blue alicorn glaring at me through the open doorway. I didn't want to piss her off even more, so I had no choice but to enter the bathroom. I never felt so….dirty in my life as I stepped foot into the women's bathroom. The instant I cleared the doorway, Luna quickly shut the door and locked it.

"Hey," I bit my lower lip, not ready to start up a conversation in this particular location. The mare did not respond. Instead she turned back to the sink where she splashed some cold water onto her face before turning off the sink. She grabbed a paper towel within her magic and dabbed her face before tossing the paper towel into the garbage. Our eyes locked as neither of us spoke; we were both waiting for someone to say something.

CRACK-A-BOOM!

The two of us yelped from the sudden sound of extremely close thunder. "Did Rainbow Dash mention anything about a rain storm today?" Luna asked me as both of our nerves calmed. I swallowed and listened for the sound of rain falling. Usually with thunder that loud, the rain would hit pretty hard, but I didn't hear anything that sounded like rain. "Wait a moment," Luna darted her eyes around with a cocked eyebrow. "Discord is here," she sighed, tapping the side of her head. I guess she could sense another strong magical presence within the building, but I wasn't about to stop and ask.

"What the hell does he want?" I double checked to make sure the door was still locked.

"Probably to spread his usual brand of Hearts and Hooves Day mischief," Luna then quickly dried her hooves of any remaining water droplets.

"Well, it's a good thing he showed up after I said….." I trailed off, not wanting to piss her off further, and still puzzled why Luna got so worked up over my comment. She shifted her gaze my way, giving me an impossible to read look before turning back away.

"Hmm, yes; or else he would never let me hear the end of this," Luna groaned, flapping her wings and sitting on the counter next to the sink. For some reason, I felt compelled to join her, at least as much as I could. The sink was small, so I had to substitute sitting on the counter by leaning on the edge of the counter.

"If I can ask, why were you splashing water on your face?" I questioned, trying to work my way up to asking her what was wrong with my statement.

"Haven't you done that to help when you are feeling stressed?" Luna replied with a question of her own. "Or to calm down?" She added. I couldn't lie there; I must've wasted a good amount of water from splashing it on my face back home on Earth. I nodded with a sheepish shrug, still working to avoid saying the wrong thing again. "Are you and Applejack still fairing well?" Luna changed the subject rather abruptly.

"Oh…yeah," I had to blink away my surprise. Obviously we were doing better than we could've ever hoped, but I still held together the pact we'd made last night. "We had a pretty good Hearts and Hooves Day planned until all of this crashed that party," I explained.

"I am very pleased to hear that," Luna managed to crack a small smile.

"Thanks, but are you and Checkered still happy?" I replied with the same question.

"My heart soars higher than even Rainbow Dash ever could whenever I see him," Luna said with a sly smile. That response was something I'd expect to hear from Rarity or possibly Cadence, but I wasn't going to complain about it. Luna still sounded generally happy to be with Checkered Flag. "In fact, like yourself and Applejack, we too had somewhat of a special day planned," she ended with a growl. I was about to make somewhat of a smart remark that would make us chuckle, but I noticed something. Luna grimaced and raised her hoof to rub her head.

"Hey, are you okay there, Luna?" I asked as she lowered her hoof back to her side. She could only nod yes, but didn't keep her eyes on me for very long. "Can I get you anything?" Was my go to response if I saw something wrong with a friend, though I quickly realized running out of the bathroom only to run right back in would look suspicious.

"No, you don't have to do anything, Cougar," Luna sighed as she stepped down from the counter onto all four hooves.

"Well, that's not entirely true, Luna," I responded, standing at attention as the mare stretched out her wings. She froze and looked over at me, curious. "Look you can chalk this up to me not having a clue how females work, but please just tell me what was wrong with what I said," I begged. "I didn't mean to upset you, and I don't want to strain our friendship." The alicorn lowered her head for reasons I don't know, only raise her head back up with her ears flattened.

"I….I suppose I should apologize for overreacting," She replied.

"Because I didn't mean- I'm sorry?" I realized she had said something in return, but I was so worked up that I couldn't hear anything. Luna's eyes glowed a brilliant white before two lounge chairs appeared in the middle of the bathroom. The mare took one, sitting on her stomach with her legs curled up in front of her and gestured with her horn for me to sit down across from her.

"Please, take a seat; I have a few things I must tell you," she announced politely.

"So….you're not angry at me anymore?" I asked as I hesitantly took a seat across from the blue mare. Despite looking rather cozy curled up in her chair, I could tell she was still a little uncomfortable. Luna squeaked slightly from my question before bowing her head.

"Cougar, I truthfully never was angry at you per say," she admitted, pulling her head back up to look me in the eye.

"What?" I was flabbergasted. I squinted my eyes as I pulled my head back away from the alicorn. Things were now starting to jumble around in my head, things I didn't know how to figure out. "Okay Luna, please just tell me what the hell is going on," I requested firmly. "Should I be apologizing for what I said or not?" Luna frowned, looking a bit ashamed.

