Chapter 11

Discord returned Fluttershy to her room at the break of dawn. She was sad to see him go, but deep down she knew she had to return to her daily live, at least for now. Discord kissed her hoof and departed through the window, as he had done before. She waved him goodbye, her heart falling all the while; for some reason she hated to see him go. After he had departed she closed the window and sighed. Her temporary escape had been just that, temporary. Now she returned to the world where she was a lady…and a wife, and an unhappy one at that. Still, she could not bring herself to leave Trenderhoof, at least not yet.

There was a short, but powerful knock upon her door. She was about to dismiss it, but the pony entered regardless. Fluttershy turned to the door saying:

"No one may enter without my—"

It was Trenderhoof. He looked absolutely furious; she had never seen him even slightly angered. His eyes looked bloodshot and the sweet violet she had accustomed herself to was now cruel and piercing. It looked as though he had not slept at all. His hair, usually styled very carefully, was messy and unkempt; his clothes were the same ones he had worn to the opera. Fluttershy, in her wedding gown (stained with the grass she had slept upon that night), drew away from him instinctively.

"Where-were-you?" Trenderhoof asked, demanding that she answer. His question was chopped and angry.

Fluttershy blinked slowly, though her heart was beating rapidly and out of control. She had to collect her thoughts before she responded, though whatever answer she gave she knew he would not accept.

"I went out alone. The opera was boring and I did not wish to come back to the house."

Trenderhoof lowered his head and sneered at her furiously.

"Without my permission? Without me present?"

Fluttershy stuck to her words. Though inside she was trembling, outwardly she appeared calm and collected. This time she would not let herself become intimidated.

"Yes. I do not need anypony's permission to do as I please. I am of age and I shall do as I want. As to your presence, what does it matter? You have left this house and this city without me before, what does it matter now? I have had to live without you before, why was last night any different?"

Trenderhoof was far to enraged to see the validity to her logic and to her argument. He could not look past the fact that he had been, somehow, wronged. His pride and vanity had been irreparably tarnished and that was the sin of her action.

"You are my wife; you belong to me. I can come and go because I am the stallion in this relationship and you will respect that. The whole city is talking about us now! You have shamed our names and you will account for this shame."

Anger now began to rise in the shy pegasus. All of the times she had been wronged by him, all of the times he had hurt her, all of the days when he had disappeared on her came bubbling to the surface. She stood proudly and her wings were outstretched. This time she would not let him do as he pleased; he had done enough of that already.

"Shame? You are the pony who has shamed this house and this marriage. I know what you have been doing, where you have been going all this time. Do you think me a fool? I know the kind of relationship that you and the Countess have. I found all of the bills that you had stashed away. You have spent all of my inheritance, my dowery, on her and on yourself. How dare you accuse me of shame when you have done nothing but shame yourself and this marriage.

I have tried time and time again to bring you closer to me, but you cared for none of it. You want me as a financial support to your own selfish ends. I refuse to sleep without because you care nothing for me, only for her and for yourself. I married you according to my grandmother's wishes. I married you because I was promised love and a mutual sense of respect. You gave me neither of these things and now that my grandmother is dead I have little reason to stay with you at all.

But I have. I stayed because I was afraid of what others might say. I still might. But tread carefully, my husband, for you may just drive me away. If I remain with you know it may only be out of a sense of duty or morality, but I question this even now.

Watch your step."

Fluttershy walked calmly past her husband, who was frozen with shock, and left the room to take some breakfast. Trend retired to his room, still unsure of what to do, but still seething. He heard her leave the house some time later, but found that she had not taken her things, which he interpreted as a sign of her imminent return.

Towards tea time, Lord Trenderhoof received a caller. It was the Countess Rarity, dress fashionably in a silk dress, coming to call on her lover. Trend took her call and met her for tea in the parlor. He was still rather upset, so to speak, about the conversation he had just had with his wife. Luckily, Rarity began to speak first. She had come here with a purpose, after all.

"I am here to convince you to come away with me, darling," she said gently, but firmly.

Trend did not respond right way and, in fact, he refused to meet her eyes. He could not bring himself to answer her right away; he was weakened. Finally, he sighed and answered:

"No."

Rarity looked genuinely upset at being denied anything. She sat up and frowned, which was most unbecoming of a lady. Her carefully curled mane began to almost stand on end. Her sapphire eyes narrowed.

"Why? You love me and I you—therefore we should be together."

Trenderhoof did not react to this beyond a quick tip of the head. He did not take his tea nor any food. Instead, he sat silently on the chair in silence.

"I cannot. My wife has the money, not I. I have already spent the dowry money, which was mine by marital right, on you. The rest of the money is direct inheritance from my wife. Without my marriage to her we would both be bankrupt."

The Countess looked shocked at this revelation, but it was not as if she did not understand. After all, her wealth had come from her husband as well. She received some allowance from him by maintaining their marriage, in name only; however she received next to nothing as she no longer lived with him. If she were to leave him completely for Trend, as she had planned, he would need to support her entirely.

"I understand. Still, could you not move out of this house and come live with me somewhere in the city?"

Trend mulled over this idea. This was possible. Though it would somewhat smear his image, it would not be entirely impossible to recover some of it. Men leaving their wives was frowned upon, but not unheard of. He would still have the money, but he would be able to live with Rarity instead.

"I shall do that. However, this will involve a large sum of money to purchase a place for ourselves. I will need to take this money from my wife's account directly, which will alarm her. I shall need to do this process slowly to avoid this."

Rarity nodded, she understood but the option was not the most preferable. Smiling widely, she walked over to Trend and kissed him sensually. His eyes grew warmer and a spark lit up in them. Almost immediately he took to her and together they retreated to his room. Neither of them noticed that Rarity had left behind a diamond pin on the chair.