Fool Moon, Part 24 (Scent of Evil)

>You slowly blink your eyes awake as you feel warmth on your cheek.
>Sunlight, burning and bright, shines into your eyes.
>At that moment, you're glad you didn't sneak out to go drinking.
>You turn over and look at Rarity, still asleep, snuggled up next to you on the bed.
>You frown as you look at her adorable face, smiling in some pleasant dream.
>You were doing something wrong.
>You carefully brush a hand through her mane as you think, frowning to yourself.
>It had never gone this way before.
>Back home, it was just...drink, talk, bang, and leave.
>That was love.
>This is...
>It doesn't make sense. You talk to her and she says things that are actually interesting to listen to.
>She engages you, she challenges you every day, every time she speaks.
>This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Not how you'd known it.
>You had to be doing something wrong.
>She was...well, not human, of course. Of course she'd be reluctant.
>Hell, YOU were reluctant.
>But still.
>That's how things were supposed to, right?
>Why were the pair of you sleeping together without, well, sleeping together?
>The answer was obvious. Rarity was a lady, after all!
>But what was a lady, really?
>Your mother always said a lady was just a whore with a higher class of john.
>You're shaken out of your depressing thoughts by Rarity shifting next to you.
>A pair of sapphire eyes open and stare into yours.
>"Good morning, Anonymous."
>You smile.
"Morning, marshmallow. How ya feeling?”



>She smiles and slides off your chest to the floor, her hooves making soft taps on the tiles.
>"I feel positively refreshed! Don't you? After the DREADFUL ending to that play, a fresh new day is just what we need."
>You sit up on the bed, yawning.
"Sure thing. A new day sounds great."
>"Of course! So many things to do around Canterlot. Perhaps we'll visit an art museum, or attend an auction, or watch a race."
"Sounds great."
>She looks over her shoulder, concerned.
>"Well what has you so melancholy?"
"I...nothing, just Blueblood. I'm just mad we had to deal with him on our...vacation."
>She sighs.
>"Oh I KNOW. He's such a...."
>She shivers for a moment, grimacing.
>"I refuse to let him ruin this morning, Anonymous. I'm going to go take a bath, and then we'll get some breakfast, alright?"
>You smile at her.
"Sure thing. Eggs?"
>She rolls her eyes.
>"Maybe."
>You drop your jaw in horror as she giggles and trots to the bathroom.
>You make your way to small refridgerator in the room's kitchen as Rarity bathes.
>You'd be damned if you weren't having eggs for breakfast in a world where they were readily available!
>To your shock, there was a little bit of food, eggs, some leafy greens you didn't recognize, and strips of something you most definitely did.
>Sweet mother of God they had bacon.
>TIME TO COOK.
>You grab appliances out of the cupboards, as well as eggs, some of those greens, and that holy Gift of the Gods.
>Bacon.
>You hear a set of hooves trotting behind you as you cook, as well as the distinct sound of magic.
>Rarity takes her seat at the kitchen table, humming to herself.
>"Well, I see SOMEpony couldn't wait for me to finish bathing."


>You turn and look at Rarity over your shoulder.
"You have bacon."
>She raises an eyebrow.
>"Anonymous, you still could have waited for-"
"Rarity. You. Have. BACON. I didn't think ponies ATE bacon."
>She furrows her brows a bit, confused, until what you're saying sinks in.
>"Ah. Anon, I don't thi-"
"Sssshhhh. Bacon."
>Rarity sighs, then giggles quietly to herself.
>She didn't rent a griffon-friendly suit, after all.
>She trots to the kitchen counter.
>Some coffee ought to go great with whatever food you're rustling up.
>Your grin splits your face as the smell of cooking bacon begins to fill your nose.
>It smelled...off, sort of, but still...the smell.
>You could die happy. You're pretty sure there's a tear in your eye right now.
>Rarity, for her part, fixes her cup of coffee and sits back to watch the fireworks.
>You notice the bacon is a little...lightly colored for being cooked, but it smells ready, and you don't want it to get crispy.
>Crispy bacon was okay, but soft bacon is best bacon.
>Especially with omelettes.
>You lower the delicious Gifts from God onto a plate and begin cooking an omelette.
>You recognized onions and cheese in the fridge, so you put that in there along with a few green things you think Rarity might like eating.
>You hope whatever the hell this is, it's edible, because memories of that disgusting hay shake made you shiver.
>You finish off the omelette, still grinning as you cut it in half and ladle two omelettes on the plate.
>Your grin stays fixed as you set the two plates on the table.
>You pick up a piece of glorious, glorious bacon.
>And you take a bite.
>Hay. The disgusting taste of hay.
>You flip the table.