"Firstly, no, you have no reason to apologize nor feel sorry," she admitted, dropping her hoof off the edge of the chair, swinging it around.

"You yelled at me and stormed off for the bathroom," I replied flatly. "What am I supposed to feel or say?" I leaned closer to the mare.

"Concerned, perhaps? Possibly even confused?" Luna guessed. "Ahem, but as to what I said earlier, yes, I do admit I overreacted to your statement. And I know I have no excuse for yelling at a friend like that, but….." she paused briefly, chewing on her bottom lip. We were actually getting somewhere, so that was a good start, but I still wanted to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible. "Oh, this is a little uncomfortable to talk about, especially to a stall- male," she blinked a few times. Being the caring guy that I was, I reached out and cupped her hoof with my fingers, just trying to get her to calm down. Even though I was getting jumbled up with her, she was still my friend. With a sigh, she opened her mouth again, "Cougar, did you ever make love to anypony back in your old home?" She asked bluntly. "Ow!" She exclaimed when my fingers clamped around her hoof like a vice.

"N-no!" I replied hastily, "I-I'm still…no I didn't," I decided to keep a partial truth between Luna and myself, but that came from literally nowhere. "Sorry," I added as I relinquished my grip on her hoof. The mare shook it about to get the feeling out.

"Okay then…." she looked at me suspiciously. "This morning, Checkered and I awakened together in my bed. Since it was Hearts and Hooves Day, our first Hearts and Hooves Day to be exact, we were just starting to, ahem, 'relax,' together," Luna emphasized the word. My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as she gave me this information. Of course she already guilted her sister earlier about this, but I still wasn't exactly comfortable talking about this sort of thing. "Do you understand what it feels like to be interrupted and being forced to be pent up for a period of time?"

"Uhhh," I shrugged, unable to say anything in response.

"It can be extremely frustrating," she explained as I nodded. "Especially since I awakened this morning with a migraine," Luna added.

"M-Migraine?"

"Yes," the mare looked away to her reflection in the mirror. "That is also why I was rinsing my face earlier; the cold water helps some, but not as much as being with my special somepony," she sighed. "Do you understand what I'm getting at?" She looked at my reflection in the mirror.

"Surprisingly yes," I mumbled, recalling a brief conversation between myself and Tex a few years ago about the same situation. "I guess I shouldn't have demanded you to tell me what was wrong," I added solemnly.

"Don't," Luna replied quickly and firmly, snapping her gaze from the mirror to me. She sat up on her haunches and said, "Do not apologize; you had no idea what was going on with me, and as your friend it wouldn't be fair for me to hold that against you." She explained. "I don't get migraines very often, just during a certain time," Luna added.

"Certain time?" I had a little memory flashback of trying to help Applebloom during her first 'certain time.' "Well, that would explain a lot," I mumbled. Being pent up with a migraine and on her period, I couldn't fault her for being a little touchy and moody. "Wait a minute, you were trying to 'relax' with Checkered Flag while your….'thing' was going on?" This time Luna gave me a sly smile.

"On the contrary, I don't experience much pain at all with the exception of migraines, so I was prepared to have Checkered help cure my migraine," she winked.

"I get it," I grimaced, holding my hands out to emphasize that I understood what she was saying.

"However, I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that," Luna confessed.

"Trust me, it wasn't your fault whatsoever," I stood up from the cushy chair and braced my hands against the sink counter, looking into the mirror. The alicorn stood up as well; her magic made the two pieces of furniture vanish. She trotted over to my position and stood next to me.

"Is that all you wanted to know? Or is there something else on your mind?" Luna questioned, looking over at me with concern and curiosity.

"I don't know," I shook my head. "Even though you're not mad at me and I understand the reason for your outburst, I just feel like I have to explain why I said what I said."

"Well, why?" Luna questioned curiously. "It was a natural response as you only see me as a friend, right?" I gulped and nodded in response.

"Look Luna, I didn't say it like I found you unattractive or unlovable," I turned to the mare. "Because I can easily see why Checkered loves you," I earned a blush from Luna. "The reason why I stressed that I wouldn't be romantically involved with you is because I'm a one woman man. I love Applejack more than I've ever loved anyone, and I just can't share my heart that way with anyone else. Besides, I'm not a swinger like Austin Powers, and I'm sure it's frowned upon for a stallion or mare to have more than one parter," I chuckled.

"Um….." Luna clicked her tongue. "That's not entirely accurate, Cougar," she rubbed her shoulder. "I can tell you that I find your dedication and loyalty to Applejack most commendable, but it's not illegal for a stallion to have more than one mate; they can even have a herd if they wished."

"H-h-herd?" I stuttered, trying but failing laughably at comprehending sentient beings such as ponies and humans having a herd. Monogamy was law in many parts of my world, so it just boggled my mind that a stallion could have his own herd.

"It's an ancient law," Luna blushed again, "created long ago when the mares vastly outnumbered stallions," she explained. "The numbers have gotten more even in the past hundred years as Tia has told me, but the law was never rescinded, so a stallion could have multiple lovers."

