Chapter 5: Torn Between Two Mares

Loudmouth flew almost all over the place. So far, there is no trace or sign of Ben. The parrot is worried. What if it's true, that he did ran off with another mare? But then Loudmouth saw some smoke appearing nearby and decides to investigate.

During that time, Ben, Rarity, Spike and Winona appears in a forest. The white unicorn gasps happily as she looks around the place then at the moon. It's like she hasn't been here...not since before her own demise at the hooves of her former lover.

Rarity giggles a bit then spots a butterfly flying in the air. This made her sigh happily and dance freely around the forest before she does so around Ben. The stallion looks away in concern. How will Rarity react when he finds out the real reason why Ben came back home?

"So are you going to tell her?" Spike whispers to Ben in concern.

"I don't know. I would feel bad if she finds out that I came back to see Twilight." Ben whispers right to Spike in worry.

Just then Rarity trips, causing one of her own legs to fall off; Bray came out of her ear while remarking, "Hey! You dropped something!"

Ben and Spike watch as Rarity works on freeing her own leg while reattaching. Once the mare can move again, she happily dances a bit some more then came back to Ben, wanting to dance with him. The stallion was preparing to tell her to wait a bit so he can escape and see Twilight when a familiar voice stops him.

"Benny, there ye are. Rawk," Loudmouth calls out as he flies down near to Ben and lands on his back, much to the surprise and delight of his friend.

"Loudmouth," Ben asks Loudmouth with a grin.

"Yep, and who be the pretty lass, eh?"

"This is Rarity. And that's Spike."

"How do you do; Name's Loudmouth, First Mate to Captain Jack Silver," Loudmouth said as he gave a respected bow to Rarity and Spike, making them laugh and giggle.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you." Rarity giggles a bit. Loudmouth looks at her oddly, "Oh what? Me? Well, yes, it's true. I'm dead, no longer part of the living."

"But there's no reason to be worried, right?" Spike asks Loudmouth with a chuckle.

"Nah," Loudmouth squawks a bit, assuring Rarity and Spike of no hard feelings. Just then he saw a dog barking eagerly to him. The parrot, recognizing the long dead Winona, spoke up, "Rawk! Winona? Be that ye, lassie? Look at ye...still looking as good as ever; Rawk."

"Is Loudmouth always this chatty, Benny?"

"You have no idea, Spike." Ben chuckles a bit in amusement. He then saw Rarity dancing again then stops her before he sat the dead corpse down onto a leg. "Now then, hold it, Rarity. Ahem, I think I should go off and prepare mom and dad for the big news. I will go ahead. You wait here."

"Yes, perfect darling." Rarity remarks with a light chuckle.

"Wait, what news?" Loudmouth asks a big puzzled and confused, not sure what Ben is referring to.

"Oh, I am his wife.

"His WHAT?!"

"Rarity, sweetie...could you please excuse me, Spike and Loudmouth for a while," Ben ask Rarity uneasily. "I want them to come with me to break the news to my parents. We will be right back."

"All right; I don't mind." Rarity said with a grin. Ben nods as he, Spike and a alarmed Loudmouth rush off. The stallion turns back to his 'bride'. "And no peeking, okay?"

Rarity giggles a bit then waits as Ben's group heads off. Unknown to her, the trio are making their way out of the forest with only birds noticing them leaving. Along the way, Ben told Loudmouth what has happened...and the parrot was more shocked than ever.

"What is the meaning of this, Ben?! How could you marry some....some....dead pony behind Twilight's back like that? Rawk," Loudmouth demands to Ben, shocked and upset. The Earth pony loves Twilight, Celestia is assured of it; what gives?!

"Loudmouth, it was all an accident, okay? I was only practicing my vows, only to well...end up marrying Rarity by mistake." Ben explains clearly to Loudmouth in concern.

"Rawk; is that what happened? Or is this just an excuse to cheat on Twilight some more?"

"I'm serious, Loudmouth."

"You're not gonna tell Ben's parents about what's going on, are ya, Loudmouth?" Spike asks Loudmouth in worry. He fears that Jack and Celestia would be disappointed if they were to find out what their son has gotten himself into.

"I'd rather hang myself than tell on poor Ben like that. If only I could actually hang myself." Loudmouth sighs a bit, "But what about Twilight?"

"I will tell her that I love her...then tell Twilight what happened. Maybe she could find a way to get myself out of this fix." Ben explains with a sigh while the trio heads through town. He then spots a familiar mansion up ahead. "There's her home right now."

Ben's group reach the door but stop upon hearing Jet Set's angry voice, "If I ever get my hooves on that treacherous Earth filth, I will break his neck...and maybe the necks of those who are involved in his crime!"

Inside, Upper Crust locks the door as she said, "Jet, your hooves are too small. I say use a rope with magic. Say, where's Twilight?"