"WHY GOD!? TELL ME WHY!?"
>Rarity nonchalantly catches the plates of food in her horn's magic, laughing uncontrollably as you sob on your seat.
>"Don't be...don't be such a baby Anon!"
"Why WASN'T I WARNED!?"
>"I tried to tell you, but you...pffffhahaha!"
"Why do ponies make everything with hay!?"
>She shrugs.
>"It tastes delicious."
"It REALLY doesn't."
>She gives you a sardonic glance, and you sigh and flip the table back over.
>Rarity sets the plates back down, still giggling.
>You wordlessly giving your bacon, a single tear of loss making it's way down your face.
>If God was up there lookin' down at you, he was a cruel bastard.
>You cut at your omelette with a fork, feeling depressed and horrified.
>One bite's enough to tell you that whatever the greens were, they weren't terrible.
>But that omelette can't fill the hole that hay bacon had drilled into your heart.
>Rarity finishes off her omelette with gusto, washing it down with a dainty sip of coffee.
>Then she slowly eats a goodly portion of her bacon, grinning at your expression while she does it.
"This is the worst breakfast."
>"It's not so bad, really. The omelette was excellent, and this hay bacon is divine."
>You glare at her from across the table.
"You've got bacon in your teeth."
>She squeaks and leaps away from the table, covering her mouth with a hoof.
>You grin and toss the plates in the dishwasher, laughing to yourself at the sigh of Rarity hoofing it to the bathroom.
>Time to polish off this disaster with a glass of milk.


>"That was NOT funny!"
"It really was."
>She glares at you as the pair of you walk through the streets of Canterlot.
>"If that was just petty revenge over your hay bacon misfortune, I'd say you were being incredibly childish."
>You raise an eyebrow and look at her.
"And spending two hours searching desperately for a bacon bit and then spending another hour crying on the bed asking me if I thought you were ugly WASN'T childish?"
>Rarity sniffs and looks straight ahead of herself.
>"It was not."
>You raise your eyebrow higher.
>"It was...maybe...a LITTLE overdramatic."
"A little?"
>"I say we switch to another discussion."
"Uh huh, you would. So what are we going to do today?"
>Rarity's eyes immediately light up.
>"The Wonderbolts are hosting a show today, perhaps you'd like to see that?"
"Who are the..."
>"Racing ponies, darling, they put on shows of speed and skill for the rest of us. They absolutely fantastic to watch, let me tell you!"
>Darling.
>That almost pulled back your thoughts from the morning, but you let it drop for the moment.
"That sounds...kind of amazing, actually. Sure, let's go to that!"
>She grins at you.
>"Oh and we MUST visit a wine tasting tonight-"
"Wine tasting? As in a bar?"
>She laughs at your question.
>"Anon, no! You don't actually SWALLOW the wine."
"Then what's the point?"
>Rarity rolls her eyes at you.
>"You'll see. It will be fun, just trust me!"
"Okay, where's this air show and how do we get there?"
>Rarity smiles at you.



>You cover your head as the suited up pegasi race around the ring, the speed of their passing leaving a great thunderclap in your ears.
>Ponies stomp and cheer at the sight of them, and you feel a stirring of adrenaline yourself.
>But mostly it was fear.
>You'd been too busy rolling around on the floor of the train to realize it at the time, but Canterlot was built into the side of a mountain.
>Very high up on the side of a mountain.
>VERY HIGH up.
>Rarity cheers politely from next to you, grinning at your awestruck expression.
>"Isn't this amazing!?"
"Terrifying is the word I'd use!"
>She pouts.
>"Oh come on! Stop being afraid, Anonymous! You'd be having so much fun if you just stopped being so afraid!"
"You act like that's even possible!"
>She smiles at you, and you feel her horn tug on your shirt, pulling you up a little straighter.
>"Look! Just look! Forget the view and watch the race!"
>You sit up a little straighter, grimacing.
>The suited showponies come back around for another pass, and you can FEEL the wind slam into you as you go.
>Their speed was...well, it was exhilarating.
>You'd never seen anything that fast before.
>Before you know it, you let out a loud whoop, urging them to come back around, to fly faster.
>To just GO.
>You glance down at Rarity smiling at you.
"Not a word."
>"I wouldn't dream of it."
>You both cheer as a yellow-red pegasus pulls into the lead, spinning around and leaving a cloud of smoke behind her as she crosses the finish line.
>The crowd seems to explode, ponies raising their hooves and screaming as the Pegasus comes to a halt.
"Okay, I'll admit. This is pretty awesome."