"I'm a one woman man," I repeated, coughing uncomfortably into my hand. "Applejack is all I'll ever need," I quickly turned on the faucet, doused my hand with cold water and ran it across my forehead.

"Well then, she's a very lucky mare to have such a loyal stallion as her special somepony," Luna patted my back.

"I'm more lucky to have her," I mumbled, but Luna didn't hear me. "I suppose we should rejoin our friends if we're done here?" I suggested, quickly drying off my hand with a paper towel. "So you can get back to Checkered?" I winked. The mare's silver magic vanished immediately from around the door.

"I suppose I'm a little anxious," she grinned. "Oh!" Luna exclaimed when I bent down and hugged her close. Luna didn't struggle or object; she put her hoof on my back and patted it softly.

"What was that for?" She questioned when we parted.

"Just a thank you," I replied as I stood to the side of the door frame, allowing her to exit first. "Thank you for being my friend, Luna," I smiled.

"Thank you for enriching all of our lives, Cougar," she bowed her head as we exited the bathroom and entered the hallway. "By the way, who is this Austin Powers? Was he another friend of yours?" Luna asked me. With a chuckle, I patted the back of Luna's neck.

"I'll show him to you sometime Luna," I remarked. We appeared in full view of the dining area. Discord, as Luna predicted, was here and sitting next to Fluttershy at a table on the other side of the bakery.

"In fact, I even forgot Luna and Cougar were here," he pointed to us as we were approaching our friends, though I was curious as to where Checkered had gone. The draconequus clapped his eagle talons and lion paw, disappearing from sight only to reappear with Fluttershy at the main table. Luna and I smiled at each other as we stopped next to everyone, choosing not to sit down.

"Well, we're on the same page now," I announced. "But if I can be frank here, after all the shit we've been through this morning, I think we should go our separate ways and spend today with the ones we cherish the most," I suggested, walking over to near AJ's seat and sat down on my knees.

"Best. Frakking. Idea. Today," Bon Bon agreed in a frustrated tone.

"Though, where is Checkered? I have an important task for him," Luna looked around, trying to hide her desperation.

"Right here, Lulu," we looked over to see Checkered trotting down the stairs. "Cup Cake and I finally got the twins to sleep," he grinned as he trotted over to Luna and nuzzled his cheek against her wing. The alicorn did somewhat of a double-take.

"You assisted Cup Cake with her children?" Luna asked with a surprised yet proud expression.

"Mm-hmm," Pinkie nodded as everyone got up from the table. "Pound wouldn't leave Checkered alone, but Checkered definitely earned the title of coolest honorary uncle! You know Princess Luna, Checkered would make one great daddy," the pink mare trotted over and nudged Luna's side, clicking her tongue.

"Errrr," both Luna and Checkered uttered at the same time. "Th-thank you for your compliment, Pinkie," Checkered swallowed roughly.

"Well, I can see that," Luna agreed with Pinkie, wrapping a wing around Checkered's torso. "Checkered does make a very good special somepony." The stallion blushed as Luna proceed to rub her cheek on top of his black and white mane. Rarity, Lyra, Fluttershy, and Celestia 'awed' at the moment while Rainbow and Discord gagged.

"Oh, it appears Rainbow Dash and I actually agree on something," Discord looked as if he was waiting for something to happen, but he then looked disappointed as if he'd remembered something troubling.

"Heh, you got that right, Dipcord," Rainbow smirked as she teased the draconequus. She gave my back a good slap before hovering in front of myself and Applejack. "I'll see you guys later; I'm gonna go meet Soarin for lunch, pick up Scootaloo from school, then probably squeeze a nap in somewhere," she announced.

"If ya want Ivan 'n Ah ta take in Scootaloo fer the night so you 'n Soarin can, ya know….we don't mind, do we Ivan?" Applejack nudged my knee with her elbow. I still wasn't too comfortable talking about that sort of thing, and because of my talk with Luna, I wasn't ready to tease anyone about it.

"I-I guess not," I shrugged. Rainbow's jaw seemed to be locked open. Pinkie bounced her way over and made sure it was shut.

"Best be careful to not get any flies stuck in there, Dashie!" Pinkie giggled as Rainbow's wings even gave in, causing her to collapse to the ground.

"A-Applejack!" Rainbow stumbled over words, making me chuckle a bit. "Soarin and I are nowhere NEAR that phase yet!" Her cyan face was nearly dominated by a sea of crimson.

"Ahem, sorry but Spike is present," Twilight cleared her throat, gesturing to the dragon with her wing. "I don't think he needs to listen to this," she exclaimed in an overprotective motherly tone. Spike groaned at his mom, instead of showing disdain, he mustered up a smile and placed his hand on her back.

"Fine by me!" Rainbow exclaimed, breathing in and out through her nose since her lips were pursed shut.

"Aw, Ah didn't mean too much by it, Rainbow," Applejack chuckled at her friend. I could only shrug at Rainbow, not sure of what to say really. "So, what'd you 'n Luna talk about, Ivan?" AJ looked up at me as the last pony got up from the table.

