//------------------------------//
// The First Tale, Part Four 
// Story: Tales Of Star-Crossed Love 
// by The REAL Mister Pkmn 
//------------------------------//


Chapter Four


Arpeggio Aurora & Misdirea Slight


Tragedy Strikes


“Arg!” Arpeggio hit the wall of his room roughly, and he could barely look at his father’s disappointed look.

His father shook his head. “Oh, Arpeggio. Why did you do this? You lied to us, and broke the sacred law of our family! We do not consort with Sleights! Not since…” He cut himself off as he shook his head. “You will stay in here, and think on what you’ve done.” The door then slammed shut, and was locked from the outside.

For about an hour or two, Arpeggio banged on the walls of his impromptu cell, to no avail. This was not good. He had to get out of this tower, and see Misdirea. No power on this earth would stop him, and- “Pst!” Who was that trying to get his attention? Arpeggio went to the window to see who it was. Arpeggio gasped. It was that pastry chef! He didn’t know how or why the chef was there, but he was grateful that the chef had brought a ladder to set against the windowsill. Arpeggio climbed down carefully, as to not be heard by his family. Once on the ground, he made to thank the chef, but his mouth was covered before he could voice it. “We have no time for this!” He took Arpeggio to the edge of the property, and got him through the gate. He then shared one last look with Arpeggio. “Go! Your loved one awaits!”

Arpeggio smiled, and nodded his thanks. He then ran off into the distance, towards the home of the mare he loved. He hurried off, faster and faster, as if racing against fate itself. Arpeggio was more determined than ever before to reach her. In his mind, he felt as if no force on Mytharia could stop him. Then, he saw the tower that Misdirea was being kept in. He slowed down as he entered the back garden, careful not to alert the other Sleights to his presence. Once he was close to the tower, Misdirea just so happened to turn and see him. Her surprise was evident on her face, but she managed to control her volume. “Arpeggio? How did you get here?”

Arpeggio broke out into a small grin, and chuckled lightly. “That chef from the pastry shop got a ladder to me. That guy sure is full of surprises.”

Misdirea was still a bit in shock at Arpeggio being there. This surely was a miracle from on high. But, she had to be careful. There was no telling when her father would come knocking. “It is good to see you here, but you must run! My father will kill you if he sees you back here! Go!”

Arpeggio knew she was right, but just as he was about to reply, he heard another voice. “You’re not supposed to be here, Aurora. I’ll fix that.” Arpeggio turned suddenly to see the eldest of the Sleight children glaring at him, but he wasn’t fast enough to react to the spell he cast.

Arpeggio slumped on the ground, barely hearing his name be called out as his head hit the grass.

Misdirea had been helpless to stop them as her oldest brother dragged Arpeggio away. There was nothing to be done- Arpeggio was likely killed with that magic, and Misdirea was then going to be given in marriage to some noble. She couldn’t stand for it. She feigned sleep until the entire house went dark, and then she enacted her plan. If Arpeggio was dead, she would just have to go with him. She grabbed a dagger, and tied together some bedsheets to descend the tower. She was not staying here one moment longer.
She rushed off in the dead of night, to the one place that she knew he might be. Call it some kind of insight from on high, or some gut feeling, it didn’t matter. She barreled through the streets of Ivoryspire, not pausing for anything. Then, at long last, she reached the Crypt. Carefully, she found her way inside- and what she saw almost broke her. Lying as still as a statue on a large stone surface was Arpeggio. He almost looked peaceful like this. Tears ran down her cheeks. Why did it have to be this way? Just when they were figuring out how much they cared for each other, it was all taken away. Seeing him like this, she could bare it no more.
With a final tear down her face, she whispered these last words: “Always together, right? My darling…?” She then plunged the dagger straight into her heart, and she slumped over Arpeggio’s form in a pool of blood and tears.

But fate is a cruel thing. Arpeggio woke in the morning, and saw Misdirea’s state before him. Wide-eye panic set in. Had she mistaken him for dead and taken her own life? That spell certainly would’ve made him appeared dead, so he could hardly blame her. But to have this as his first sight in the morning… It made him feel ill. No doubt his family and Misdirea’s would find them here. And if they found him like this… it wouldn’t end well. With no other option before him, he grabbed the dagger from Misdirea’s chest. He smiled sadly. “Always together. My sweet.”
With little hesitation, he followed Misdirea’s example, and took his own life.

It was some time until they were found. The Sleight family and the Aurora family found the place together, and when they saw the sight before them, their blood curled. Two who were not supposed to be together, now dead in each other’s embrace. Murmurs went through the two families for a while, uncertain what to think about it. But then, they reached a decision. They went on to barry the couple in a shared grave marked thusly:


Here lie Arpeggio Aurora and Misdirea Sleight


The Forbidden Pair From Opposite Sides Of The Divide


Let their tragedy always remind us that love knows no boundaries.


The two families made amends, but it would take many generations for any of their descendants to fancy anyone in the other family like Arpeggio and Misdirea had. As for the chef, he soon after start making a special treat dedicated to them- The Couple’s Heart. This was the very same one he had them test earlier, and now he had perfected it. The Couple’s Heart is still sold in bakeries to this day, but the name of the chef has long been forgotten.


The End Of the First Tale


The Next Tale is… Celestia and Discord in the Post-Unification Era.