"This is pretty crappy."
>Rarity grimaces at you and shushes you as a few ponies look over at you in distaste.
>"Anon!"
"I'm just telling the truth. What's the point in tasting wine if you can't drink it?"
>She sighs and puts a hoof to her forehead.
>"Anon, it's a pastime of certain classy ponies. I do not expect you to-"
>You bristle as your mother's remembered words from the morning come to you.
"Am I not classy enough for you?"
>Rarity eyes you strangely, a little hurt.
>"That's not what I meant at a-"
>"Ahem."
>You both jump, Rarity's face coloring red in embarrassment.
>You feel a little embarrassed yourself. And then your nose twitches.
>"I, oh, do excuse me, Anon and I were just-"
>"So this must be the wonderful couple I've heard so much about."
>You turn around to view a smiling, black-coated mare.
>She's wearing a fanciful dress, like most of the ponies at this whole wine-tasting thing, but she's different...
>She smells awful, for one. Like chemicals and death.
>Rarity doesn't seem to notice.
>"What...exactly, have you heard?"
>The mare giggles.
>"Nothing but rumors, darling."
>She glances up at you before leaning in and whispering.
>"What is he...like? In the bedroom, I mean. I'd imagine those fingers..."
>Rarity's face goes a shade of crimson.
>"I...why I...how rude! That is NONE of your business!"
>The mare chuckles.
>"Excuse me dear, excuse me. I was just SO curious."
>Rarity sniffs, affronted.
>"The relationship I have with Anonymous is nop0ny's business but mine."
>The mare smiles.
>"So you've never done it, then?"


>You casually drink the wine bottle you'd snagged from the wine tasting when they'd kicked you out.
>Not that you were complaining, watching Rarity buck a mare in the face was worth it.
>"Of all the uncouth, rude, DISGUSTING things to ask a pony! And then to make snide insinuations in the middle of-"
>You interrupt her, taking another drink.
"She wasn't lying, you know."
>Rarity turns her eyes up at you, sniffing.
>"How much of that bottle have you had, Anon?"
>You smile and shrug.
"Not enough. Want some?"
>She crinkles her snout.
>"No thank you. But really, it's the PRINCIPLE of the thing."
"What, pointing out that we havn't done it?"
>"Is it THAT important to you?"
>She stops and stamps a hoof on the cobblestone Canterlot street.
>You pull up short, surprised at the anger in her voice.
"Well...I mean...no, I guess? Shouldn't it be?"
>Rarity gives a tired sigh.
>"I...I'm not ready for that, Anon. I don't think WE'RE ready for that."
>You sigh and take another drink.
"When WILL we be? I've known you for HOW long, now?"
>Rarity's face grows red.
>"Is THAT the only reason you've...that we've..."
>You sigh and close your eyes.
"No. God, no. I'm...that's not what I meant. I just...that's all I know to do, marshmallow. That's the only way it's...the only way it's ever been."
>Rarity closes her eyes and lets out a frustrated sigh.
>"You're drunk."
"M'not."
>"Give me the bottle, Anon."
>You sigh and hand it over.
>Then you start walking away from her.
>"Where are you going."
"I'm gonna take a walk. I need to think."
>"About what?"
"I'll meet you back at the room."


>WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU.
>You scowl as you take another drink.
>You were currently slumped against a tree on a green hill, in some fancy Canterlot park.
>You'd stolen two wine bottles, but Rarity only had to know about the one you had kept in your hand.
>It wasn't fixing the problem.
>Booze ALWAYS fixed the problem!
>It's what you used when you...after you'd...when your Mother died.
>You scowl as your thoughts go back to her.
>This was her fault. Her stupid as fuck advice, that's what it was.
>IT WASN'T JUST THAT.
>Oh no, not you. You were the last thing you needed to hear right now.
>You take another drink, determined to drown the dark half in wine.
>You didn't want to hear what it had to say. You already knew what it would tell you.
>The problem wasn't your mothers advice, not totally.
>The problem was you. You, who'd tried to compare HER to every other one-night stand in your life.
>You, who'd been confronted with something new and been too scared to change.
>You, who was too afraid to admit you knew jack shit about real love.
>Dancing and drinking and sleeping with loose women wasn't love.
>You didn't plan on leaving her the next morning, so why insist on it?
"What the fuck was I thinking?"
>You hear a quiet gasp from somewhere behind you, and jump.
>You'd come here at night, thinking no one would see you.
"Shit! Sorry, don't mean to startle you..."
>You trail off as the source of the gasp comes trotting around the tree, a smile on her face.
>You raise a confused eyebrow as she speaks.
>"No, no, don't apologize. I'm...surprised to see you out and about, is all."
"Fleur de lis?"


>She smiles.
>"Hello Anonymous."
>You sit back against the tree and take another drink, still confused as hell.
"Fleur. What are you...I mean, what?"
>She giggles at your confusion.
>"I should be the one confused at your presence, not the other way around. I love this park, Anonymous. I come here to think quite frequently. Which begs the question..."
>She trots up to you, grinning wryly.
>"Why are you out here?"
>You shrug, taking another drink and scowling.
"Thinking. I think."
>Punishing yourself for being a dumb ass was more like it.
>She smiles at you response and points a hoof at the wine bottle.
>"I can see that. Where is Miss Rarity?"
>You sigh and put your head in your palm.
"Home, the room, I mean. Probably."
>Fleur raises an eyebrow.
>"Such an imprecise answer."
>You grunt.
"It's been an imprecise type of day."
>You look up from your eyes as you feel something warm next to you.
>Fleur's sat down next to you, her back against the tree.
>"Lover's quarrel?"
"No...not really?"
>She hmmphs, before her horn glows.
>Your wine bottle POOFS out of your hand and next to her snout, and she takes a quick drink.
>"Tell me about it?"
>You snort.
"Why?"
>She smiles.
>"Perhaps I'm bored. Anon, come now, it's not every night a bored, beautiful rich mare falls into your lap."
"How...arrogant."
>She smiles.
>"Just being truthful. Now..."
>You feel a hot breath on your ear.
>"Tell Madame Fleur all about you problems, and let's see what I can do to make them go away."


>You jump, looking at her in surprise and tipsy anger.
"Wait a sec. Whoa, what the-"
>Fleur draws back, smiling demurely.
>"Calm down, Anon. We're just talking. Nop0ny ever got hurt by talking, did they?"
>She takes another drink of your stolen wine.
>You stare at her for a second, and then sit back down.
"Give me back my wine."
>She magics you the bottle, still smiling.
>You take a drink.
"I don't know what I'm doing."
>"What do you mean?"
"I feel...lost. I love her. I know I love her, but she and I..."
>Fleur frowns at you, moving her face in close.
>"I heard what happened at that wine tasting earlier today. It's the talk of the town. Are things not...working...in the bedroom?"
>You chuckle.
"That's one way to put it. Maybe what's not working is me trying to get it working at all."
>You lean your head back against a tree.
"She's right. We aren't...we aren't ready for that. Not yet. I'm too fucked up."
>Fleur clucks her tongue in dissapproval."
>"Anonymous, come now. You're a stallion. Well, a male. It's only natural you should want that kind of...relationship, is it not?"
>She leans in closer, and you get a whiff of that strange chemical smell, along with her perfume.
>"Why don't you come with me, Anon?"
"What?"
>"Let's you and I take a moonlit stroll. No more sad thoughts. I'll show you the Canterlot night life."
>She reaches a hoof out to you.
>"Take my hoof. Let Lady Fleur take the pain away."
>Why not?
>Why the fuck not?
>You'd been looking to do a barcrawl anyway.
>And Fleur....
>Fleur was beautiful.
>You raise your hand...