"Uh, well we're back to the same page," I replied, chewing on my lower lip. I hoped that was all Applejack wanted to know; I didn't want to have a repeat of the conversation.

"So what went wrong, then?" Shit. I groaned, trying to think of something short that would put an end to this explanation as quickly as possible.

"Remember what I helped Applebloom with a few months ago?" I asked. Applejack could only cock her head to the side, trying to think of what I was talking about. "You know….it happens a few times a month…" I darted my eyes around, still immensely uncomfortable with this sort of thing.

"Oh….." Applejack pursed her lips as well, giving me an understanding nod. Breathing a sigh of relief and placing my hand on AJ's neck to pull her closer, I noticed Discord handing over a giant jar of blue stuff to Celestia. On the jar was a label with a picture of Discord wearing a stereotypical farmer outfit. "Fluttershy said Discord's givin' up his powers fer the day as an apology," Applejack explained when she noticed where I was staring.

"Don't remind me!" Discord whined. The draconequus then bit one of his eagle talons. His muffled voice chanted, "For Fluttershy," a few times as he seemed to relax a bit more.

"So, what are your plans for the whole newspaper fiasco, princess?" Lyra asked Celestia. All of us stopped what we were doing and simultaneously shifted our attention over to Celestia and Luna, waiting for their response. I hated to admit it, but due to all of the unnecessary stress all of us were under, I'd forgotten exactly why we wanted the royal sisters here in the first place. The elder of the sisters cleared her throat before speaking.

"We shall request a quick audience with your town's mayor," she announced. "That way, we can keep in check to see if your local paper will comply with what you told the editor earlier. And Luna and I will have to discuss it, but we may tweak the laws of the press to prevent anything like this from being printed ever again," Celestia added.

"And that's why you're the best princesses!" Bon Bon complimented Celestia and Luna. "Oh, no offense, Twilight," she said upon looking over to the purple alicorn. Twilight managed a small smile and shrugged right into Spike's hand that was still rubbing in between her wings.

"I don't think she really cares right now, Bon Bon," Spike replied for his mom. I still found it rather sweet how well Spike and Twilight's chemistry played off as mother and son, even though they were completely different species. Every time I looked at them, it was getting harder and harder to remember that when I arrived in Equestria, Spike was a baby and Twilight only treated him as a close friend at best. "In fact, what do you say we go home and I can fix you an early lunch, mom?" Spike suggested. "Then we can read to each other like we always did on Hearts and Hooves Day."

"I'd love that, Spike," Twilight had to wipe a tear away before forcibly hugging her son tightly.

"Blech," Rainbow gagged. "This is getting too sweet, even for Hearts and Hooves Day!"

"But, what about Flash Sentry?" Fluttershy asked Twilight, stepping in. Twilight's eyes popped open and looked as if they were about to fly out of her eye sockets.

"Oh…..well, I'll see if I can join him for dinner later tonight in Canterlot," she pondered.

"Glock and I are about to return, would you like me to bring Flash Sentry a message?" Celestia offered with a smile. Twilight bowed her head in response, prompting Celestia to make a mental note of her former student's answer. "Well then, I do believe we are all done here?" All of us gave one last look at each other before nodding in unison.

"I think I just want to spend the rest of the day with Applejack," I announced, pulling the mare close. "Though I haven't had time to think of what to do." I didn't want to exactly copy what we did yesterday, but even just cuddling on the couch in her living room or in my shack would be just fine.

"Actually, Ah may have an idea, Ivan," Applejack chimed in. "Thanks ta Discord, surprisingly," she rolled her eyes over to the hodgepodge creature.

"Next time my advice won't be free, Applejack," Discord crossed his arms. I looked down to my girlfriend, looking a little worried that she took some advice from Discord. She just gave me a reassuring smile before nuzzling my hand. Luna's silvery magic engulfed the door of the bakery, and opened it. What was a sea of ponies that had flocked to Sugar Cube Corner before was now just about a dozen and a half ponies still waiting outside. The windows flashed from Luna's magic again, presumably allowing the outsiders to see inside.

"Well, I'll see you guys later," Pinkie exclaimed, "I've gotta help Mr. Cake with those orders!" She saluted before trotting backwards into the bakery.

"Uh, Rarity?" Spike called out to the seamstress as we all filed outside. Luckily the stragglers parted ways as Celestia and Luna took the lead of our group. "Look, I'm sorry about this morning throwing us a curveball," he apologized.

"It's no trouble Spike, and it certainly was not your fault," Rarity patted his cheek. "However…..if you'd like, I wouldn't mind giving breakfast another go tomorrow morning, seeing as how we were interrupted this morning," She smiled sweetly. Spike blushed and looked over at Twilight for approval. We all smiled as well as Twilight gave him a quick nod, allowing him to try breakfast with Rarity again.

"Sure!" Spike squeaked out before hiding his face from his high pitched voice crack.