"In her room; she was upset and won't come out." Caramel explains to his employers to where Twilight is.

"She still thinks that Ben is still faithful to her. I don't blame her." Fireblaze said with a shrug. "A mare like that can only find love once in a lifetime."

Outside, Ben looks worried. Jet Set will kill him big time should he go outside. Spike in concern ask, "So, Ben, any idea on how to get to Twilight now?"

"Here's an idea." Loudmouth said as he spots something nearby and begins leading Ben and Spike to it. This is the perfect way to see Twilight in her bedroom unnoticed.

------------

Rarity was getting impatient, becoming concerned. What is taking Ben so long to tell his parents and come back so he can introduce her to them? Perhaps it is a long trot after all...

"Psst! This is your conscience talking. Listen to me." Bray in Rarity's head said to the unicorn, much to her irritation. "I got a bad feeling about that pony...as well as your Dragon friend and that parrot of his. They are up to no..."

Rarity hits her eat in annoyance, causing Bray to fall out of her head and onto the snow with a yelp of pain. The corpse snaps, "How uncouth! Chew on some pony's ear for a while. Ben just left to see his parents, like he said. Spike and Loudmouth is probably helping him out."

"Well, if I hadn't been sitting in your head, I would say that you lost your mind! Honestly!"

"There is a good reason as to what's taking him so long. He must have one."

"Well, I betcha he does." Bray remarks while rolling his eyes in disbelief. "Say, if you're convinced that there's a good reason, why not ask him?"

"Very well, I will." Rarity said, sniffing a bit. Bray, Winona and Rarity spots some footprints in the snow on the ground. Yeah, they could follow those and see where Ben's group has gone off to.

"After all, no way Ben can get far with those cold hooves; Ha ha ha ha; Yeah, funny stuff!"

------------------------------------------------

Loudmouth led Ben and Spike to a vine wrapped around a stone stand nearby. The parrot remarks, "Rawk! There it is, you can climb up from there...unless you wanna fly."

"No, I prefer to do it the standard way." Ben said with a smile as he grabs the vine and begins climbing upward. "Still, thanks."

Ben and Spike climbs up the vine until they reach the window to Twilight's room. The Earth pony saw his true love in the said room, sewing a bit with her magic. Ben sighs a bit happily; it would be wonderful to be with her again. Suddenly without warning, Ben yelps and fell right onto the balcony area with Spike landing on the same thing but away from the window.

The impact is enough to alert Twilight who gasps, "What is that?!"

Twilight shrugs a bit. Maybe she imagined it. The mare goes back to her sewing, maybe she miss her love too much. Unknown to her, the stallion got up and knocks on the glass door. Twilight gasps upon hearing the knocking. Now she didn't imagine that time!

To Twilight's happiness, she saw a familiar Earth pony outside the balcony door. After putting the cloth down, the unicorn gallops over to the door and uses her magic to open it. Twilight sighs and came in, followed by Loudmouth and Spike (who quickly rush in to avoid being seen for the moment).

As Ben close the door, Loudmouth smiles while saying, "Look what I found, Miss Sparkle; Rawk!"

"Twilight," Ben said with a shiver but manages to smile all the same.

"Ben? Oh, I'm so happy to see you." Twilight said, happy to be reunited with Ben again. Looks like her hopes are right, the Earth pony didn't ran off with another mare after all! The two and Loudmouth came near the fireplace while Spike stay out of sight, hiding behind a table. "Come by the fire. Oh, where have you been? Are you all right?"

"I...oh dear...well..."

"The story of what happened is kinda complicated." Loudmouth said, pondering how to explain what happened to Twilight.

Twilight release Ben's hoof, looking concerned as she said, "You're cold as death! What happened to you...and your coat?"

Ben indeed saw that his coat is a dusty mess. The Earth pony quickly dust it off before looking seriously to Twilight, saying, "Twilight, I must confess. The coat isn't important, this is. The point of matter; I was...terrified of marriage this morning." Twilight look surprised to hear this. "Yeah, but when I met you, I feel like I should be with you always forever....and that our wedding could not come soon enough."

"Ben, I feel the same way."

The two lovers smile as Loudmouth and the hidden Spike watch on with smiles. It appears that nothing can ruin this now; But as Ben and Twilight prepare to kiss each other, the dead Dragon turn and yelps as he saw a familiar dead white unicorn climbing up to the balcony with Winona and waves over to Ben.

Ben, seeing Spike, saw Rarity and Winona outside and yelps in concern. As he points to outside, the Earth pony said, "Twilight, I se...I se...I seem to find myself married. Listen, you must believe, what happened was unexpected! I didn't know that it was a hoof instead of a stick when I was practicing my vows earlier!"