>NO.
>Your head bursts into a sudden headache, and you wince as your sense of smell sharpens.
>You raised hand comes to your nose as pain explodes in your head.
>NO. YOU WILL NOT DO THIS, WEAKLING.
>You growl and back away from Fleur, astounded and in sudden agony.
>It shouldn't be strong enough to...the potion should...
>IT WILL NOT LAST FOREVER. IT CANNOT.
>What the fuck does IT care who you-
>SMELL HER.
>The thing's compulsion, sharp and furious, makes your eyes widen as you take a sniff.
>That smell, that chemical smell, invades your senses, so thick and cloying it makes you want to cough.
>Like chemicals and death and mold and rot, all mixed up in one.
>And something...something else...
>PHEREMONES.
>Fair a what?
>You feel the dark half snarl in your head, refusing to answer.
>Fleur, for her part, moves towards you, her eyes screwed up in concern.
>"Anon? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute Fleur. Think I drank too much..."
>You cough, struggling with the monster in your head.
>LOOK...AT...HER...HORN.
>You turn away from mentally beating the dark half back into submission.
>Her horn was glowing.
>You glance at the wine bottle in the grass.
>What the fuck was she doing?
>DECIEVER. TRICKSTER. GREENLING.
>You feel the dark half twist something in your face, and you cry out in pain, getting up and backing away from Fleur.
>That smell, the second smell...it had INVERTED somehow. She stank!
>And your head...it felt like you were about to fall asleep, and you were wide awake again.
>You stand straight up.
"Listen...Fleur, I've...I've gotta go."
>Her eyes widen in shock as you turn and start to jog away.
>"Anon! Wait! Where are you going?"


>You gagged and coughed as you ran, heedless of your environment, feeling drunk with terror.
>That smell...
>You could smell it coming from her as she followed you.
>"Anonymous? Wait! Wait for me!"
>No.
>Not just no, but fuck no.
>Whatever Fleur was, you wanted nothing to do with it.
>She'd been fucking with your head.
>The dark half had tried to warn you.
>The smell...
>You should have picked up on the goddamn smell.
>It had started when you met her, at the play...
>And that one mare at the wine tasting...
>You needed to get the hell out.
>You needed to get back to her.
>Back to the mare you loved.
>Back to Rarity.
>You keep running, heedless of Fleur panting as she runs after you.
>The smell increases in intensity, and your nose twitches.
>Whatever she's doing she's trying to do it harder.
>You run at the nearest building, grabbing hold of the ridges of the alabaster towers.
>No, fuck this. Fuck Fleur, fuck Blueblood, fuck this whole city.
>There was something wrong here.
>Now that the other half was awake, you could smell it all around you.
>That sharp, chemical stink.
>You needed to get back to her, right now.
>You scramble up the side of the building like a spider, ignoring the fierce temptation to just CHANGE and get it over with.
>The howling in the back of your mind makes you stumble as you claw your way to the rooftops.
>You can't hear Fleur anymore.
>But the smell still follows you.
>You start running, jumping over purple spires and leaping across roofs as you run.
>You see the tower in the distance, and you dare not look behind you for the smell.
>You had to make it before whatever it was caught up.


>Where WAS he?
>You idly take another sip of the stolen wine, cursing to yourself for the thousandth time.
>You shouldn't have let him go.
>He was CLEARLY drunk, or on the verge of it.
>But after..after what he said...
>Did he think you were some kind of harlot?
>HAD you been taking things too slow?
>You take another drink.
>Just to calm your nerves, of course.
>You hear a rapping on the chamber door.
>You sigh, and turn to the door, pulling it open with your magic.
>"Anon?"
ANON'S PERSPECTIVE
>There she was.
>Your bottle of wine, nearly empty, sat on a nearby table.
>You'd caught her mid-pace, one hoof raised, and a red blush on her cheeks.
>You run over to her, gasping and confused and more than a little scared.
>You grab her in your arms, shaking.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
>She freezes up, confused.
>"Anon, no. I should be sorry. I didn't stop to consider how humans..."
>You shake your head.
"No. No. That was me being stupid. That's...you were right. We aren't ready. And it doesn't matter if we ever are. I don't need to fuck you to know I love you."
>You hear her take in a sharp breath.
"I shouldn't have left."
>"What...Anon, what happened?"
"We need to go. Back home, somewhere else, I don't know, but we should get the fuck out of Canterlot."
>"Anonymous?"
>You close your eyes and take a deep breath.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
>You feel a pair of hooves curl around you in a hug.
>"Anon, shhh. Shhh, it's okay. Talk to me. What happened?"
>You don't respond. How could you, after what you had almost done?
"I...we just have to go. Ponyville. Back to Ponyville."