"Splendid; I will have a sisterly bonding night with Sweetie Belle tonight, for obvious reasons," Rarity announced with a shudder. Spike stuck out his hand with a smile, hoping to get a hoof shake from the fashionista. Rarity, however, looked down to his hand before looking back up with a smile of her own. Instantly, she wrapped a foreleg around the dragon and squeezed him. "We're too close of friends to belittle each other with hoof shakes, Spikey," Rarity said before letting the dragon go with a faint blush on his cheeks.

Celestia announced to us that she, Luna, Glock, and Checkered were departing for the Mayor's office at Town Hall and wished us a happy rest of the day. Feeling much better about the newspaper situation, well most of us anyway, we said our goodbyes to the quartet before finding ourselves in the middle of town, luckily with much less stares than earlier. Lyra and Bon Bon left as well; they too wanted to put the morning behind them and enjoy their first Hearts and Hooves Day as a married couple.

"Beg pardon, but could I speak to the both of you for a moment?" Rarity stepped in front of AJ and myself, allowing the others to converse amongst themselves. Before we could even reply, Rarity grabbed my arm and AJ's foreleg within her magic and pulled us in an alley in between two buildings. Once she checked that none of our friends could listen in, she exhaled sharply. "I do believe you know what I wanted to speak to you about, Cougar," she politely patted my leg.

"Well," I rubbed the back of my neck.

"Just let me say that I am so proud that you worked up the courage to get back on the same page as Applejack," Rarity complimented me. I opened my mouth to get more than one word in, but Rarity continued to gush, not that AJ or I minded too much. "I'm so happy for the both of you; especially you, Applejack."

"Thank ya kindly, Rare," Applejack replied as she nuzzled her shoulder against my leg.

"Why, I couldn't even tell that you were still feeling down about what happened last night, Cougar," Rarity turned to me.

"Well you could chalk that up to how god awful this morning was," I mumbled. Rarity gave me a deadpanned expression before shaking her head to bring a smile back. "But yeah, thank you for helping us Rarity, you're a good friend," I stuck my hand out. This time, Rarity accepted a handshake, just shaking it like a proper lady.

"You know, with how awful I felt this morning, it did warm my heart to see you two together and happy. You're very lucky to have found one another," she ended with another smile. I instantly wrapped my arm around Applejack, pulling her closer and rubbing her shoulder. Applejack turned her head and rested her chin upon my hip, looking up at me. We both exchanged a knowing look, deciding that it was now or never. AJ even rubbed her chin on my hip, giving me her full permission.

"Uh, Rarity?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from the farm pony.

"Mhmm?" She gave me her attention.

"About last night….thank you," I started, stumbling over my words.

"Oh, you needn't thank me more than once you two. I'm more than happy to lend a helping hoof to friends in need," Rarity chuckled happily.

"No…" I tried to correct her. "I mean-"

"Ohhh, of course not! You don't need to apologize for interrupting me, Cougar. Like I said before, I'm more than happy to help my friends with an issue, especially when it comes to their special somepony," she gave me a reassuring wave of her hoof. Delaying what I was trying to say only made it harder for the words to come out. Obviously I was still a little uncomfortable with the idea of telling someone I made love to Applejack, but with Applejack standing next to me, I had a bit more confidence. Finally, Applejack wriggled out of my arm and stepped forward.

"Rarity, what Ivan's tryin' ta say is yer advice worked wonders fer us. Thank ya fer givin' us both that push," Applejack placed a foreleg on Rarity's shoulder. The milk white unicorn had a blank expression on her face for about five seconds before it slowly changed. The realization dawned on her as a long, drawn out gasp escaped her mouth. The mare then lost her balance and fell onto her flank; her jaw looked as if it were about to rip from her skull.

"I expected her to squeal loud enough to shatter windows," I said, surprised at Rarity's reaction. Applejack gave enough of a hint without giving away too much or sounding as if she were bragging, but Rarity still sat on her haunches as still as a statue.

"Her….." Rarity finally said something.

"You okay there, Sugarcube?" Applejack lightly tapped Rarity's shoulder to break her from this funk.

"H-h-HER!" Rarity snorted loudly, jutting a foreleg past AJ. The two of us turned around to see just what had gotten her in such a frumpy mood. A red pony, a pegasus with a jet black mane, orange eyes, and what appeared to be an iron hoof shooting lightning as a cutie mark to be exact, was strolling through the town toward our friends.

"Is that a client that stiffed you or something?" I asked Rarity. The mare jumped up onto four hooves with fire in her eyes, and not the same fire that AJ had in her eyes last night. This was vengeful fire. Turning back to look at the pegasus, she was approaching closer and closer to our group of friends. I could barely make out the smug look on her face.

"Rarity, who exactly is that?" Applejack questioned before Rarity about knocked us over as if we were bowling pins. "Hey!" Applejack exclaimed. After regaining our balances, we spotted Rarity trotting rather quickly over to the pegasus mare almost like a Terminator zeroing in on a kill.

"GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS, YOU HUSSY!" Rarity shouted, gather the attention of the mare and the rest of our group as AJ and I broke into a full sprint to catch up. As we arrived, the mare's surprised face turned into a somewhat evil smile, almost like the Joker.

"Well, well, well," she greeted, her voice just dripping of smugness. "If it isn't the child abuser and the dragon toucher." A collective gasp rang from our group.

"Keep your mouth shut, Etherea!" Rarity spat as her whole body shook.

"Who the hay do you think you are, lady?" Rainbow hovered in the air, jabbing her hoof in this, Etherea's face.

"Just a concerned citizen of Equestria is all," she said innocently, smacking Rainbow's hoof away.

"Concerned citizen my hindquarters!" Rarity bared her teeth as she yelled at the mare. Applejack and I had to surprisingly restrain her in case she lashed out too far. But I couldn't hold it against her; this mare's attitude would make anyone want to punch that stupid look off her face. "You are nothing but a hateful she-devil who wants anyone that disagrees with you to burn," she growled.

"Woah, woah, woah, TIMEOUT!" Discord got in between the two mares. He groaned once nothing happened after his snapped his talons, but shook it off. "Now usually I'm all for a mare fight, but where did you two get off to such a bad start?" He questioned.

"She's just so high and mighty; somepony has to take this dragon fondler down a few pegs," Etherea grinned toward Rarity. "Though, I think today's newspaper did a fantastic job at that."

"Leave her alone!" Spike snarled, snaking his way between Discord and Rarity, trying his best to tower over Etherea.

"Will somepony get this disgusting reptile out of my sight before he eats me or something?" Now it was Twilight's turn to be pissed off. This mare was just asking to be buried six feet under. She was pissing me off too; she'd better shut her trap soon.

"Don't you dare talk to my son like that, Etherea!" Twilight flared her wings. "If you have a problem with him or my friends, then you talk to me!" Etherea could only give her the 'I'm so scared' face.

"It figures you'd abuse your powers when it comes to those close to you," Etherea chuckled like a snooty rich asshole. "And besides, just what the buck do you know about having a son? Who would be proud of having a filthy dragon for a son?"

"You'd be wise ta shut yer trap there, lil missy!" Applejack snorted as steam shot from her nose.

"I'll get to you soon, animal bucker," the pegasus replied in a cheery voice. I stomped a foot forward out of protection. I was hoping to scare her to shut her up.

"Twilight, why don't you order her to shut her damn pie hole?" Rainbow turned to the purple alicorn.

"Because it's my right to speak freely, dumbass," Etherea snapped. Rarity tried to wriggle out of my grasp when Applejack let go to yell. "Give me a break Princess," the pegasus spat, narrowing her orange eyes, "I know of your story; you merely hatched this stupid animal."

"She RAISED me from birth!" Spike growled, grinding his fangs together.

"Shut up! Nopony is talking to you!" Etherea snapped.

"LEAVE him….out of this," Twilight clenched her teeth together. Etherea chuckled and began to circle Twilight, strutting around like a kid with a new toy. I kept focus on her, never blinking, and never moving my eyes off her as if I were studying an enemy bogey to figure out her motives. She seemed to want more than just to piss us off….

"You are not a true mother," Etherea stated firmly. "You are nothing but a glorified pet owner that taught one of the dumbest animals on Celestia's green Earth to speak and not piss inside your home. You should be sooooo proud. You're just an insult to true mothers out there who actually went through the pain of giving birth and raising a pony, not some retarded reptile." Oh…..shit. Fluttershy and Rainbow covered their mouths with their hooves, Discord and Applejack remained silent while Rarity, Spike, and I began to breathe angrily in unison. "It's just pathetic how you compensate for being unable to find a willing stallion to breed with you, that you have to parade an animal around as your son."

"Y-y-you!" Twilight cried out, trying to sound angry, but her voice cracked. Suddenly, her whole body began to shake until she whined. Her purple eyes welled up with tears as she covered them with her wings, turned around, and ran away back to her castle, bawling.

"MOM!" Spike called out, running after her. "WAIT!"

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, shoving Rarity aside. Having seen firsthand Twilight crying and depressed, seeing it happen again blew my fuse. Watching one of the most intellectual and kindest souls I've ever met run off crying pushed my button too far. I stomped my way over, determined to make this fucking bitch pay.

"Watch it; you get any closer and I'll have you arrested for rape," Etherea warned with a smirk.

"Yeah, you're so tough picking on a mare whose heart was already broken by what was written about her!" I snapped. "Just fuck what you think or say about me, but if you pick on one of my friends that didn't do a damn thing to you, then you've got another thing coming, bitch."

"Like I care what you think. That mare," she pointed behind me to Applejack before I interrupted her.

"You better choose your next words wisely; they may be the last you say before you wake up with your jaw wired shut…." I threatened.

"Oh, threatening somepony are we? Perhaps I should pay a visit with Princes Celestia when she's done speaking with the mayor about this. You may be on her good side, but threats of violence don't sit well with her. And I don't think she'll be so forgiving considering what you've done to other ponies here."