Twilight looks confused, not sure what Ben is talking about. Suddenly, the door opens up, startling the living and dead. Loudmouth yelps, "Aw Rawk!"

"Ben darling, my apologizes. I got a little impatient and wanted so much to meet..." Rarity stops and gasps upon seeing Twilight...with Ben. Winona barks in surprise. With a nervous chuckle and a glare, the undead white unicorn asks, "Darling, who is this?"

"Uh, Rarity; There's something you should know." Spike said as he came out of hiding, making Twilight gasps upon seeing him.

"Ben, who is she...and what is that?!" Twilight ask Ben as she looks confused at both Rarity and Spike.

"Oh, I am Spike...an undead Dragon. And this..."

Rarity smiles as she showed a familiar ring on one of her hooves, saying proudly, "And I am his darling wife."

"What?! Ben?" Twilight ask Ben in surprise and shock. What is going on here?

"Twilight, wait, you don't understand." Ben said in worry as he shows Rarity's hoof to Twilight. This whole incident is about to go bad big time! "You see, she's dead! Look!"

Spike slaps his forehead while Bray from behind Rarity calls out, "Oooh, bad move, kid! You just call her dead, very offensive; burned!"

Rarity gave an angry glare to Twilight. Of course, this makes sense: Ben wasn't really going to introduce her to his parents! He just wanted an excuse to see another mare...and one who is still alive! How dare he!

"Hopscotch...and you're coming with us, Mr. Loudmouth." Rarity remarks as she uses her magic to grab Ben, Spike and a yelping Loudmouth.

"Oh, boy; why do I get myself into these darn situations?" Loudmouth asks himself in alarm and horror.

Ben tries frantically to reach Twilight who screams out to him in horror, "Ben!"

"TWILIGHT!" Ben screams out as a bunch of crows cover him, Rarity, Spike, Winona and Loudmouth. Twilight can only watch in horror as the five disappear from sight.

-------------

Without warning, Ben finds himself back in the Moochik's tower back in the underworld, facing a furious Rarity. The Moochik ask in concern, "Back so soon? What happened? And who's the parrot?"

"Oh geez! Where am I, rawk?!" Loudmouth squawks in worry and horror, finding himself in a tower of darkness.

"You lied to me!" Rarity screams in fury to Ben as she shoves him. "You just wanted to get back to that other mare! And Spikey, you knew all along; you and the parrot!"

"Hey, listen, you don't understand!" Spike exclaims to Rarity in alarm. "I promised not to tell and Ben..."

"Hey, if you're angry at me, filly, it wasn't my fault or Ben's!" Loudmouth exclaims to the angry Rarity in worry. "You see..."

"Guys, let me handle this." Ben sighs as he turns to Rarity in hopes to calm her down. "You don't understand. You're the other mare!"

"No! You're married to me!" Rarity protests with tears coming out of her eyes. She points upward while snapping, "She's the other mare!"

Rarity weeps some more as the Moochik coughs a little while watching this scene, "Well, she got a point you know."

"Hey, you aren't making things better." Spike groans out to the Moochik.

"I thought...I thought that this was going so well." Rarity said to Ben while weeping. One of her eyes pops out before rolling on to the floor to Ben's hooves. The Earth pony sighs as he takes the eye, dusting it off. Ben got to explain the truth to Rarity a bit.

"I'm sorry. It isn't against you. It's just...this cannot work." Ben said sadly to Rarity who looks upset while snapping her eye back from him.

"And why not; is it because of my eye?!"

"No. Your eye is lovely."

"Right, you're a beautiful mare, any one, Dragon or pony, would've have you." Spike said to Rarity who put her eye back in. "It's just...I mean, under different circumstances, who knows? But well...you two are just too different."

"Right, you're dead." Ben said to Rarity with a sigh, trying his best to let his 'wife' down as best as he could.

"Ugh, I am undead, you ruffian!" Rarity snaps angrily to Ben in frustration, "Why didn't you thought of that about asking me to marry you?!"

"Don't you get it?! What happened was a mistake! I would never marry you!"

Rarity gasps as Ben looks shocked upon what he said. Spike and Loudmouth look concerned as the white unicorn sighs in sadness before leaving her 'husband' alone. Once he is gone, Ben sighs in sadness, regretting what he said. Her former lover has turned on her years ago and now...it's happening all over again.

"Hoo boy; Poor filly," Loudmouth sighs in concern.

Author's note
Well, Ben is trapped in the Underworld again, with Loudmouth joining and poor Rarity is heartbroken. What will happen now? In the next chapter, Rarity sings over her heartbreak. Meanwhile, Twilight tries to tell her adopted parents and Nexus about what happened to Ben and Loudmouth but they think that she's crazy. Blueblood then makes a suggestion that could make the poor mare's life worst...especially with sinister motives involved. Read, review and suggest!