"W-what?"

"Let's see, beating up Trenderhoof for getting too close to Applejack," she began. "Entering Filthy Rich's home and threatening him after his daughter and Applebloom got into a fight," she continued.

"How….?" I asked as my jaw dropped. "FUCK YOU!" My anger boiled. "Trenderhoof touched Applejack's flank without permission and wouldn't leave her alone, that warranted him getting his ass kicked! And I apologized to Filthy Rich for what I did, and now we're on good terms from it."

"You think I'm the only one that knows what you supposed friends do behind closed doors? We're everywhere," she said in a haughty voice. I couldn't say anything else as my anger still built itself.

"Who's we? TALK!" Rainbow Dash ordered, hovering high above Etherea. The red pony ignored her, instead choosing to get closer to me.

"Hmm yes, your anger just reveals what you truly are. A sad, deplorable, primitive, and violent creature that has no business walking amongst us ponies."

"Ivan," I heard Applejack call out to me, at least I think she did.

"I bet you'd love to shut me up. Use only what you know to fix the problem; maybe it'll impress that imbred hick enough that she'll want to get off from you tonight," Etherea teased.

"Ivan…." Applejack's voice rang through my ears, but she sounded distant. I knew she was standing shorter than a foot away. I can't explain what happened, but as I clenched my fingers together, I temporarily went blind, only for my sight to return a few seconds later. I…..I was seeing the events of everything that'd happened to me ever since I fell from the sky. I saw myself sitting alone outside before Luna landed to talk to me; I saw myself cuddling with Applebloom after she got into her fight with Diamond Tiara; I saw Spike and I bonding together in the lake behind Celestia and Luna's castle; I saw myself hugging Applebloom after helping her deal with her first period; I saw myself talking to Celestia on my birthday; me and Twilight hugging each other after the whole Hearth's Warming Eve fiasco; myself and AJ dancing at the Gala; her giving me my black stetson on my birthday; Applejack and I admitting our feelings for each other; and finally, I saw an image of us hugging each other after we made love. "Ah love you, Ivan," Applejack's words echoed.

"Applejack," I whispered before my vision ended. I looked around to see Etherea still standing in front of me with a smug expression on her face, and my fist raised into the air. My arm shook as my anger radiated throughout my body.

"Don't do it, Ivan!" Applejack begged me, "Yer better than that!" All of my friends nodded in unison as I looked over to see my love standing next to me with a pleading look on her face. I breathed in deeply, shaking my fist even more.

"Well?" Etherea asked. I exhaled sharply, dropping my fist down to my side. I opened my mouth, only to speak in a gravely voice.

"If you think I'm going to waste everything I've worked hard here for to forget my past life…." I paused, "on someone like you…you're wasting the oxygen around us," I glared at her before turning around and dropping to my knees next to Applejack. My girlfriend immediately was at my side with her forelegs around me. I heard Etherea scoff behind me as Discord and Rainbow Dash took over.

"You've done quite enough!" Discord exclaimed loudly. "I'd suggest you leave before I get angry," he threatened the mare. "And don't give me that nonsense about tattling to Celestia; there are more than enough witnesses around here to verify you provoked us."

"What he said!" I heard Rainbow agree with Discord.

"Please, everypony knows that if you do anything, Celestia will just lock you back up in stone," Etherea blew a raspberry at Discord.

"That may very well be true, but by the time that happens, you'll be in another dimension where nopony can hear you scream…."

"You wouldn't," Etherea called his bluff. I hope she didn't know he gave up his powers for the day.

"Do you really want to try me, little mare?" I turned around to see Discord towering over Etherea, baring his teeth, eagle talons, and claws from his lion paw. Etherea's face turned pale as Discord raised his eagle talon into the air, threatening to do something.

"Hmph! You're lucky I'm feeling rather nice today," she moved out from under the draconequus. "Just be careful, everyday we only grow in numbers; someday you'll all see the world the way it was meant to be," she declared before flying off.

"She's bluffing," Rainbow growled. "I'm hoping she'll say the wrong thing to the wrong pony and get a good old fashioned flank kicking!" She exclaimed before floating down to the ground.

"Should….should we go after Twilight?" Fluttershy squeaked. Rarity exhaled, seemingly reducing her anger levels as well.

"Perhaps…we should let Spike handle her. Twilight needs her son more than anypony right now after what that bitch said to her."

"But Twilight's still our friend," Applejack chimed in. "Ah don't think it'd be a good idea ta just let her run off like that without checkin' up on her."

"She's had a stressful day though, Applejack" Fluttershy retorted meekly. "I want to help her, but I don't want to possibly make things worse!"

"Twilight is in good hooves with Spike looking after her. I believe we should let her rest tonight and then all go over to check on her tomorrow morning," Rarity suggested. After a few more minutes discussion, everyone else agreed that we would let Spike be with his mother for the day, and then check up on her first thing in the morning. I had to agree; she was already in bad shape this morning. After having that piled on top of the newspaper article, she had to have been worse than on Hearth's Warming Eve. Everyone had dispersed to go do whatever they pleased; I was too busy mulling to hear what everyone's plans were.

"Ivan?" Applejack shook my shoulders. "A-are you okay, Sugarcube?" She whispered into my ear before kneeling down and laying next to me. I hadn't gotten up from my knees yet. She removed her stetson and nuzzled my stomach as I put my hand on top of her head, petting it lightly.

"I-I'm sorry, Applejack," I apologized, swallowing hard.

"What for?" She pulled her head away from my stomach in worry. I removed my hand from her head, only to wipe away a tear from my eye. I bowed my head and rocked back and forth on my knees.

"For letting my anger dictate some of my actions here," I admitted shamefully. "Trenderhoof, Filthy Rich; that one pony from Luna's Night Court!" I exclaimed as my breathing became a little ragged. "I shouldn't have let my anger deal with them like that; I should've just pulled them aside and talked like grown adults."

"Ivan, Sugarcube," Applejack placed her forelegs on my shoulders, making me look her in the eye. "We all make the wrong choices from time ta time, 'n it's good you recognize you coulda handled them better, but look how many good things ya've done. Saved our hides from a timberwolf attack, helped us take on the Tantabus, helped Applebloom when Ah was gone, befriended Spike 'n kept him company durin' the Estrus, got Twilight outta her funk," she listed. "Ah understand you could've made better decisions with Trenderhoof 'n Filthy Rich, but at least you admit what you did was wrong, 'n you made up with Filthy Rich," she smiled.

"I don't know," I sighed. "I've had anger problems in the past, AJ. Whenever I see my friends being attacked verbally like that, or physically, something in me just….snaps." I suddenly found AJ's lips lightly kissing mine.

"It's okay, Ivan. None of us are perfect, but you showed a lot 'o progress here; Ah'm proud 'o you fer that." She rewarded me with a heartwarming and promising smile, even nuzzling my nose with hers. I sighed yet kept my gaze glued to hers, wanting to know the truth. Gingerly, I put my hand around her hoof, rubbing it gently with my thumb.

"Applejack? I just want to know….." I trailed off.

"Know what, Ivan?" She sat back onto her haunches, pulled her nose away from mine, and placed her other hoof on my cheek. As hard as this was to ask, seeing her trusting smile made it a little easier to swallow.

"Why did you or anyone else not confront me about my anger issues with Trenderhoof or Filthy Rich?" I asked. "Luna at least forgave me for going a bit overboard on the pony that tried to push a library statue on us," I added. "But, I always knew I could've handled the others-" Applejack's lips cut me off. It was nothing more than a quick peck to shut me up.

"Hun," she pulled away with half-lidded eyes before opening them up fully. "Ya lost yer only friends in a horrifyin' way only ta wake up in an alien world with no way ta get home. We understood that ya might have a hard time copin' with it. An' Ah couldn't hold that against ya. Trust me though, Ah was pretty miffed that ya shoved Filthy Rich ta the ground 'n threatened him, but since you apologized fer it, 'n you had Applebloom's safety in mind, Ah couldn't hold it against ya," she lightly kissed me again. "Besides, ya kinda punished yerself by gettin' locked up…" She, like me, trailed off, not wanting to remind us of that horrible night. "Aw, come 'ere Sugarcube," she squeezed my shoulders and pulled me closer so we could somewhat cuddle.

"Okay," I said softly into her ear, "I might've shown restraint today, but what if next time I'm not so lucky? I could end up in jail and throw everything I've worked hard for away," I shook my head, trying to clear it of those thoughts.

"Well, you've got a faithful marefriend who's here every step 'o the way fer ya," she raised a hoof and lightly stroked the back of my head. "Yer makin' progress, Ivan, but Ah promise ta support ya whenever you need help," she then pulled back from the hug. "Just as long as you promise ta only resort to usin' yer fists if yer throwin' the second punch in self defense," she said, pushing off me and getting up to her hooves.

"I love you too much to disappoint you, Applejack," I grasped her hoof.

"Let's go home," Applejack suggested, helping me stand up. "Ah've got a new Pony Keith record ya may like," she winked.

End Chapter 48

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Next time, the Aftermath of Etherea's words for Twilight and something else...

So, I know some people may be thinking, "Why didn't they interrogate Etherea if she had something to do with the papers?" Firstly, if someone is acting completely bitchy like her, EVERYONE wants to get away from her. Second, that will be touched upon in the opening of the next chapter.

Also, I have a feeling that some people may be wondering why Fluttershy didn't get upset for Discord's methods. For one, she's very much aware he doesn't have his powers for the rest of the day, so she knows he's bluffing. Another thing, she knew full well that asking Etherea to leave was not an option; sometimes having an intimidating friend like Discord can help; at least he got Etherea to leave without physical harm.

Anyway, hope you guys liked this chapter; the next one is one I've had planned for a long time and you really don't want to miss it. It's the start of a new ACTION PACKED arc...